The Weeds Without Merci

our plot: March 2011

Before...
Okay, this is a bit of a long one, but it's worth it; I promise.

Our plot is situated right next to a woodland area, with no divide or fencing between them.  This is quite lovely because we can go wandering into there to look for fungi and things, however... after previous years of a blind eye being cast to horticultural upkeep of the garden, the woodland happily relaxed its belt and splurged its contents outward...

When we decided to utilise the space as an allotment, we stood by the back door, looked out at the teeming mass (of what could only be described as 'wilderness') and I heard a little voice in my pre-frontal cortex saying: you idiot.

During our Big Dig, inevitably we unearthed all manner of invasive greenery which, over the years, had woven complex root systems under soil. The worst were ground elder, nettles*, ivy, brambles, and other woodland treats.

Ground Elder

ground elder in the soil

Ground Elder root system

Ground Elder is an invasive, horrible little bugger.  It's perennial, so will relentlessly mock you all year.  The only non-chemical solution to rid yourself of its presence is to dig, dig, dig; and comb through the soil pulling out every little root that you see. This is time consuming and takes a great deal of conviction.  But, it can be done... we did it!

Here is an image that shows you the root system.  If any tiny little piece is left in the ground, it will come back from the 'dead'.  I found these today on the edge of our plot; we must have left some tiny roots (easily done).

Nettles

Nettles aren't so bad, you know.  They're great for butterflies such as the Red Admiral and Peacock, as that's where they like to lay their eggs.  So when you're faced with tearing up all of these seemingly nasty stingers, think twice.  We are leaving a little area for nettles to thrive, but controlling their spread in the rest of the plot. 

And spread, they do.  The root system is vast, often yellowish in colour.  As you can see from the image below, it doesn't grow just one plant, but sends shoots off to start more, linked to the 'central hub' of the plant.  Don't just chop the nettles down, dig them up, otherwise they will spread profusely.
 

Nettles: root system

Dandelions

I always liked dandelions, to be honest.  They're a pain in the derrière when they go to seed - all the little seeds float around and infest raised beds - BUT, they are kind of pretty, really; they look nice along with daisies in ones' lawn, they are great for bees and insects, plus... you can make dandelion and burdock booze with them!  What more could you ask for?  If you're pretty lenient to the humble dandelion, leave a few where they look colourful (lawn/ wildflower section) and just mow over them or chop them down before they go to seed.

If you want rid completely, make sure you dig very deep indeed and extract the whole root, or it will only come back again and again. 

a little dandelion growing

Personally, I'm going to keep this little blighter, and make some tasty brews from its root.  I'll put a recipe up later on, when I've done it.






After...
After all the digging and weeding, here is what our plot looks like now.  I for one, am pretty chuffed with the outcome. I'll write soon about cheap/ free raised beds and suchlike next time.

our plot today: 5th March 2012