Hello!
I am a newbie, to
permaculture, to gardening....I only just moved out of the
city and have accidentally found myself on a beautiful but run down former smallholding in the south of france.
Here is my first challenge...
I have a plot of
land, about 25metres by 25 metres (about 30 x 30 yards). It is on a slope, running down to a river. The soil is shallow, sandy, well-drained, stony and slightly acidic.
It used to be grassland. Currently it is mostly brambles (when I arrived they were 5 foot high) and the (shadier) part by the river is bracken...two of the most pernicious weeds known to man, as far as I can tell.
I have cut both down but they both keep coming back. I would like to establish a lawn/meadowland and some raised beds.
As my land is virtually undiggable, I have had a wacky idea....
I thought of cutting the weeds down once more and laying transparent heavy duty plastic over them for june/july/august - which are broiling hot here - to solarise them.
In September, just before the rains begin, I would put down black plastic breathable mulching sheet (possibly liming the soil beforehand).
I'd plan to leave this on for at least a year - or even two.
Now for the wacky part. To protect the plastic, and to make the garden look nice in the meantime - I would like to spread
compost on top of it in a thin layer and plant some sort of drought tolerant grass.
Is it at all feasible that in one or two years' time I could simply cut and roll up my new turf, remove the plastic sheeting and lay the turf back directly on the cleaned soil?
Also, could I drop the transparent plastic step and begin right away with the black plastic sheeting?
Thanks in advance, I would be SO grateful for all your ideas and advice...