Growing in weeds - another daft idea!

[veggiechicken]

I have a pile of weeds that I don't want to put in the compost bin - like buttercup, dock, nettle and grass roots. Its in a big pile and I turn it to dry it out. The chickens play in it but it usually ends up in the green waste bin. Seems a shame to waste it but there's a limit to how much weed tea I want to make

Do you think that, if I piled it into a tonne builders bag, with a smidgeon of soil, I could grow potatoes or squashes in it?

Told you it was a daft idea

[mrbadexample]

Have a go and let us know how you get on.

[Jay-ell]

Isn't that a bit like lasagne gardening. It's going to just be a big compost heap which the squashes should love - go for it.

[Penellype]

A few years ago when I first started helping my friend with her veg garden, I had a large pile of docks, thistles, dandelions, couch grass etc which I stuffed into a big (probably 70 litre) tree pot that happened to be lying around empty. There was a fair bit of soil in there too as some of the weeds were large clumps of grass. The thing soon became too heavy to lift, so it remained tucked away in a corner. Some of the weeds did grow and I pulled them up and chucked them back in. By the following year it had rotted down so that there was about a foot of space at the top, which I filled with compost and planted potatoes in, and they grew well, with almost no perennial weeds to be seen.

I know this is a little different to planting directly into fresh weeds, but it does show that you can make compost from perennials without horrendous problems. You might find you got a lot of weed growth if you didn't keep on top of it, and if you have couch grass in there it would probably manage to grow through the sides of the builders bag as it has very sharp growing points (I've seen it grow through pieces of tarmac chippings). Well worth a try though

[johnjohn]

My early spuds that I'm growing in the polytunnel were just placed on the ground and then covered with shredded paper followed by some of last year's grass clippings. They were just about to flower when I was last there at the beginning of the week but I haven't had a furtle yet. It's pretty similar to what you're suggesting so I think spuds will work and agree with Jay-ell that squashes will too

[Bren In Pots]

VC if you've got plenty of space to experiment and some spare squash seedlings give it a go.

[1Bee]

Let us know how it goes!

I'm fed up with throwing away perennial weeds. Generally they've been mixed in with a fair bit of rusted metal, nails, glass etc, but those are lessening each dig, so it would now be more feasible to separate. I wonder if I could heap and cover and get to something safe to use.... but mine includes horsetails, so I need to be certain....

[Bigmallly]

Being the barmy ape that I am, I have taken you up on your challenge. I've filled a 4ft x 3ft x 3ft high cage with weeds sandwiched between well rotted manure Lasagne style. About 20 King Edwards are now in situ.

[Jay-ell]

Let us know how it goes!

I'm fed up with throwing away perennial weeds. Generally they've been mixed in with a fair bit of rusted metal, nails, glass etc, but those are lessening each dig, so it would now be more feasible to separate. I wonder if I could heap and cover and get to something safe to use.... but mine includes horsetails, so I need to be certain....

Get a big black bin. Pack all the weeds (including bindweed and horsetail) into it. Once it's full pop some plastic over the surface and some bricks on the plastic then fill with enough water to cover the bricks (bricks and plastic help hold the weeds down).

Secure the lid and leave it stuck in the far corner of the plot for 12 months. Just before opening go onto ebay and buy a gas mask and some arm length thick rubber gloves. Wear these as you open the bin and you will have a slimy nutrient rich plant feed that can be and strained diluted.

[veggiechicken]

Haha BM Welcome aboard!
I haven't done mine yet but I have some well chitted Gemsons to experiment with!
Anyone else barmy enough to play?

[rary]

Why not cover them with weed membrane and plant through holes in that, if I had enough weeds in my garden I would give this a try

[1Bee]

I really can't do the drowning the weeds thing.... both my boys are 'into everything' and I can't - and don't want to - imagine what they could do with a big, stinky mess. *runs screaming*

[Nicos]

VC....just thinking about your suggestion of growing in a bag of weeds....would you need to be careful where you put it?
I'm thinking that if it's in full sun the composting temperature would be pretty high and might just be too much for a young plant's roots?
I know you can grow them in compost heaps, but maybe there is a subtle temperature difference between new compost rotting down and an older, mixed compost ??
Just a thought?

[Nicos]

BM's idea of mixing with older compost might make all the difference???
I'm happy to be proved wrong!
Interesting thread!

[Bigmallly]

Aye, it may encourage the weeds to re-root as well.................