Author Topic: HEEEEELP!!! (Read 1899 times)

wheelabo · « **on:** February 16, 2008, 16:32:21 »

Just got our first allotment. Its covered in grass. If any of you experts out there can help we would really really appreciate it. Been reading this site for the last few days. Everyone seems very friendly and helpful so hope to hear from someone soon. :-* :-*

caseylee · « **Reply #1 on:** February 16, 2008, 16:57:45 »

hello
I know exactly how you feel, I got my allotment in October and it had not been used in a few years and the grass and weeds were nearly up to my knees. Unfortunately its just elbow grease and time you need, what we did first was cut the grass as Short as possible, and tackled the biggest weeds, and from then just starting digging, pulling the rest of the weeds as we went. It has taken ages but its starting to look like a proper lottie now. Good luck and enjoy its well worth the trouble.
Linda

wheelabo · « **Reply #2 on:** February 16, 2008, 17:01:58 »

Thanx for the words of wisdom. Hope to get there tomorrow to start our new adventure!!! Half term next week so kids can earn their keep! More tips/advice would be greatly received.

caseylee · « **Reply #3 on:** February 16, 2008, 17:10:47 »

make the kids work cheap labour lol. My boys are 4 and 7 and love the allotment cause they can dig till theya re blue in the face. Knackers them for bedtime and the fresh is brilliant for them.

alfie · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2008, 17:11:03 »

Got my first allotment too last month in same state as yours but with an old apple tree stuck in the middle too! it took my husband and i three days to get it dug and the tree out and ours is only 8x3 metres. It's best to pace yourself cos your back will suffer otherwise. Having said that we have had lots of laughs digging together.....good for the soul. ;D

alfie · « **Reply #5 on:** February 16, 2008, 17:11:56 »

Sorry i meant 8 by 6 metres!

wheelabo · « **Reply #6 on:** February 16, 2008, 17:13:23 »

My boys are 8, 9 and 10 so want them to do something other than football. Gave up smoking in January so hoping that this will help with the cravings :D

caseylee · « **Reply #7 on:** February 16, 2008, 17:20:39 »

I smoke more when I'm at the lottie, I guess its a excuse to sit down for a minute and laugh at hubby while he grafts away, I am so cruel

the_snail · « **Reply #8 on:** February 16, 2008, 17:30:21 »

Hello.

I understand your worry. I had an allotment just like yours. What I did was I strimmed the grass down and covered half of it with black plastic and a good thick layer of fresh muck for about a year and the other half I dug by hand getting rid of all the weeds and couch grass (with was a nightmare!).

The idea is work a little and often and your allotment will get looking like an allotment in no time.

You could also use a systemic weedkiller that will kill the weeds in about 3-4 weeks. A good systemic weedkiller to us is a weedkiller that contain glyphosate.

Hope that helps.
The_Snail

Doris_Pinks · « **Reply #9 on:** February 16, 2008, 17:31:37 »

Cover what you can't cope with!! When I started mine the bits I didn't have time or energy to dig got cut back and then covered with a tarpaulin to stop weed growth.
My neighbour didn't bother digging out any of his weeds and just covered the whole plot with cardboard, then a layer of straw, then a layer of manure (straw n manure repeated every year)............5 years on he has the best soil around! ;D ;D

Enjoy your plot.............and buy some radox! ;) ;D

caseylee · « **Reply #10 on:** February 16, 2008, 17:40:23 »

my husband and I did similar, we dug every second day or so, but had a pool cover and ground sheet spare form our old pool and covered and much as we could and then rotated it, it didden't take long for everything to die.

manicscousers · « **Reply #11 on:** February 16, 2008, 18:06:26 »

hiya, wheelabo,welcome to the site.. when we took our first one on, it was covered with couch, bindweed, and the dreaded marestail..we covered the paths with opened out compost bags and then put down wood chip, free from our recycling yard... as we cleared the beds, we covered the ones we didn't want to plant up straight away with black plastic and did little and often, as everyone has said, take it easy ;D

wheelabo · « **Reply #12 on:** February 16, 2008, 18:16:12 »

Thanks everyone for all your help and advice. Got the Radox and told OH that if he watched footie today he had to help tomorrow which he suprisingly agreed to (may have something to do with Chelsea playing and winning today!!!) Will let you know how we all get on. Hopefully wont ache too much Monday :)

Tohellwithweeds · « **Reply #13 on:** February 17, 2008, 07:50:24 »

hello and welcome it seems to me that every one has started off with a plot that looks like a jungle (i know mine did), but like the others have said little and often.I made the mistake of digging like a mad woman and by golly did i pay for it the next day i could hardly move ::) ::) so know i dig for a bit and then have a cuppa and look at what Ive done then do a bit more and so on. covering the ground you don't think you will get round to is the best way to keep the weeds under control i have and its working nicely i take a peep every now and then ;) ;). it also helps if you get a shed that's when i thought it started to look like a Lotty i also got a greenhouse which at the moment is my tea room ;D and a BIG bottle of radox has to be top of the shopping list and then OH to Wash your back sheer bliss best of luck and don't work the kids to hard lol

kenkew · « **Reply #14 on:** February 17, 2008, 10:46:47 »

Welcome to this fab place. Remember that every visit to your plot is a step nearer and less steps to the shops!

posie · « **Reply #15 on:** February 17, 2008, 11:33:09 »

Little and often, flask of tea/coffee and a chair!

Mine started as this:

and now looks like this:

So there is hope!! And don't forget your camera, so you can show us all how you're doing :)

wheelabo · « **Reply #16 on:** February 17, 2008, 15:39:57 »

Just got back from our first working visit!! Spent just over an hour digging and weeding. The kids thought it was great although a bit hyper!!! Thanks for the photos they are really inspirational. Hope we dont ache too much tomorrow ;)

caseylee · « **Reply #17 on:** February 17, 2008, 16:14:44 »

Quick question as a newbie myself, I have dug over the whole allotment and it looks like big lumps in the pictures shown, will that rake nice and easy like the other picture you put on.

kenkew · « **Reply #18 on:** February 17, 2008, 16:30:40 »

I presuming you mean one of my pic's? Well, as you can see, I've started by concentrating on a section at a time. This plot is in Flanders, Belgium, and as any WWI and WWII soldier will tell you, it's a tad claggy! It was late in the year and I turned over the 'lumps' to allow the frost to do it's work.
After that I broke it up, removed even more weed roots!...especially the biggies and after adding my bin of composted stuff, it turned out as the following pic's.
Over time I added council recycled compost, not for any nutritional value, but to raise the level so I didn't get quite so water logged.
If there's a secret to good soil, it's got to be - have at least 2 compost bins - and put that goodness back from where it came regularly.
Ken.

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Author Topic: HEEEEELP!!! (Read 1899 times)