...use the black stuff on a veg bed

[sda]

I've heard that I can lay down the black sheeting on the soil, cut slits in it and put the plants in the ground through the slits. Won't this encourage damp and mould and possibly other problems? I'm thinking of small potatoes, onions, some herbs and currants.

[safronsue]

just black sheeting would make a slimy mess under it i guess. i've used a strip of the permeable gardening fabric to plant my beans through this year, with stacks of compost placed in a mound first, and they are going away nicely. otherwise i mulch with straw

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Never had much success with this myself. Weeds just push through the holes with the plants and become very difficult to remove as a result. Might be OK if the ground were drenched with glyphosphate before being covered, but I found open ground easier to work with.

[boboff]

Use a woven Ground Cover which is permeable, cover with Woodchips, grass cuttings etc, best for Perennials as it should last with a mulch ten years plus.

I am using it allot and find it wonderfull.

Use Flax or Hemp matting for a greener conscience.

Cardboard boxes are also very usefull for a single season as well.

I would use it for the perrenial herbs and currants, just stick with a mulch for the annuals.

[Green Aura]

In renovating the polytunnel we've moved some of the beds and so had to move one of the paths - aforementioned weed matting and about 2-3" of clinker. One section revealed a perfectly formed dandelion plant, growing horizontally in a circular fashion. Apart from the fact it was a pinkish colour from lack of light it looked perfectly healthy.

The webbing and clinker have been there for 4 years!