This topic contains 4 replies, has 2 voices, and was last updated by Richard Webber 14 years, 3 months ago.
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Yes Richard do it asap and spread the compost. I would normally recommend spreading manure or compost before covering ground with plastic, so worms can then be busy and break it down while the ground is covered, creating a better tilth – always as long as the soil is moist at the time when it is covered.
More generally, I think that once soil is clean of weeds (apart from occasional annuals) there is no advantage to covering with polythene, instead put on a 2" mulch of compost/manure in autumn. Pull any weeds that grow over winter, knock the lumps out with a rake or fork in any drier winter weather (I was doing that today), and by March you will be ready to sow and plant.
I wonder…probably only if they are small, young weeds. Unless the compost was thick and even enough to cover all weed leaves, some will re-grow, especially around the edges of beds. In your situation the polythene was a good idea. Or you could have put down some cardboard (after removing tape, staples etc) and covered that with the compost. Cardboard is liked by worms, is good soil food, allows rain through and exists for long enough to kill most annual weeds. And unlike polythene it does not need removing.
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