Topic: beginner needing advice!

[Andy Lay]

I have just got my first allotment after wanting one for a number of years!

The plot is about 25ft by 60ft and was worked for 15 years before lying fallow for 2 years, resulting in about 6ft of grass and weeds!

So far I have strimmed, dried out and burnt as much as possible and am ready to rotivate, although tere is still about 1/2 ft of growth from the soil. Is it okay to rotivate or should I dig them out first?

The plan is to turn over as much as possible and lay manure on top to prepare for growing next year.

I aim to grow the basic crops along with fruit trees. I have also thought about growing wild flowers to attract ifriendly insects.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated, no matter how simple!!

Cheers

[wardy]

I wouldn't rotovate as you'll end up with zillions more weeds than you started with  :)   Cover the plot with black plastic mulch or cardboard etc and then just concentrate on clearing a bit at a time.  My overgrown plot was cut down, then mown and covered up and I grew in bags and containers til I got some soil clear.  My no dig spuds are looking good as are my builders rubble sacks.  The important thing I think is to grow something while you're doing the hard work of clearing or you'll get fed up.  My runner bean teepee was plonked where a bonfire had been (just manure piled up) see pic.  Builders rubble sacks filled with manure and planted with squash and courgette.  We keep an area of weeds down with a petrol mower and it looks lovely now a year on. 

[Piglottie]

Hello Andy and welcome to A4A!   ;D   Its a great site, really friendly and great advice.

I agree with Wardy.  We got our plot end of May and strimmed the jungle (grasses, marestail, dandelion) down as rotivation can be a nightmare - you end up chopping up all the bits of weeds like grass roots and thereby multiplying them so you have more problems in the future.  We've done the same as Wardy suggests; strimmed and covered 2/3 in black plastic which we are growing courgettes, squashes etc through.  It makes the plot seem more manageable as well to only be working on a third at the moment.

We have decided to do raised beds (search on here for info if you don't know about them), and again this method has made the whole job more manageable mentally - we are digging 10ft x 4ft beds which seem a lot less daunting than a whole plot! We've dug them over and pulled weeds up by hand, trying to get as much root as possible.  It can be a long process but we limit doing it to about 30 mins.  It takes about 1 week to complete a bed.  Just got the third one done and ready to plant  ;D

You need to get something in the ground to raise your spirits and give you that incentive.  I've planted one bed with runners and french beans, with some chard and sweetcorn.  Bed number 2 has carrots, beetroot, lettuce, rocket, radish, spring onions etc sown last week and most are now showing - you probably would still have time to put this sort of stuff in.  Bed 3 is for brassicas - swedes, sprouts and savoys and purple sprouting broccoli (in modules at home).  Stuff for the winter months.  I've found starting off stuff at home helps as the plants are stronger when planted, although not all plants like being transplanted.

We hope to tackle the rest of the beds early autumn when hopefully the black plastic will have helped with the weed problem and the soil (clay!!!) becomes easier to dig.  We also hope to spread manure on the beds in autumn ready for the next spring.  But dont forget some stuff needs to be planted in autumn - garlic etc. so we will be preparing a bed for that.

Other jobs (if that's not enough!) are building compost bins, getting water butts in place, sorting our shed.  We also hope to put some flowers in for attracting wildlife but will probably do this next year as have left a little bit at bottom of plot quite wild - but am going to be careful of plants that self seed a lot!  Enough dealing with the weeds!  ;)

Sorry to write such a tome!  But I've received great help on here so just want to return the favour to another newbie.  Don't forget, little and often is so much better to avoid being overwhelmed!  We limit digging to 30 minutes.

Enjoy your plot!   ;D ;D

[redimp]

Welcome to A4A - it's addictive!

The council rotovated mine and it is now a jungle out there.  During the summer hols, I am going to get round to covering mine.  Merry Tiller says that rotovating will work if you do it 3 or 4 times over about the same number of months.  This though I think plays havok with your worm population.

I am getting a 4x4 shed next week, have three compost bins (fromt he council scheme) and a manure heap.  I am learing very fast from A4A and from failure  ???.  The aphids seem to have gone mad in recent weeks, I have met a whole bunch of cabbage white caterpillars - after filling their faces they came of worst.  I have grown /am growing potatoes, runner, bush french and broad beans, summer and autmn cabbage (pointy) an unlabelled variety of curcubits and squashes and a small patch of sweetcorn.  I am not expecting too much as this is my first year - and this was the right attitude to take under the circumstances.  Anything I do get is then a bonus.

Good luck and enjoy.

[flowerlady]

Hey, another one bites the weeds!! ;D

Welcome, welcome.

My plot was like yours.  I have been digging since the burning.  But in this heat I only manage half a width (15 ft ) by 3 ft.  I have to extract a barrow load of bindweed each time and rake out half a quarry to boot!

So you can see I will still be digging in Autumn (but I didn't say which year)!! :D

Main - essential - piece of advice, ENJOY YOURSELF, don't let it get to be a burden, it will always be  there next year, and the next ...........

Nevertheless I have put in some salad leaves etc, and even a few veg that will be drastically late, but who cares, isn't  this fun.  And I do like mini veg honestly!!

Keep digging.

[ellkebe]

Andy, first off - welcome  :) 
 I have to agree with everything said above.  We got our plot this May, neglected for about five years, and chock full of couch grass  :(  We're slowly covering with black mesh plastic, and planting through, plus we built a couple of small raised beds so that we could grow some quick crops in reasonable soil, crops that needed netting etc.  I agree that it's important to get something in to keep yourself motivated.  We've only managed raspberries for next year, and peas, dwarf beans, potatoes, broccolli, courgettes, sweetcorn, runner beans, lettuce, spring onions and pumpkins for this year.   We don't know that we'll necessarily get a crop off of all them but it gives us something to do other than look at black plastic and contemplate all the digging that will have to happen in the autumn.  Plus if you want to keep children interested, they need something to be happening!
Long post, sorry!   Keep us posted on your progress (oh, btw, a photographic record also keeps you feeling good about progress, and again, can help to keep any children interested as it can be their project)

[flowerlady]

Well, if you are talking children, RADISHES!! ;D

Was my first ever crop, AND I could eat it. 

It's almost an instant plant, so children who are impatient, - "has it grown yet ?!  - will be kept amused!  They can water it if they want to eat it!!

[plot51A]

Welcome Andy!
Agree with whats been said - little at a time and keep at it and make sure you get some quick results! With that in mind, although growing from seed through to cropping is just the greatest feeling, don't forget you can still get veg plants in the next couple of months to give you a head start  - e.g. cabbages, purple sprouting broc. which would give you a good crop in the spring.

[scumpy]

Hi Andy
You've found the right site here, loads of good advice from real lottie owners.
I'm also new(ish) to this and carpeted a large section of my jungle plot after cutting down the undergroth. Have had great success with Courgettes, outdoor cuccs and promising progress with Squash.
Also trying cut outs in the carpet for various cabbages etc,
Best of luck.

PS a great thank you to all who reply to posts from us novices.