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How can we make a start?
For many of you this project will mean starting your garden from scratch, whatever you are growing. If you have lots of weeds on your plot, you'll need to clear them off. Weeds take up valuable moisture and nutrients needed by plants, vegetables and flowers.
Aim
To have a patch of loose,
crumbly, weed-free soil to
sow and plant in.In neglected areas you are likely to find a variety of problem weeds. They often have different root systems.
Weeds with taproots
(one main root)
docks
dandelions
Weeds with branching roots
couch grass
creeping buttercupOption 1 - Dig it!
With a fork dig over the area and remove any weed roots. You'll have to fork it again and again to get out any bits of root that are left behind. If you don't they'll just keep coming back. This part of the job is not very exciting so why not try option 2? Once the ground is weed free (as weed free as possible) add fertility-building materials such as garden compost. Decide on the space you need for this summers' crops.
Cover the rest of the area with a light-excluding material (mulch) over the summer. This will kill or weaken weeds by excluding the light. Do this as early as possible for the best effect. Plants grow strongly in spring and summer. You can use this area to investigate how long plants take to die when light is excluded and they can't photosynthesise. In photosythesis energy from the sun is used by the palnt to change carbon Dioxide and water into Oxygen and glucose.
Option 2 - Don't dig it!
Cut down tall weeds and grasses. Then cover the area with a light excluding material (mulch), which will kill the weeds. Good mulches include things that you might normally throw away such as:
• black polythene
• cardboard boxes opened out
• whole newspapers opened out, at least 8 sheets thick.
• carpet, pile side down (not foam backed)Some deep-rooted weeds can take up to two to three years to be killed. Don't worry though! You don't have to wait. You can grow plants whilst the mulch is in place. Vegetables that can be planted through the covering include pumpkins, marrows, tomatoes and potatoes.
See the HDRA No-dig Gardening factsheet for more information.Whilst clearing your area there are a number of different investigations that you can try.
• How many types of weed can you count and identify? How can they be categorised (put into groups)?
• What happens when you cover plants and deprive them of (don't let them have) light and water?
• How long do you need to cover plants before they die?
• Which plants grow back first if you take the cover (mulch) off? What type of roots do these plants have?
• What different materials can you use to mulch an area?
• What different soil types can be found in an area?
• How can you stop weeds growing back after you have cleared an area?
• How deep do you have cut a dock root to stop it regrowing?
or telephone us on (024) 7630 8238
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