Some call the look scruffy, I call it efficient
The “chop ’n‘ drop” method of mulching applies equally to weeding in the forest garden
In the chapter on Maintenance in Creating a Forest Garden, Martin Crawford says
I very rarely dig up weeds… instead I just chop them off at soil level
In the damp weeks that followed the summer’s drought, there was a lot of growth and a lot of weeding. The mineral accumulating docks, dandelions and plantains were cut and left to compost in situ. This is in much the same way as you “chop ’n‘ drop” comfrey under fruit trees. Just imagine, no wheelbarrow, no compost heap, much less bother 🙂