manured bed

[finleyfreyaseth]

i dug over a large bed in april and covered it over with thick layer of manure (well rotted) i left it untouched till this month and ave lightly forked it over the mass o0f worms was amazing in the bed,the soil which was heavy clay soil before was a total contrast to what it was before ,the question im asking is will i be able to plant brassicas in this bed next year or not,ive other beds unmanured i can plant brassicas on but as its an old overgrown plot i took on in summer 2011 and its taken over 12 mths to get all the beds weedish free, id like to manure the others over winter if i can plant brassicas on this one bed next year

[taff]

yes, you can plant them in there next year, but they will need firming down so steel yourself to stand on the soil around them when you plant them

[northepaul]

You could cover toe ground now with polythene to keep weeds out.....

[finleyfreyaseth]

fingers crossed its pretty weed free,i wanted leave it umcovered to let frost etc into ground its not been planted in for years

[Two_Sheds]

There's no advantage in "letting the frost get in". It's an old technique used to help break up big old clods of clay, but it doesn't sound like you have that problem.

You have manured it: it's likely to be on the acidic side? Potatoes love acidic soil, but brassicas need a more alkaline soil.

It would be helpful if you put your location into your profile, then we can take a guess at the conditions you're likely to be facing

[Two_Sheds]

You could cover toe ground now with polythene to keep weeds out.....

Not polythene.

Cardboard, green manure, straw, newspapers are all preferable, because they not only keep moisture & warmth in the soil, and block the light to prevent weeds germinating, they actually improve the soil long-term. Plastic doesn't.

[kathyd]

Not polythene.

Cardboard, green manure, straw, newspapers are all preferable, because they not only keep moisture & warmth in the soil, and block the light to prevent weeds germinating, they actually improve the soil long-term. Plastic doesn't.

I assume the general dislike of black plastic doesn't include black landscaping fabric? We use it quite a lot in a bid to reclaim land which has grown back into meadow land, and where we know we can't keep up with the weeding at the moment. It lets water and air through, and prevents weeds for several years. Underneath it creates a whole new habitat for wildlife, including slow worms (and adders...) and toads amongst other things. Sometimes it's the only way to control big areas with limited resources (in which I include time and/or stamina ... )

[Snadger]

You could cover toe ground now with polythene to keep weeds out.....

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarh!!!!!!!!!!! eek: (Sorry............my pet hate!)

[Snadger]

I assume the general dislike of black plastic doesn't include black landscaping fabric? We use it quite a lot in a bid to reclaim land which has grown back into meadow land, and where we know we can't keep up with the weeding at the moment. It lets water and air through, and prevents weeds for several years. Underneath it creates a whole new habitat for wildlife & couch grass roots that resembles a map of the underground when plastic is removed, including slow worms (and adders...) and toads amongst other things. Sometimes it's the only way to control big areas with limited resources (in which I include time and/or stamina ... )

Not a thing of beauty though is it Kathy? Each to there own, but sometimes the disadvantages can outweigh the advantages. Concrete is good at controlling weeds also!

[finleyfreyaseth]

plastic was a god send to me when i took on my plot grass and weeds waist height once strimmed down i covered as much as poss and peeled back and dug when i could it worked a treat so black plastic deffo as aplace on allotments ,but must confess the site of manured beds and dug over beds are more pleasin to the eye but each there own,and as yet still learning art of growing so black plastic might still play apart for me

[Newton]

The Advice on here is fantastic.........it's up to you how you weigh it up. From my perspective on winter one I used black plastic weed membrane. It did a good job. Stopped weed growth underneath for the most part and allowed the ground underneath to improve.

Year two I decided that cardboard would do an equally good job but would also rot down as a soil improver! It did and it did!

So I was able to take on board the advice gradually but I got there in the end...........laying plastic is much easier though. Especially if you are covering over half of northern France! I wish....

I hope you weigh the advice given and reach a good conclusion for you.

Ps in the end TS and Snadger are quite right! Good luck with your decision.