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Weed prevention in a new garden?

#1 · 22nd November 2021, 10:08 pm

Hi. I have recently stripped out my garden to a blank canvas and replaced a damaged drain. I plan to re-introduce the soil now all building work is done and then add turf once level.

However between now and then I want to kill off and prevent any future weeds as at the minute bare earth is visible. As I have animals I’m reluctant be using chemicals so was going to place a thick black damp proof membrane down to starve the weeds of any light therefore killing them off. Is that enough?

Or will they lie dormant and decide to reappear when my freshly laid turf is down?

Thanks.

#2 · 23rd November 2021, 10:40 am

Hi,

Welcome to the Garden Ninja online Gardening forum and thanks for your question.

Firstly, thank you for not resorting to chemical weed killers which are incredibly bad for the environment and non-selective. ie they kill any plant they accidentally drift onto.

Preventing Garden Weeds:

Your best method is to use some form of cover like a membrane. However, the niggle with weed membrane is that it tends to leave lots of plastic thin straps everywhere once cut. It tends to be woven of polyester and the straps get stuck everywhere. Also, plastic weed membrane in the garden has a really long life span and can't be easily recycled. It's probably your easiest method of weed prevention. You can see how to do this in my video guide below.

No dig to prevent weeds:

Another route is to use cardboard and layer this over the bare earth. The beauty of this is that it breathes and will over the course of a few months break down into the soil. It's the best route if you want to start a no dig garden. Where you would simply layer your new soil on top of this cardboard layer and you're good to garden straight away! You can read more on no dig gardening here.

How long can weed seeds lie dormant?

Weeds are incredibly tenacious though and seeds can last for years waiting for the perfect conditions, ie light and moisture. So you're not going to completely sterilise the soil of weeds, just slow them down.

It depends on how long you need the weed barrier down. Fresh turf, new soil etc will no doubt come with some weed seeds so it may be best to be a bit more relaxed and focus your efforts on a rich mix of pollen packed planting to encourage wildlife to your new garden.

You can have a look here at the 5 plant types you can use in a garden to create an awesome back garden!