How can I get rid of Couch grass?

[Earth Nat]

I have a mini veggie plot that consists of a few raised beds and however many pots n tubs I can squeeze in but I am plagued with couch grass. The whole plot lies on a raised area of the garden which has a haphazard dry stone wall at one edge where the couch just loves to weave and wind it's way through the soil. I try to keep on top of it by digging in and following the roots for as far as I can before I break them but it's starting to appear in my beds now as well as round the edges.
Is there a tried and trusted way of dealing with the stuff?

All advice gratefully recieved,
Natalie

[Flo]

So long as you are digging with a fork you have more chance of getting rid of roots. However the real fail safe is to use roundup to spray on areas away from your vegetables and to spray and spray again as it reappears. Every time you break off a root you are leaving something for the wretched stuff to grow from again.

[Earth Nat]

I do use a fork to dig to avoid breaking it up. Do you think if I'm vigilant it will eventually go away (I've been on it's case for two years already!)? I don't use weedkillers anywhere usually but I'm starting to think I may have to set my green credentials to one side for a bit as the only other advice I've recieved so far is to cover the whole of the affected area with black plastic for two years whilst it dies back! I certainly don't want to have my plot out of action for that long! If it was just for a year I might be willing to give it a go to avoid the use of weedkiller. Does anyone know if the two years thing is accurate?

[Annpan]

So far I have found that good old elbow grease is the best thing to use against any weeds, but yup, can be a nightmare.

I said somewhere else recently that it doesn't like getting mowed, so that's another option.

I too refuse to use weedkiller.

Good luck.

[Flo]

I don't think that covering with black plastic will help one little bit as the roots will not die off and will be ready to shoot away again as soon as you move it. I've seen someone on another forum dedicated to allotment growing saying that this failed totally for him. Sorry. Fork and more fork or spray are the only solutions I know. I don't like spray either but sometimes needs must.

[Trace45]

Didn't i read somewhere about planting swede or turnip? Couch grass doesn't grow near them?
Never tried myself, fork and backache here too!

[Annpan]

Didn't i read somewhere about planting swede or turnip? Couch grass doesn't grow near them?
Never tried myself, fork and backache here too!

REALLY!!! well, I'll be planting swedes everywhere this year then

[Odsox]

Certainly doesn't work with potatoes !
I was plagued where we used to live and I have had many instances where couch grass has grown right through potato tubers, in one side and out the other.
Horrible stuff

[Trace45]

Found this http://www.acountrylife.com/forums.php? ... q=926&d=20

Must have to plant loads though

[jansee]

Plant tomatoes in the area close to the grass, it has a chemicle in the toms that will kill the grass, next year the grass will not return

[Earth Nat]

So Toms and Turnips then!

The Tomato thing is very interesting. One of my two onion beds is more troubled by couch than the other and guess what was growing in it last year. Tomatoes!

Next year I might volunteer to grow Toms for the whole community and fill the whole garden with them!

[Urban Ayisha]

i have found that as the roots dont grow very deep (6", give or take), by creating a trench all round your patch and putting planks of wood at least 6" deep (give or take!) OR, as i have discovered, even cut up strips of the plastic bags commercially bought compost comes in, it really helps it from creeping in sideways. this could be especially helpful near your stone wall area.

and with regards to the covering in black stuff for a couple of years, i covered a really nasty couchy grassy bit for a year and a half and i'm not sure if it killed it dead, but the roots were definitely weakened and whilst i removed what i could, i have not had any major couch grass problems, 3 months on. i would have expected it to start doing its evil work by now!

i am actually beginning to feel like im getting on top of it all now! considering my whole 1 1/2 size allotment plot was just couch grass 2 1/2 years ago, i think thats jolly good. didnt use weedkiller either, btw, just lots of forking.