id of thought that digging it in so it breaks down is the thing to do .

Yes I agree, it's not going to do much on top of the soil, it will rot down much faster turned in, Derek.

Unless you live near the seaside and can get tons of seaweed I would store until spring, dry it out, scrunch it up and hoe it in around your plants. It has lots of trace elements to improve plant growth. You could also add it in stages to your compost heap.

Here I am about two blocks from the ocean and I have never thought about using using seaweed. Thanks Heaps!-(of seaweed).

I just spread it round plants that I think would benefit as a mulch. By spring most of it has disappeared without any digging. There hasn't been much washed ashore yet this winter round here - I have hopes of the present windy weather!
Being a great believer in saving work i don't wash it either - just spread it out somewhere that doesn't matter and let the rain do the job. But luckily theres a stream running into the beach so I give it a preliminary wash there in crates with slats in.

Thank ye all for your answers. They are all food for thought. That was a great idea you had Steragram there is a stream going into the sea, the only problem I would have is to access it. It is a bit of a job getting it home and washing it, your idea would solve that. Thanks

Hi Johnjoe, I had a similar cenario at a friends vegetable patch. I made the mistake of thinking I could rotivate it into the soil, braking it up as well ... how WRONG was I. It wrapped round the rotivator blade and took me ages to sort it out.