Bindweed

[AkkaNaeda]

I started two raised beds in Linkabord frames this year. Both 12″ deep, one was 3×3′ and the other 3×6′. Both had a double thickness of cardboard (Amazon packing) put down first straight onto lawn, then were filled with a mix of potting compost and mushroom compost.

First, the success – the little bed grew Little Gems and two globe artichokes which went in as a holding bed because there was no space in the flowerbeds where the other three chokes went. The difference between the artichoke plants in the raised bed and the three in the flowerbeds is phenomenal. Partially due to the difference in soil, I have very stony clayey soil, but also because for some reason the slugs totally ignored the ones in the raised beds and gobbled the ones in the flowerbeds. So I am now growing globe artichokes in the raised bed. I may put garlic in the other half of the bed over the winter.

Now the “failure” – the large bed has grown nothing because I seem to be continually pulling bindweed out of it. There was/is bindweed in the lawn, but I’d thought it wouldn’t be able to get through the 12″ of compost and the double thickness of cardboard, and it hasn’t appeared in the little bed. It isn’t covered in bindweed, I’ve pulled out probably 6 “plants” since May, and the nice loose compost mix makes it much easier to get down to the base of the plant at the bottom of the bed. But it is there, and I don’t know that I can grow anything in the bed because of this.

Any advice on how I deal with it? I know pulling will eventually weaken it, but how long does this take?

[charles]

 I think you give the bindweed too much respect, you need to sow and plant as per normal, just keep pulling the new bindweed out as it appears. If you grow no vegetables, the bindweed has no competition and grows bigger.
I have a similar bed of six inches compost on bindweed and I sowed carrots in it with great harvests, but sure I needed to pull bindweed too. That was last year: this year I grew carrots again in the same bed (after a two inch top up of cow manure) and again had excellent harvests AND the bindweed this year is noticeably weaker, from regular pulling. I compost it all as well.

With respect to cardboard, it has little mulching effect when placed under compost because it is the moist all the time and soft, so roots pass through it. Main mulch effect is on the surface for clearing thick weeds, and not growing any vegetables at that time for a few months.

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