WEEDS!! Have taken over my 'lottie

[flyonthewall]

They are everywhere....lots of dock and dandelions, thistles, they seem to spring up from nowhere, and we are fighting a losing battle. I didn't want to use weedkiller on them or pesticide, and don't know if there is anything non-toxic I can use. Or is weedkiller the only option when they are taking over?

Anybody successfully fought the weed battle and won? Any advice? This is my first allotment year, and the ground hasn't been used before, so it's been a lot of hard work to get it even to the point we could get a few beds in there.

[Green Aura]

Just keep hoeing them whenever they raise their heads - they'll eventually weaken and die. Long term strategy but less back breaking than pulling each one up.

[Annpan]

Yup, either digging them up by the roots or hoeing them a few times a week... I haven't needed to use weed-killer yet on my plot but it is a long term strategy, I could kill all the ground elder and bindweed with a dose of chemicals or learn to live with the regular hoeing... which isn't that big a deal once you get used to it.

[Millymollymandy]

Good old weeds, you'll get used to them eventually! If you want your plants to grow then weeds will grow too. You just have to get used to weeding as part of what gardening is all about - but at least in a veg patch you can hoe the majority of them off and only need to hand weed around onions etc.

[prison break fan]

On my allotment I cover any bare bits of ground with masses of grass cuttings, I'm lucky enough to have a regular supply through the summer from the local "mower man", and I don't have nearly as many weeds as my fellow plotters! pbf.

[Cheezy]

Cover them up if it's an area your not using at the moment. If they don't get any light for a whole season then they will die.

This could be with thick cardboard covered with soil, this rots down after a season
Or the black weed suppressant membrane, but this cost money.

On area's where you are planning to plant I double dig , removing all the soil, go through taking out as much root as you can then put the soil back in a raised bed with leaf mould and manure, it's easier to keep an eye on "growing soil" and path that way. I then don't ever dig again, and just keep on top of the weeds.

It's hard work and takes a long time but it really knocks them back . Take your time (hence why you should cover up area's that you arn't working on so that they don't get out of control.), I'm on the last 3 beds on my plot and this is the third season we've been doing it, when I uncovered this last bit of soil, it is amazingly weed free and it was the worse area.

[Peggy Sue]

First year I was overrun with deadly nightshade, I hoed and hoed and got rid of the lot.
Second year it was bindweed, not so easy to get rid of hoeing I have to say.
You just have to keep going, it's all worth it when you pick thew first beans, taste the difference with that broccoli.
Remeber it doesn't ahve to be perfect to look at, just keep hoeing enough to let your own plant win!

[flyonthewall]

Thanks - have been looking round in skips and found some old carpet, which I am going to use to cover some of the unused patches that are overgrowing, and one of the other 'lottie owners has offered me some bark, to path the walkways between my beds, as he seems to have a lot less weeds where he's done that.

I think raised beds will be the way forward!