No dig / suppressing grass

[Bad Boy Club]

Thanks again for all the further info & the link to Charles Dowding's site is a particularly interesting read.

I now know what I need to do & will start this weekend

[rary]

You should have left it, rary, best laugh I've had all day

How can a chicken move so fast, I edited that as soon as it was up
I am beginning to think there is more to that pointy stick than meets the --- (naw I'm not saying the word just in case I get a poke in it with the pointy stick)

[veggiechicken]

Thanks to you rary, Crocosmia will always be known as Crocodiles in my garden.


Now, betting back to the original question, BBC, if you sign up to Charles Dowding's website (free) he sends out regular email reminders of what to do in your garden - and links to his videos. His website is very comprehensive and he is very generous with his knowledge.

[Jay-ell]

One suggestion would be to put the manure onto the cardboard/newspaper layer then cover this with another layer of cardboard/newspaper then a layer of compost. Manure is full of grass and weed seed and it would be a shame to go to all that effort to keep out the grass from the lawn, only for it to come through out of the manure.

[Bad Boy Club]

I've got some weed control fabric on it's way so I intend on covering the plot for 6 weeks firrst then adding compost.

However I can buy bulk manure at 2/3 of the price.

Am I OK to put that under the cover once the grass has died off & leave it until next spring? I assume manure will happily turn into compost over the next 9 or 10 months?

[Jay-ell]

Do you know how well rotted the manure is?
Is it mixed with bedding - is that straw or wood chip?
Is it weed killer free?

[Bad Boy Club]

It's top grade stuff from a specialist supplier:

Composted Manure

Slightly alkali to counter soil acidity
Very low ammonia level indicating a stable product
An organic manure fertilizer for soil improvement
For soil incorporation instead of a mulch layer
Ideal for kitchen gardens
Improvement of soils for new gardens, building site areas and neglected areas
Rich in organic matter for soil structure and moisture retention on light or stony soils
Aids drainage on heavy soils
Encourages worm and microbial activity

[Jay-ell]

Should break down into the soil. infact if you don't mind making a few holes in the weed fabric you could buy some squash/pumpkin plants and plant straight into the manure - they like it rich.

[Bad Boy Club]

Progress update:
Membrane laid down with cardboard underneath. Manure will be arriving in just over 3 weeks as that will be one month after initial covering.