Preparing a weed ridden bed for planting

Hi all,

I'm new to this forum and hope this is the correct area for this particular topic/question.

Basically I have an area towards the rear of my garden which has been neglected and used as a dumping ground for dead plants/roots systems/weeds etc.

As the new season approaches I wish to transform this area in to a see of colour, however I'm not sure where to start with all the unwanted greenery thats currently in the soil. Would it be best to use a weed killer thats non selective and water it in over the coming weeks? would that kill everything it comes in to contact with and leave the soil nice and weed free, or is that not the correct approach?

Any advice would be great

Thanks

Rich

 

Rich, if there`s nothing in that area that you want to keep then get the weedkiller out by all means, but don`t forghet, you will still have to dig the dead plants out. Glyphosate should be suitable for your needs.

 

As David says, spray it with roundup then fork it over digging up the roots once its died off.

 

Hi Rich and welcome. I am sure David and Paul are right about using a Glyphosphate weedkiller. Glyphosphate is a chemical, not a trade name, so there will be several products which have it.

If it is possible, I would suggest that you leave the ground fallow for as long as you can, dig it and constantly rake it in case not everything was killed. In fact I did my garden this way without even using any weedkiller, though I am not suggesting that. I just grew my plants in pots for as long as possible.

 

thanks for the info guys!

Rich

 

Hi Rich I don't want to upset the guys but I'm a great believer in digging up each and every weed by hand no matter how long the task takes...but then again I do so love weeding!

I know it may seem forever to remove the weeds but you will be surprised how quickly time goes by and of course the work load with a good pair of gloves, knee pads and of course the main ingredient a MP3 player....singing along is also optional. :D Hel.xxx.

 

Lol that brightened upi my evening!! thanks Helen, you made it sound so nice i might just give it a go!!

 

No better thing to try Rich just don't upset your neighbours too much if your singing's not up to scatch like me.....I should be on the X Factor you know The Worst of! :D

Going off thread a little I see you are a fan of the classic mini, my favourite car in the whole world!
I have had a few (about 8 or 9) over the years but never a clubman even though they had a 1.3 engine thay were no way near as cute at the 'normal' mini!

Sadly I had to trade in my last little beauty (a cute black & silver custom job) as at the time I was learning my 6ft son to drive and he said that there was no way he would drive in comfort in that....it broke my heart as when I went to pick up the new car (a nasty fiesta) there was a buyer at the garage just jumping around waiting to drive off in my beloved car he had already paid a deposit even before he saw my motor!Hel.xxx.

 

Lol I'll try not to upset them, tho my singing really isnt that bad you know!! Going to make a start on Saturday to hopeing for some dry weather over the next few days, really cant wait to get the weeds out and dig some nice fertiliser in before deciding on what kind of feature to add to the plot before i start planting. Its a triangle plot behind decing so want to add some kind of feature (maybe static water) and then add some hight in terms of plants.

Sorry to hear you are now Mini-less, especially as you've had so many in the past!! they are hard to live without aren't they - i tool mine off the road for winter, but after 6 weeks I couldnt stand it any longer and got her taxed and MOT again!!

lol

Rich

 

I hope the weather stays reasonable for you Rich but if it ends up in a mud bath I'm sure you will have plenty of fun..... after all isn't that what little boys and big boys love to do mess around in mud? :D

The mini was always fun to drive Bob (my hubbie) would turn into Michael Schumacher (or should that be Sterling Moss?) whenever he got the chance to sit in the driver's seat although on the pre 80's cars the brakes were a little scary as you had to go a long way down before they would bite! :eek:

Good luck in your plot and keep us all informed how you get on. Hel.xxx.