Just got my allotment

[arctic_chilli_grower]

Just taken on 100m2 allotment - going to be busy at work for next month so I covered the plot in black plastic to keep the weeds (in particular grass) down.

How long would it take for the weeds under the plastic and roots to vanish/break down?



I looked away once and the whole place is covered in weeds

[Two_Sheds]

it depends on weather etc.

At the mo my newspaper mulch is killing the grass completely in about 8 weeks. You don't need to do the whole plot at once though, just uncover each section when you have plants ready to go in

[TrialAndError]

I have two parts of my allotment under quality carpet and it seems to take about four months at the very least to kill everything in spring / summer / autumn, longer if winter is part of the time frame.

[Philthy]

Is it necessary to cut down the grass /weeds first, or can you just cover them over and weigh the plastric /carpet /cardboard down?

I have a section of uneven, untidy garden that I need to tidy up and cultivate. Thick with grass and weeds, and hard thanks to the clay content.
It's maybe 5m x 4m?

I don't have a strimmer. If I can plant into it in October that'd be great.

[Penellype]

Is it necessary to cut down the grass /weeds first, or can you just cover them over and weigh the plastric /carpet /cardboard down?

I have a section of uneven, untidy garden that I need to tidy up and cultivate. Thick with grass and weeds, and hard thanks to the clay content.
It's maybe 5m x 4m?

I don't have a strimmer. If I can plant into it in October that'd be great.

It sounds as though this would be an ideal candidate for raised beds as even if you kill off the weeds with plastic the ground itself would still be hard work to dig. I've just cultivated a 3m x 4m vegetable garden which was full of weeds but the soil was basically reasonably well cultivated and it was pretty hard work. The only thing I would say is that if you make raised beds on top of things like creeping thistle and silverweed, you can expect them to grow up through them (at least they are in the raised bed I made).