Topic: need to tidy up lottie quickly

[Amazin]

I've had my allotment for exactly a year now and only a couple of weeks ago actually got round to properly measuring and marking out my plots properly -with string and tent pegs!

[antipodes]

MMM I guess where I should be ashamed is that I am incapable of properly marking out the plot but my hubby is...a surveyor's technician :( Talk about the cobbler being the worst shod!!!
Went down yesterday but had a splitting headache so ended up not staying that long. Covered the to-be-beans plot with newspaper, weighing it down with wood and clumps of weeds from other bits of the plot. Got some very odd looks from the others...but no comments. If it kills enough of the grass and weeds off to put the beans in, then that will be enough for me.
There is a old fella on our lots that  has a rotovator and will run over the plot for a few beers - I feel I may have to cave in and get him to at least rotovate the part where the toms, courgettes etc will go. Even if it might spread the weeds, I might have had time to mulch and black plastic the crops by then. I put a massive bit of cardboard over some of it, maybe that will kill enough weeds to let me get the tomatoes in??
I also weeded the herb garden, looks much neater now, planted some coriander seeds in it and...planted a row of sunflowers!

[timelady]

Sounds like you're on a roll. :) I've been really stressed at the moment, and lacking energy (it's just too much work), so my theory now is each time I go to the allotment I plant something. It doesn't have to be much, maybe herbs like you said or throw in some flower seeds. So I might have to dig and weed (as best I can) a small area, but I'm not getting too worked up about it. Just do what I can then plant in it. We'll see what happens! Yesterday I got lettuce seeds in.

So little steps... next year we can have well-planned plots and show them off to the new newbies. ;D

Tina.

[antipodes]

Yes I agree with that theory, that is why I planted the sunflowers yesterday! I want to plant things that take up space, like the beans and tomatoes! Actually the weather here is so warm, I am tempted to try a row of beans next weekend and see what happens, perhaps they will be able to grow enough to withstand any haphazard weather. I know that courgettes etc take up lots of space but maybe that's a bit optimistic for now.
Then I am theorizing that by digging up crops like spuds, onions, carrots etc, the soil will be turned and I will be able to weed, manure and plant winter crops.
Hubby keeps hinting that what I am doing is not "esthetic" but he doesn't seem to realize the amount of work (and cash!!) involved in having something "landscaped". Might help if he came and measured the plot for me, for a start!!

[daisymay]

don't be too hard on yourself.... we have had ours for 2 years and our paths are carpet, I like them as you can kneel down on them to weed (an absolute must for me as I am 6 months pregnant!).

Ours is one of the scuffiest plots on the whole site, especially at this time of year. But we did a walk around the whole site the other evening as we were the only people there and our onions and garlic were better than everyone elses, despite their prefect tilth and weed free plots.... was such a grest feeling of satisfaction.

In a few months time the whole thing will be heaving with veg, once spuds, squashes, pumpkins etc... get going and we will be struggling to shoe horn stuff in.

[emmy1978]

If only aesthetics were the first thought of an allotmenteer! Saw brill cartoon once about sheds, the allotment one was the one made from doors and bits of corrugated iron! So true.
I loved it when the first bit of earth was dug and straight (i dig in a circle according to OH) that's all the landscaping i need!
Fast growers - rockit and radish both coming up on mine (yay) so bung some of those in. The ground will be well turned by digging up your spuds etc later so thats some of the work done.
 Really don't worry. If anyone expects you to have it perfect this year they are mad and I'm sure no-one on the site expects that. I have to say, from your posts they don't sound particularly friendly or helpful!
The weeds won't be killed in such a short space of time but will certainly be weaker and easier to dig up. I have found old carpet to be super effective at this. Totally revolting and about as aesthetic as a boil on your bum, but lordy it works -and works quickly.  :)

[coznbob]

Have to agree about the carpet....

I have spent the past couple of weeks just digging to try and get ours in a workable condition. I asked the OH what he thought of it the other night and he came back with the immortal words NOT MUCH! He thought that there were too many weeds and too much grass left!

Grrrrrrrrrr, don't look at the bits I haven't done, be impressed with the big bit that I have broken my back doing!

[norfolklass]

I finally succumbed to the carpet thing yesterday ::)
I'd been adamant that it wasn't environmentally friendly and that I was only going to use cardboard but then I saw loads of carpet that had been dumped in the communal tip (two overgrown plots >:() and I thought b****r it, I'm having that! so I scraped off the dead mouse and wood shavings and dragged it onto my plot. it does look pretty horrid, but it is green so it could be worse!

[emmy1978]

If it's old carpet then it's performing a final service before it's truly ready for the dreaded landfill. If you have problems with the way it looks and have plenty of dosh you could always call Carpet World and ask them to come and measure up the plot.  ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Jenfur]

I can totally relate to this problem, I got my plot a month ago today, and it seems so disheartening to see everyone else's looking so smooth and weed free! I caved in and rotorvated mine since 1/4 of it was rubbish heap anyway, but if I had more time before planting time, I would have preferred to dig and weed by hand. The one I did that way looks better! Its way too expensive to buy all the stuff to pretty it up, so my paths are also just grass waiting to creep into my veg :( will deal with that problem when it arrives :) would put on a picture but haven't figured out how yet...

[antipodes]

The carpet is actually great. Yeah I heard too that is is not eco-friendly but i would only have dumped it... Underneath it is smooth and moist and lots of buggy things!! OK, no doubt some I don't want but also ladybirds and beetles. Which to me are the sign of healthy earth!
I don't know about my fellow allotmenteers, I was kind of put out when the "supervisor" came and said things (I suppose politely) to the tune of "you're doing it all wrong and it's a mess" while gaily adding "but if you don't know, don't be ashamed to ask". Err right, but how do you know when you don't know? To me, it's when your crop has been crappy and full of pests and diseases. And really, I am not going to ask my fellow gardeners to dig up my weeds for me, am I? His comment was quite absurd I thought. I mean, they say hello etc but I am the only person under 60 on the whole lot which is a joke when you think that they are called "Family allotments" here! And I am a girl, doing it by herself, they obviously think I have delusions of grandeur.
I will have to think about what I want as paths, just straw is even sounding like a good option at the moment! But where the heck do I get all this stuff from? I haven't even managed to get my hands on any black plastic yet...
To post a pic, you need to use the little picture icon from the "Add BBC tags" section. You can either upload it if it is small or give the URL that goes to it if you have it on a web image site, like photobucket. I took some pics today I will get them off my camera and onto my blog. Then everyone can help me identify my b***y weeds!

[manicscousers]

try ebay for your plastic, we got some weed suppressant and it wasn't a bad price  :)

[emmy1978]

Shame on your neighbours. You are in France though and they probably are a little taken aback by this girl appearing in their space. My grandparents have a house in Normandy and they are a little grumpyfied around there. It is only a case though of earning your stripes. When they see your plot coming on and all the work you've done i bet they soften up.
You could always butter them up a bit by asking lots of advice and questions, you don't have to use it, but they will like it that they can show off their knowledge and you pre-empt all the 'oooh, you don't want to do that' business.  8)

[antipodes]

Yeah, luckily the immediate neighbour on the lots is quite kind and she (one of the rare women down there) tends to say nice things like, ooh look you've got some potato leaves coming up there, or wow that's a nice big compost bin you got. She seemed to find my newspaper antics quite amusing. I just get this feeling that the others are having a look when I am gone and thinking, blimey she's not getting very far with THAT!
It's an association so they keep an eye on what is going on, if you don't grow enough or tend the plot sufficiently, they will chuck you out. There are no young families or couples, it's quite a shame really, as it could be a mixed crowd, but maybe young people think they don't have time...
At 9 am this morning (mid-week) there were a few of them already at it, digging up patches, weeding etc, I mean I have to get to work! I don't have the luxury of being able to tend the garden every day for 3 hours! Actually I don't really like to ask things because I find it a bit embarrassing, perhaps I should offer round a few spare gherkin plants or something to improve my image. Oh and they must wonder what the heck I am doing when I am photographing weeds for my blog!!! LOL crouching down taking pics of teh goseberries, they must think I am barmy. girl+foreigner+newbie, cripes I've got it all going for me!  ;D

[Kea]

I think your plot looks great. If you want to see something demoralising you should see my plot! The weeds are knee high, lots of sow thistle except where I have black plastic or carpet. It's 45ft by 68 ft and I've been away on holiday for 2 weeks before I went the soil was too wet and resembled wet cement now it's too dry and like concrete so my potatoes are still waiting to go in. I managed to dig it over yesterday but there are rock like clumps to break up still.