How much to start off with

[Im not hungry]

Hello everyone.

Well after several years endeavouring with little space in our previous house I'm now about to start the season in my new vegtable garden which is approximatley 10m x 30m.

I intend to divide most of the area into 4 plots as most books advise and work from there. However when we arrived here the whole vegtable garden was full of thistles (4ft high). When I say full I mean I've never see so many thistles in one place before.

After several weeks I got them cut down and burned. I them proceeded to digg the first plot over about 3 months ago, weeding whilst digging. Plots two and three were covered by a membrane which only means I can't see the weeds below, and the other plot has had chicken on it and there is no green at all.

I'm planning to lift the membrane this weekend and digg it all over and weed it, thistle roots are easy to see so I'm hoping it will be ok. However I'm worried that I will plant a plot and then be over run by weeds!

Does anyone have an opinion on the best action to take?

Kind Regards

Paul

[merky588]

This is inevitable in the first season and you have three options.

1) Wait for the weed seedlings to appear and spend the day pulling them. After a few months of doing this weekly you will see a massive reduction in weeds.

2) Hoe them weekly to keep them down. A hoe usually chops the tops of the weeds so is a short term fix.

3) Wait for the weeds to grow and use weedkiller. You could lose some vegetable plants if the wind blows the weed killer onto the veggie plants.

I usually use a combination of 1 & 2 and find hoeing a therapeutic excercise that I really enjoy.

Hope that helps.

Mark

[Im not hungry]

Hi Mark

Many thanks for your reply ; - )

Thanks. I suspect digging this weekend and then following up with hoe and weeding should see the job ok. I intend to grow most vegtables in the Green house and then plant out so hoeing should be easier as I can see what not to chop!

[veedub]

ive been in my house 3 years now, n just getting there with the weed situation, 1st year working on the house, so 2 years really, just a case of digging roots out as much as poss, but you'll be doing that already, quite a nice size plot, must have been daunting task, faced with those thistles good luck