Why I dislike weed matting

I dislike weed matting and here’s why. The following photo is one I took at my allotment on the weekend. As you can see, a previous plot holder as put down weed matting at some point and then placed stones on top. I’m sure the weed matting held back the weeds initially but eventually they will get through and the weed matting deteriorates and looks ugly.

It’s an absolute bugger to remove because it doesn’t biodegrade and has to be lifted and sent to landfill. I lifted some of it only to find more layers of the dreadful stuff and you can see the roots from weeds go straight through it. It really is awful.

A much better alternative to plastic matting is to layer with cardboard and newspaper and then put soft landscaping like mulch or wood chips on top. As the cardboard deteriorates it will feed the soil and you can simply layer more on top every couple of years or more because the mulch will also biodegrade.