Fruit veg etc as ground cover, what do you use?

[4390evans]

Since using hay last year that I got from a local farmer Ive introduced umpteen differend weeds into the garden, so this year I am looking to use other fruits and veg as ground cover.
So far I will be using asparagus peas and strawberries.

What do you guys use?

[Greenleaves]

Not sure i really understand the question, do you mean in between rows are just for covering an area of bare ground?

[Penellype]

Nasturtiums work well as long as you don't mind them self seeding all over the place. I've also used wild strawberries, but found the fruits got slugged.

[Guest]

I don't I just mulch but there was someones blog where they used oca, ulloco and chinese artichokes. Hopefully it will bug me during the night that I will remember the blog for you in the morning

http://oca-testbed.blogspot.co.uk/20...ure-mound.html

[4390evans]

Yeah between stuff, last year I had loads of gaps where either stuff had grew up so the earth was bare underneath it or like areas around my trees not fully established yet.

Ive planted some strawberries below where my goose and black currant bushes are as it was quite bare there and had loads of weeds.

Also I suppose to give a bit shading too for the soil as my garden is facing west so one side of the garden bakes to the point that its like cement, so I thought if I use the peas in and around my brassicas they will keep moisture locked in too.

I dont want to use hay again, although it does a brilliant job I just dont want more weeds introduced. Ive got loads of compost that I will be putting on too but the soil just never looks nice or feels nice during summer. I will alao be using nasturtiums.

[sparrow100]

I'm using spent hops on some (netted) beds. They look nice, but are poison to dogs and likely also foxes so I don't use them on open beds. I'm growing oca underneath my tomatoes this year.

[Bigmallly]

Why not use straw instead of hay.

[Muddy_Boots]

Got a ton of straw that my Rhubarb forcer was packed with so thats what I'm using, especially in my strawberry bed.

[veggiechicken]

Courgettes and squashes.................and begonias

[muddled]

woodchips, straw and cardboard for me.
I use spinach sometimes as well...then feed it to the chickens.

In my garden I have herb robert.
It makes good cover, has pretty little pink flowers and is very easy to pull up when I want the space back.

mostly though, I fill any gaps with dwarf beans and beetroots that I always have starting in module trays for that purpose.

[WendyC]

Got the jist of this thread, but what's "e5c"?

[veggiechicken]

Possibly "etc" ?

[tjay]

Green manures

I noticed a thread re. weed prevention/cover that started some few years ago but there was an entry this year so at the risk of being (yet again?!) out of date interest, here goes.
This year for the first time I will be using green manures (from www.sowseeds.co.uk). I have several including Phacelia tanacetifolia (which has interesting and pretty blue flowers), Italian Ryegrass, Yellow Trefoil, Red Clover andAlfalfa. Phacelia doesn't belong to any of the usual rotation groups so can be used anywhere. The idea is to cut them down and dig in before they set seed and so provide both lovely ground cover and after cutting and digging in, enrich the soil. Another one is Caliente Mustard which was developed for potato growers since apparently it hardens the cysts of potato eelworm and so discourages them from maturing. There are quite a few green manures but all but P.T. belong to one or the other of the rotational groups so care must be taken there. The Sowseeds site gives plenty of information about all of them.

[WendyC]

Possibly "etc" ?

Trying to make a clever accronym out of it!

[Muddy_Boots]

Got the jist of this thread, but what's "e5c"?

Glad you asked that WendyC, I was wondering what that meant myself but was too afraid to ask in case I was wrong. I thought it might be some new type of fertiliser i'd never heard of or some super plant that stopped all weeds growing.