if the plot is going to be left for 6 months or so before using as a veggie plot , I wouldn't cover it with plastic at all. I know that is the modern way of weed control , cover mulch etc ...but the top soil has only so many seeds in it . This may number thousands or even millions but , it is a finite number. If the ground is to be left fallow to mature a bit then why not let those seeds germinate and sprout .
Once a week, rake or harrow them in or off , and after a couple of months there will be no weed seeds left to sprout !!! This works for the soil that you rake / harrow , any that is left un turned will still have viable seed in , but there is no reason why you can't turn the soil over after the flush of weed seeds sprouting falls to more or less nothing !!.
This makes life so much easier when you start to grow your veg. Virtually no weeds at all . The only ones that will appear will come in from garden compost that wasn't 100% properly made , birds doing their thing and spreading seed , and wind blown seed.
I am not having a go at those that do cover their ground with mulch or plastic , just saying I don't do it that way ... there is no need. The thing to remember is don't let the weeds get older than a week or so ... they have got hold then , and become harder to get shot of . Just by raking or harrowing regularly , you expose baby weed roots to the sun and wind, and they die within minutes.
Once they are all shriveled and dead they become more food for the worms and soil, and hence your veg when you start to grow it . Another way of looking at it is, work with nature , not against it !!
cheers
Russ
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