Topic: DING DING !! Round 2 in Surbiton

[Fingle....]

Have a plot in Surbiton its been loved, but I have left it a bit neglected over the last year for personal reasons.

Now its time to get it started again with vigour, and I think I need to totally rework it (have more help now).

Problem is that the site is VERY uneven thick clay soil. Digging the odd bed by hand was OK but I really want it leveled now and start off on a level playing field so to speak. Then put raised beds in with cardboard for weed supressant etc.

I think the only way to level it is to use a rotorvator / cultivator and drag the soil from mounds into the dips etc.
I am aware of the issues with rhyzomes etc, but I cant see any other way. After all I dont mind weeds if i can mow them into a lawn of sorts.

Any similar stories / advice (apart from stop using brackets and slashes lol) ????

[sazhig]

We have a similar site from the sounds of it. The previous tenant had a go with a plough & wasn't very good so we have a rather undulating plot. My husband is doing the bulk of the heavy work so I haven't been too vocal in how I would like it done ;D...but so far he has decided to stick with the slow & steady method of mowing the weeds regularly & then marking out a bed then skimming the "turf" off & then digging it over.....& like you say spreading the hills down into the valleys!. He has found it a LOT easier since he got an azada & uses that mainly instead of a spade & is finding it a lot less back breaking...its also got easier since we have had access to PILs shed on their plot (on the same site) so he doesn't have to keep lugging our mower there & back.

He has made the odd comment about using a rotavator & tbh the main thing holding us back is money....& I think he will eventually end up using one...but only if FIL gets tired of digging his plot - as he will pay for it! The one thing I have said to him is that he will have to be careful where he uses it as we have 2 rather large horseradish patches in the middle of the plot & I definitely DON'T want them cut up too much!

We've not done as much as we feel we could have because of other stuff going on....and we are always thinking that if we could only get down there more often we would have more of it done by now iykwim....but it is nice to have gotten the (very) few crops we have so far and to at least visit the site often even if you don't have time/decent weather to work on it. I think it has also helped to have blinkers on & try to ignore what everyone else's plot on the site looks like & just concentrate on our own little patch & how far we have come so far & relax about it taking more than one or two years to be fully cultivated...and probably a few more after that to look semi neat....my one aim in all of this is to get the best kept plot prize at least once...eventually  :D

Saz

[cambourne7]

I was in the same position last year and rotivated, covered in weed membrane and added raised beds. Which was fine till the weeds grew on the membrane. Took up a lot of weekends and evenings and the result is ok.

Looking back i should have done one of two things.

1) chopped my plot in 1/2 after rotivating and covered 1/2 in carpet till i was ready for it.

or

2) Hire a Jcb dig the plot out and place with decent soil and using aforementioned JCB dig the replacement soil mixed with sand and grit into the clay thats left. Add raised beds building from back of plot and filling with jcb as i go and then add cardboard to the paths topped with membrane and wood chips.

On the basis of money one was going to cost £200 and time and the other was going to be £1000 and a weekend.

cambourne7