This crosses a bit with alang's topic 'covering veg beds'.
I have been trying to change to a no-dig system in our veg patch for some years. I can't dig at all any more, and Mr F has enough to do without putting his back out using a spade, so no-dig seems ideal for us. We do all the right things - organic methods, loads of mulch and manure, seaweed meal, comfrey, wood ash, not walking on the soil (mostly), and so on.
However, we have a huge problem with creeping thistle. We have won the battle with them in pastureland, but in the garden they are winning hands down. The roots go so deep that it's impossible to dig out every little piece, or the deeper roots. We cover each bed for a total of 17 months before planting crops, but still the thistle roots are alive and bounce back into full growth as soon as the light gets to them.
I have tried covering in the summer too and planting through holes in the cover, which does work well for things such as onions, but the thistles pop up out of each planting hole, and suck down chlorophyll to thrive again. To pull them up when they appear doesn't work because they are attached to large, deep, easily snapped roots.
The latest kitchen garden magazine has an article on no dig which says something like 'fork out perennial weeds before you start, and you won't need to dig again' - Grrrr! Our plot ends up getting dug every year, which loses all the benefits of no dig which we are looking for.
Does anyone have any magic, no-chemicals way to get rid of creeping thistle from a plot? Please?