Selfsufficientish.com

Evening,

Right I have a plot I have been battling with over the winter to clear as much weeds as possible without the use of weedkiller or chemicals.
Unfortunately, they are still popping up, and given I am hoping to have some grass seed sown in time to enjoy it this summer, I wanted to know what tips were out there.

What time of year is best to sow grass seed?
Whats the best way to rid a plot of weeds without the use of chemicals?

Thanks!

Duncan

Duncan, the only way to get rid of them completely is to cover the area with a mulch for 18 months. That's not an option, so I'm afraid I think you're going to have to do it the hard way. Bearing in mind you're going to have to rake (or at least scarify) the soil before sowing your grass seed, the only things you have to deal with now are the perennial weeds - bindweed, ground elder, dandelion, couch grass etc. Pretty much anything else will get killed when you rake, or at least weakened so much the grass will shade it out.

Pick a grass mix that grows quickly - some rye in there will do it - get it in as early as you can, and as soon as you're allowed to walk on it then go and look for those perennial weeds 'cos there'll still be a few. Oh, and don't cut the grass too short in the first year - it needs to shade out the first generation of weed seeds.