Gift-wrapping the market garden field.

In the market garden we have been combating weeds, mainly couch-grass, using thick black plastic held down by old tyres. This proves a very effective way of cleaning the ground without resorting to chemicals or unfeasible amounts of digging and weeding. After 12 months under black plastic we find that even the thick spaghetti of couch roots has rotted away to nothing. We are now removing the plastic from the vegetable strips in order to prepare them for this years (delayed) growing season. The plastic is being moved onto the 4m-wide grass strips that split the field into four and act as reservoirs of couch-grass and slugs and other weeds. This time next year we hope to uncover and prepare them too, and have one big field of veg.

One patch before uncovering.

The same patch, having been covered since August (18 months), with most weeds gone, but dock and dandelion still shooting albeit tender blanched growth.

The grass strip between veg strips C and D now covered with plastic to eradicate weeds and convert it to veg beds.

Another section uncovered after 18 months under plastic, with even the docks and dandelions killed.