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Allotment soil teeming with worms

MarisolMarisol Posts: 49
in Problem solving
We are in the process of making veggie beds and will be digging paths around each bed.  The soil has lots of the usual nasty weeds.  It has been covered for the past 5 months.  My question is how can the dug out soil be utilised.  I have two large Daleks which are empty I thought maybe to put the soil into them to try and eradicate the weed seeds which must be in there waiting to spring up! 🤗
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  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    weeds or worms? Or both?
  • MarisolMarisol Posts: 49
    edited 13 January
    It has both!  The weeds are slowly dying off.  But it has so many big fat beautiful worms and thinner deep red ones! 
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Hopefully people here can help with ideas on what to do with the dug out earth
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited 14 January
    If you want the same level: Put the good top soil on your beds, dig down and find poor subsoil, put that on your path.  Keep hoeing the weeds.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    What kind of weeds do you have? Perennial weeds like bramble and bindweed?
  • MarisolMarisol Posts: 49
    Yes I have couch grass, bindweed and don’t know what else as the  weeds were dry as a bone when we took over the plot.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Maybe @Allotment Boy can offer some recommendations
  • thevictorianthevictorian Posts: 1,279
    For us persistent weeds like, bindweed, get dug up and placed in black bags to get roasted by the sun. Once they are desiccated, they go on the compost heap. 

    Normal weed seeds won't get killed by the average dalek composter, simply because it doesn't get warm enough to kill them. We don't tend to worry about them to much as you can just hoe them when they begin to grow and they will rot down, back into the soil. If you cover the surface with a mulch it will help prevent the weed seeds from germinating but mulching only works with certain crops.  
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    Sorry I only just saw this.  I don't have any great revelations for you though. The fact the ground has been covered for 5 months will have helped weaken the weeds.  Try to dig out as much as you can but accept the fact that no matter how careful you are some will escape.  Having removed what weeds you can I would put this soil into the bottom of the beds and then top up with good clean topsoil. If yo are very diligent in removing any trace, of any weeds, as soon as they come through, in time you will win. Mulching with compost or manure will improve the beds and make pulling any weeds even persistent perennial ones much easier. Good luck. 
    AB Still learning

  • MarisolMarisol Posts: 49
    @thevictorian thank you! 🫶🏼
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