Topic: Newbie Allotment Virgin Question

[phillyq]

Greetings!

I am the proud but massively overwhelmed tenant of an allotment which I took over yesterday. Compared to the jungle I was expecting it’s actually pretty good – the plot is covered in grass / weeds but not densely and no longer than ankle height. It is the only unloved plot in a very well looked after set of allotments so I am keen to get it looking good pretty quickly.
So I am going to ask a possibly embarrassingly basic question about clearing it ready to go. Can I dig over the soil with the grass? I’ll remove the plants / weeds but can I just dig the grass in? As I say it isn’t dense and isn’t very long. I don’t really want to spray as I don’t want to risk murdering my neighbour’s crops in error.
Thanks in advance,

Phil xx
 

[Spireite]

Hello, welcome to the site....I was just advising my MOther in law to join this site as we've just got our new plot this week....so pretty much in the same boat as you, although I have grown a few things from home in the garden.  Good luck and I'm sure someone will be along shortly with some great advice.

[Tee Gee]

As you will appreciate many people have found themselves in this position and we on A4A have helped many of them out.

Perhaps the simplest way to answer your queries is for you to do a 'search ' on the forum for what has been said in the past.

Alternatively you could visit the allotment section of my website and its related links which can be found here;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Allotments/Allotments.htm

Then when you have read this and you are perhaps still a bit confused then get back to us and I am sure someone (or many of us) will help you out.

For the record my experiences were gained in the Huddersfield so this should be similar to you Spireite assuming you are from the Chesterfield Area.

For you Phyllis you could visit this page to see how to adjust my dates to suit you;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Frost%20zones/Frost%20Zones.htm

So a big welcome to A4A and allotmenteering and if it is of any consolation, and for your information;...I have been allotmenteering for around thirty years and I am still learning, and most of my learning comes from the the guys on this forum, so take it from me;.....you are in good company!

Best of luck with your venture!

[Bill Door]

Welcome to A4A and I hope you enjoy your allotment.

It is not a silly question.

Personally i would speak to the allotment holders near your plot and find out from them what they can remember was planted in the ground.

It is ok to dig the grass in.  However, you might consider some veges to grow and clear a part of the plot to grow straight away. Things such as spring cabbage, khol rabi, beetroots, lettuce, peas, carrots (autumn king) turnip or dwarf beans.  just skim the surface to clear the grass then turn over the roots and get sowing.

You are quite right to avoid weedkiller at first as it can be a bit dangerous until you know how the others operate!

The parts you dig and do not plant in you could grow "green manures".  I would suggest you avoid mustard seed (member of the cabbage family) and hungarian rye grass (b***er to dig in in the spring).  I would also say that you can throw any seeds down but they may not produce anything to eat.

Have a read of Tee Gees site (very informative) and start preparing for the big push next year.

Above all remember to take it steady and treat the allotment like a gym and anything you take home is a bonus.  That way you will never be disappointed.

Enjoy your gardening.

Bill

[phillyq]

Thanks all - I have had a play with the search but am not super techno with such things.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Depends on the grass. You can dig most of them in, but not couch.

[Digeroo]

I am a great fan of both mustard and rye so not clear why they need to be avoided.  Though use rye rather than rye grass.

Yes you can dig in grass but as Robert says would avoid digging in couch grass. It simply grows again from the roots and digging simply spreads it around.     I am a huge fan of a digging hoe it is very fast to clear overgrown areas.  You can also do what I call rough digging which is turning it over.  I think it is important to ensure that nothing green remain on top of the soil if anything does show hoe it off.  This  breaks up the soil but it will then need to be dug again later.   

I would also suggest preparing a small area at a time and planting something.   It is not too late to get some crops this year and for over winter.  It is very satisfying getting crops asap.

Also do not do too much, make sure you enjoy what you are doing.

[ancellsfarmer]

Welcome to the Forum. I am not going to directly disagree with the advice already given. I would amplify t he comments about identifying the grass type. If there is couch **(your neighbours will know!) then apply glysophate* in still conditions from a watering can with a fine rose to avoid drift. I keep a cheap plastic can just for this purpose. Wait 2-3 weeks. Then as advised knock the dead material off. You can then proceed to plant out plants you have bought such as purplesprouting broccoli, calabrese, kale, cabbage. I would suggest no more than 1/4 of your plot. Another area could be sown with leaf crops after forking over, such as pak choi, mitzuna, winter density lettuce, corn salad, land cress. During the early Autumn,treat a further area  with spray. Then dig in farm yard manure, leaving the surface rough for the winter to break dow,  This will be ready to start in early Spring.to grow your choice for next year.
** If the grass is just turf, then dig it in, putting the turf greenside down a spades depth . If you decide to kill it first then use Weedol2  (wait 2 days ) or Weedol Rootkill(wait 7 days).
Remember to treat right up to all edges, and if paths are infested, try to treat them too. Get your neighbours view on this!!

[phillyq]

Thanks all for the advice. I have dug over a section of it today (Despite the tragically heavy rain) with the assistance of my 7 year old son ('Dadddd I'm borrrrrrred') and to be honest I've just pulled up roots as I've turned it over with the fork. It is less dense than I remembered so it's not been a big task. I turned over an 8ft square in about an hour.

For the rest of it, after talking to the neighbour, I'm going to go down the round up route. There is some bind weed in one area so I want to get started on getting rid.

[Digeroo]

Personally I am not a great fan of roundup, but sometime needs must.  I can be better to start with a clean slate wile you do not have any crops, than for ever be pulling things up around your crops.

An 8 ft square in a hour is good, you can now plant something in it, and do another one each day, soon have things well under control.

Still time to plant things eg.  winter brassicas, sow spring greens, French beans  and lettuce.

[antipodes]

Personally I think that roundup is a scourge, but that's just me. For bindweed, I think it is a waste of time, it will grow despite anything you can throw at it. I find it's best to cover it to weaken it and just remove it wherever it starts to come up. hoe it relentlessly and rot in in a black binbag before you compost it. get some cardboard (big sheets like those used for appliances are ideal) and cover anything you are not digging, even two weeks covering significantly kills off what is underneath and makes digging a heck of a lot easier.

[Bill Door]

Well done Philly.  If you plant any cabbage then watch out for pigeons. You may need to protect the plants with netting.  Pleased you got started and hope you continue and enjoy your gardening.  By the way some of us have been doing this for years and we are all still learning   

Digeroo.  like you I am a great fan of mustard and Hungarian grazing rye.  I only suggested avoiding because of potential for clubroot and the poor guy will not want to slog his guts out twice on the same piece of ground  .  Most other green manures are ok.

Bill