I have begun concentrating on labour-saving devices for the rest of the year. As it’s the season when we plant out young cabbages and cauliflowers, I want to make sure I won’t be weeding around them for the next five months. You have to leave such a big area around each seedling that it can be weed heaven. This is one bit of planning I would like to get right, because weeding in the mud and rain is miserable.

So in one patch we have a large piece of cardboard, three layers of it, which once contained a ping-pong table; that sort of size. We split it down the middle, then cut holes for the individual kale seedlings to go in. Next door is a roll of a black, porous material I found in the shed. Same principle: lay down, weight with bricks, cut holes, plant through. You have to cut the materials not too wide so you can also spread net over them, on top of bent-over willow sticks or whatever. Otherwise, you end up cutting holes to poke sticks through and it starts to get ridiculous.

It didn’t feel ridiculous, though. It felt – and looks – rather impressive. But we still have curly kale (yes, it’s different), red cabbages, cauliflower and sprouting broccoli. Any ideas, Sarah?

SARAH WAIN'S EXPERT ADVICE

– What you are talking about are mulches. Mulches are labour-saving because they retain moisture and stop weeds growing. They maintain soil temperature and can increase the organic matter of the soil. Well-composted home compost, leaf mould and spent mushroom compost are ideal. Inorganic mulches such as Mypex are unsightly, but do the job; plastics impervious to rain are to be avoided.

There are some potential problems. Young organic mulches such as chicken manure laden with ammonia must be composted first because they can “burn” plants. Some mulches, such as barley straw, actually add to the weed problem. On your site, straw might fly away.

Excessive build-up around the stems of young plants may rot the stems. Fresh mulches of bark chips or sawdust will rob the soil of available nitrogen for the plants, which stunts the growth. These need to be composted before use, as do grass clippings, which lack oxygen and turn slimy and compacted. Many organic mulches provide homes for slugs and snails and they can house plant diseases.

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