Great to see this. I do the same in my allotment, but put horse manure on the soil before I put black plastic on top. The worms love it under the plastic and the soil is now more soft and way more fertile than when I used to dig each year.
Took then same approach but used cardboard from the local shop 😁 Then again my plot is 10m x 10m so a fraction of what you had to cover. Great to see the results. We've got bindweed and thistle so they're pretty persistent and resilient and it doesn't help having severely neglected plots around us spreading the seeds but it's a vast improvement to the way it was. It's still much easier to weed them out as we see them pop up. Great video. Thanks for sharing 😊👍
Works great with annual weeds. I wonder how well it works with mature grass cover, couch grass and other creeping weeds? Also do you get slug issues with the sheet cover? Cheers.
Great idea … so if you use quality pond liner then when you finish you can dig out a pond & line with your liner and fill with rainbow trout. For organic fish protein yum!
Thanks, great video, new subscriber here. I’m interested in why you use manure and compost? From most of the videos I’ve watched the most logical idea is to compost the manure to destroy and non-digested seeds. However, would I be right in assessing that it’s quicker to add manure plus compost, and does the compost act as a sun blocking layer to stop indigested seeds from growing? I hope that made sense!
Would it make any difference if I put new a good 6" of mulching compost on the top of the weeds before then putting the plastic over the top and then poking a few holes in the plastic to get some plants going straight away?
Hi Alex, great advice, didn’t realise you had to let the pesky weeds germinate first 🤦🏼♀️ I notice your land looked like mine when you began (heavy clay) but you still had great results. I began in lockdown last March and had terrible trouble getting a full sized harvest, other than manure, blood/fish/bone and compost do you have any suggestions on land prep?
You may have seen I’m using a Broadfork to get air into the soil, other than that, it’s a slow process of organic material on top and deep rooted plants to break up the soil. The good thing about clay soil (generalisation) is that it’s packed full of nutrients so when it does start to break up it will become good soil. Unlike really Sandy soil that holds little or no nutritional value. ✌️
Thanks Alex, that’s a great help. I really struggled last year, all my plants seemed to be about 6wks behind in growth/harvest and being an absolute beginner I had no idea why. In the end I got so disheartened I decided to start again, being in wet Cornwall I decided to dig 12” down to loosen it, add a bit of perlite plus all the goodies and top with compost so hopefully things will be better. Thanks for telling me it’s not a quick fix so my hopes won’t be completely dashed this season but good to know hopefully I’m on the up 🤞🏼
Really intriguing and helpful. That's a huge area of plastic tarp so how did you stop the wind getting under it and lifting it (a problem I've had with much, MUCH smaller areas). Also, do you leave the plastic tarps down beneath the soil (if yes, how do you get a decent growing depth, because you're putting the plastic on to the surface).Many thanks.
No the plastic is removed - compost and manure on the bare, weed free ground. The bigger the tarp, the harder it is for the wind to lift. Held down with a few pegs and some bags of compost. 👍
Great video, so if I understand things right you want to let weeds sprout in the summer but you don't want them to go to seed right? So you cover them sometime before the period of going to seed
Cardboard didnt work for me. The soil was like cement underneath after 7 months of continuos brittanny rain My seeds never grew in the cold spring,but weeds still came Total fiasco. I much prefer to put a black tarp. Then cover crop here or there.
Worms love to eat cardboard, cardboard attracts worms, worm poop is great for the plants, as are worm tunnels. Plastic degrades into microplastics, needs picked up and stored then off to the landfill when its too degraded to use.
Im aware - Where do you suggest I find enough cardboard to cover 3 acres? Idealistic at best - it’s thick, reusable plastic and when it’s no longer of use it’ll be disposed of correctly.
@@TheEssexAllotment I don't use anything under my beds, no cardboard or plastic. I just lay good topsoil and compost on top and I plant where no soil is showing, something like arugula or other greens and then thin out later. It suppresses the weeds. It is easier and cheaper and no plastic. Great video! Thanks for sharing.
@@TheEssexAllotment Dont most businesses have cardboard for recycling? Wouldn't you get enough from the city to cover the area if you did it in stages?
"thinking outside the box"... about cardboard...😀. looks a fantastic plot you have there!
😂
Great to see this. I do the same in my allotment, but put horse manure on the soil before I put black plastic on top. The worms love it under the plastic and the soil is now more soft and way more fertile than when I used to dig each year.
You've got a really good looking plot. Thanks for sharing your ideas. Awesome 👍
I'm just in the process of doing this myself. Thank you for the confirmation that it works, happy growing...😊
Brilliant. Thanks for watching 👍
That is turning really good, Blessings in the 2021 growing season.
Very well explained. Thanks from a new 66 year old allotmenteer!
Thanks Pat!
thinking like a market gardener now Alex ;-) : All the best - Steve
Took then same approach but used cardboard from the local shop 😁 Then again my plot is 10m x 10m so a fraction of what you had to cover. Great to see the results. We've got bindweed and thistle so they're pretty persistent and resilient and it doesn't help having severely neglected plots around us spreading the seeds but it's a vast improvement to the way it was. It's still much easier to weed them out as we see them pop up. Great video. Thanks for sharing 😊👍
Fully agree and use exactly same method to manage perennial weeds and also improve worm population and soil structure - great update thanks
Appreciate information given in this video thanks Alex👍
Nice work. Really cool
That was really interesting, you've done a great job!
That looks really good - way to go Alex!
Thanks! Appreciate it 👍
Thank you,, inspiring, had to subscribe🙏
Brilliant well done hard work I'd say thank you
Works great with annual weeds. I wonder how well it works with mature grass cover, couch grass and other creeping weeds? Also do you get slug issues with the sheet cover? Cheers.
A great informative video, keep them coming Alex.
Thank you. 👍
@@TheEssexAllotment your welcome
Thanks for the tips from Canada
Good on you Brother,🥦🥒🌽👏
Great idea … so if you use quality pond liner then when you finish you can dig out a pond & line with your liner and fill with rainbow trout. For organic fish protein yum!
thanks great information
Ooops…hello Alex…I thought it was anew vlog…but it’s from 3 years ago😀😀😀Happy Easter, Jinxy
Haha new one out tomorrow 😃
Thanks, great video, new subscriber here. I’m interested in why you use manure and compost? From most of the videos I’ve watched the most logical idea is to compost the manure to destroy and non-digested seeds. However, would I be right in assessing that it’s quicker to add manure plus compost, and does the compost act as a sun blocking layer to stop indigested seeds from growing? I hope that made sense!
I put tarpaulin over a few areas of my plot and will move around as weeds pop up 😃
Would it make any difference if I put new a good 6" of mulching compost on the top of the weeds before then putting the plastic over the top and then poking a few holes in the plastic to get some plants going straight away?
Nope - would work great
Hi Alex, where did you get such a large tarpaulin/plastic sheet? Was it very expensive?
How much time to wait between laying down the manure, then then the compost, and then planting? Or all at same time? Thanks for vid!
Hi Alex, great advice, didn’t realise you had to let the pesky weeds germinate first 🤦🏼♀️ I notice your land looked like mine when you began (heavy clay) but you still had great results. I began in lockdown last March and had terrible trouble getting a full sized harvest, other than manure, blood/fish/bone and compost do you have any suggestions on land prep?
You may have seen I’m using a Broadfork to get air into the soil, other than that, it’s a slow process of organic material on top and deep rooted plants to break up the soil.
The good thing about clay soil (generalisation) is that it’s packed full of nutrients so when it does start to break up it will become good soil. Unlike really Sandy soil that holds little or no nutritional value. ✌️
Thanks Alex, that’s a great help. I really struggled last year, all my plants seemed to be about 6wks behind in growth/harvest and being an absolute beginner I had no idea why. In the end I got so disheartened I decided to start again, being in wet Cornwall I decided to dig 12” down to loosen it, add a bit of perlite plus all the goodies and top with compost so hopefully things will be better. Thanks for telling me it’s not a quick fix so my hopes won’t be completely dashed this season but good to know hopefully I’m on the up 🤞🏼
Great videos. What do u do about watering? Can't imagine the size of beds!!
I have a mains water supply - will be irrigation eventually. But hose and sprinklers at the mo 👍
How much land you work ? is that your only source of revenue ? Thanks for your time.
Really intriguing and helpful. That's a huge area of plastic tarp so how did you stop the wind getting under it and lifting it (a problem I've had with much, MUCH smaller areas). Also, do you leave the plastic tarps down beneath the soil (if yes, how do you get a decent growing depth, because you're putting the plastic on to the surface).Many thanks.
No the plastic is removed - compost and manure on the bare, weed free ground.
The bigger the tarp, the harder it is for the wind to lift. Held down with a few pegs and some bags of compost. 👍
@@TheEssexAllotment Hi Alex, many thanks for replying and being so helpful. Subbed 😀👍.
No worries! Thank you! 👍
Great video, so if I understand things right you want to let weeds sprout in the summer but you don't want them to go to seed right? So you cover them sometime before the period of going to seed
Correct. 👍
@@TheEssexAllotment is there a calendar with the approximate dates or periods (months) with this depending on geographical region or hardiness area?
11:50 - stupid question, but how do you know if the weeds have germinated or not?
You can see them when you check on it… periodically I’d lift areas of the plastic to check. And you’d see green leggy weed shoots dying and drying out
@@TheEssexAllotment 👍 thank you!
No worries. Thanks for watching 😁
Cardboard didnt work for me.
The soil was like cement underneath after 7 months of continuos brittanny rain
My seeds never grew in the cold spring,but weeds still came
Total fiasco.
I much prefer to put a black tarp.
Then cover crop here or there.
Great video Alex. How would you deal with a badly rotavated very uneven allotment? How would you level it? Rotavate it again?
Think outside the box! See what you did there
✌️😎
Where can I get cow manure please ?
I contacted my local farmers - they dropped me a load off
Worms love to eat cardboard, cardboard attracts worms, worm poop is great for the plants, as are worm tunnels.
Plastic degrades into microplastics, needs picked up and stored then off to the landfill when its too degraded to use.
Im aware - Where do you suggest I find enough cardboard to cover 3 acres?
Idealistic at best
- it’s thick, reusable plastic and when it’s no longer of use it’ll be disposed of correctly.
@@TheEssexAllotment I don't use anything under my beds, no cardboard or plastic. I just lay good topsoil and compost on top and I plant where no soil is showing, something like arugula or other greens and then thin out later. It suppresses the weeds. It is easier and cheaper and no plastic. Great video! Thanks for sharing.
@@TheEssexAllotment Dont most businesses have cardboard for recycling? Wouldn't you get enough from the city to cover the area if you did it in stages?