Topic: Getting Started

[suzylou]

Hi all....

Well, I took posession of my allotment yesterday.  It's covered in grass, and there is bindweed in the soil, but other than that nothing too terrible....or so I thought.

I spent the whole day down there, managed to clear the grass and weed from an area approx 3m x 1.2m.    Then I started trying to dig, but once I got about 3" down the soil was like rock.  I managed to "finish" about a third of a single bed, which is pretty demoralising, aside from the fact that I'm so stiff today I can barely move.

So....I need your advice.  I'd been resisting hiring a cultivator as I'd been told this would make the bindweed worse, but frankly if it's bindweed or me dying of exhaustion I'll live with the weeds!  Alternatively, to have a go at "no dig" beds, but would I need to cut the grass down first?

How did you get started?  What on earth should I do?

Thanks :)

[westsussexlottie]

Ask the lottie neighbours for advice - is the soil actually rock? Or just very dry?

[suzylou]

It's just very dry I think....I was talking to the guy a couple of plots over and he said it should soften up in the winter after some more rain.

I still don't think I can handle that much digging though!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Get a digging hoe, they break up the ground a lot easier. If you've got perennial weeds you'll still need to dig it over with a spade afterwards as a hoe isn't so good for extracting the roots.

[westsussexlottie]

Try this link:
http://ourgardengang.tripod.com/lasagna_gardening.htm

[Doris_Pinks]

I did this with one of my clay beds last year West Sussex, seems to have worked a treat, my squash are enjoying it anyhow! ;D
The other option to look at is raised beds suzylou, or just bunging on masses of organic matter and let the worms help you during the winter!  DP

[suzylou]

Thanks for the advice everyone....

I had thought about raised beds, but I'm a bit of a cheapskate and could see myself spending a fortune on railway sleepers and old timber.  It's still on the back burner though.

The "lasagne" method looks interesting though....certainly more fun than covering the site in black plastic for a year....

[Mothy]

Hi Suzylou,

I started digging my plot at Xmas and finished digging around the end of April time. The difference in the effort to dig the last third was huge as it had dried out and become very difficult to dig and reduce to any sort of tilth.

I have recently re-dug 2 patches which I have cleared of crops. The 1st I could hardly get my spade into, the next, after the recent rain, was easy!! The other thing that I noticed was how easy it is to dig ground that is being dug for the 2nd time and I reckon it will only get easier.

Take your time, clear what you can and let the weather help you, if you have the time. After this first year, you'll never have to dig it all in one go again!!

[wardy]

I had to do no dig as I hurt my back very badly just after getting my plot which was the usual mile high weeds.  I have just started harvesting no dig courgettes and spuds, and my pumpkins and squashes are looking promising as well.  I grew pak choi and salad leaves in growbags as well to save digging.  The area where I've collected my no dig spuds is now looking weed free and clear so I'm going to plant brassicas in it - again without digging - just using a bulb planter.  I put cardboard down first then manure then black plastic and cut holes in for the spuds.  The cardboard has rotted down and the soil looks really quite good underneath.  I've scraped off most of the manure rather than dig it in (as I still don't dig) and put that over another weedy area with black plastic over the top.  The no dig spuds foliage covered the black plastic and you couldn;t see it.  You can use manure for planting courgettes and squashes straight in  :)  I also grew spuds in containers with manure in and they're looking good.  My builders sacks have been really productive.  Just piled manure in  ;D

[westsussexlottie]

Also for next year squashes will grow really well through black plastic over weeded ground. Just put a bucket load of manure in the hole  you are planting them into.

[wardy]

I agree  :)  The squash or pumpkin romps all over the black plastic so you don't see much of it.  I've got loads growing all over mine while the black plastic is doing the job of suppressing weeds.  If you leave it long enough they will die completely.  I put my down before the worst of the winter weather last year and I planted broad beans in it early this year (bulb planter again) and cabbages too as they prefer hard ground.  The peas did well on hard ground too.  :)

[suzylou]

You guys are inspiring me :)  I'm now thinking to cover about half the plot in plastic/manure, which I will put stuff in next spring if I need to, or leave for a year if I don't get that far....and as for the rest, I'm going to wait for some more rain and hope that loosens up the ground before I start digging again!

Now I just need to find a supplier of poo in west London!

[Svea]

there must be some stables around you. depending where in west london. look up 'stables' in the yellow pages :)
must be something in/around hyde park

[westsussexlottie]

try to find out where the mounted police keep their horses - or is there an army unit with horses nearby?

[Amazin]

Also, check if you have a 'city farm' near you.

[Ed^Chigliak]

If the conditions are not good for digging then set that job aside for later. Cover some areas with cardboard, carpet, plastic or whatever you can get cheaply and attack the weeds with that for now. You can weight down ground sheets with bags of soil.

This is a good time to attack the bindweed which at this time of year is easy to spot with distinctive flowers. It's known to be very difficult to dig out since the roots go deep and are brittle. Broken bits of root will re-grow and the problem can be made worse. The best thing you can do now whilst the bindweed is in flower is paint glyphosate weedkiller onto the leaves. It is most susceptible to treatment at this time. This will kill it without disturbing the roots although it may need to be done twice. Glyphosate is systemic to the weed and not residual to the soil so there is no problems growing after treatment. Follow the safety instructions on the product and wear some rubber gloves. Wash off splashes to the skin immediately. If there isn't a tap have a bucket of water & soap to hand. Mark the exact spots where the bindweed grows with a cane as a reminder so you can attack it again if it should survive preliminary treatments.

Spend some time marking out paths and beds if you plan to adopt that method of cultivation. Grab some pallets and build a compost bin. Don't focus on just one job to the point of exhaustion keep changing tasks so the day is fun overall.

Don't forget that if you clear an area and have nothing to grow in it's place the weeds will come back. This was my mistake combined with clearing too large an area. The way I now  try to gain new ground starts with a 160 cell plug tray into which I usually sow Phacelia (a green manure / cover crop) which takes 3-4 weeks and is then  ready to transplant. Armed with plants I pick a patch of ground and swap out the weed for the green manure crop such that the green manure has a head start on the weeds. Some green manures (lupins I thing) are good at breaking up the ground and will make it easier to dig in the future.

If it looks doable after the 1st green manure I'll try a vegetable crop and if not, I dig and broadcast seed for a 2nd green manure. When the vegetable do eventually go into the ground I like a wide spacing initially so it's easy to hoe.

[Doris_Pinks]

My raised beds haven't cost me a penny, I have begged all the wood, it is amazing what kind people will give you if you ask!
Another option is to go to your local scaffolders and see if they have any old boards they are throwing away.  ;D