Topic: Where do I start?

[Mottsy]

Well after more than a year of waiting I finally have an allotment!

The wife's just been to take a peek and apparently it is overgrown with weeds.

So where do I start?

Obviously the weeds have got to go first so any advice for a total novice would be very welcome.

Thanks

Mottsy

[KathrynH]

Congratulations!You'll find plenty of advice here and no doubt from other plot holders. Some will suggest you cover the plot with black plastic or carpet for the winter to keep light from the weeds. However, I prefer to go the old fashioned way and dig them out. Hard work but worth it as you can get to every bit of root and start to feed the soil as you go. I wouls also advise using the soil as you clear it - there is something to plant all year round and not only does that help to prevent the weeds from regrowing but also gives you a bit of an incentice as you see a reward for all you hard work.

If you can clear the space, try to get some overwintering onions in next month, perhaps some broad beans (aquadulce for overwintering) and garlic in November. You could also plant some strawberry runners - other plot holders are likely to be digging them up and throwing them out over the next couple of months. You will then have something to look forward to next spring.

And most of all, don't try to do too much too soon and enjoy it! Good luck!

[posie]

Hi Mottsy, welcome to A4A  :)

Congrats on your new allotment and welcome to the world of addiction!  I've been working mine for a year and the best piece of advice I can give you is do a little bit at a time! Chop down what you can and cover up what you can't.  I wouldn't advise using carpet to cover as when it gets wet it's extremely heavy to shift.  There are numerous theories on rotavation, but based on experience, I wouldn't advise it, it tends to chop up the bindweek and marestail and then create loads more!

Most of all, enjoy it, don't overdo it in a fit of enthusiasm and make sure you take plenty of tea/coffee/vodka etc!

All the best.

 ;D

[manicscousers]

hiya, mottsy, nice to meet you,
take some pictures of before, during and after..we dew a paper plan out and sorted out where the beds were going so's, as they were being cleared, we didn't walk on them again  :)

[kt.]

Welcome.  You have all winter to prepare the plot and get the ground in good condition for next years sowing.  A good time to start.  So you do not have to rush 8)

[amphibian]

How best to clear weeds largely depends on what weeds you have. If you just have annual weeds, I'd just dig them in and let them break down over winter.

If you have perennial weeds then it is a different matter altogether, with the roots being best removed entirely.

Anyway, clear a bit at a time any which way, and enjoy.

[saddad]

Welcome to the site Mottsy. Personally I'd start at the beginning, whereever you want that to be!!  ;D

[kenkew]

Hi Mottsy and welcome to the mad info house. Mad, due to most of us being hell bent on producing something out of a wild over-grown patch and info because all your questions do have an answer here.
 Pic's help quite a bit, so if you a digi cam, start snapping and posting so we can all see what you have taken on and watch your progress.
 Very shortly I'm hoping to see your results in the 'Photo Section'.
 Get forr'ad, as we say in Yorkshire.

[cornykev]

Welcome to A4A   Asylum  4  Allotmenteers  :P, as the others have said Mottsy get stuck into the weeds but mark out a bed at a time so you can look back at your progress, cover what your not weeding and uncover as you go, keep your weeds and put in a compost bin and mix with kitchen waste peelings, tea bags egg shells, grass cuttings, shredded paper etc, best of luck and you should be able to get some wintering onions and garlic in.  ;D ;D ;D

[Mottsy]

Thanks for all the advice thus far.

I've got a set of spades, forks etc, & a compost bin ordered.

There is a compost heap already on the plot but I've been asked to move it as it is near a fence and kids use it to climb over the fence! It's very old and falling to bits anyway so a new plastic bin will look better.

All being well I'll take some photo's when I start and let you all know how I'm getting on.

I like the idea of only doing one bed at a time. Any thoughts on what I should plant this time of year please?

(I told you I was a total novice!)

Thanks Mottsy

[thifasmom]

hi this thread is covering what to grow now, it might help you decide, have lots of fun, i can't wait to see your pics :D.

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,45798.0.html

[Melbourne12]

With all those weeds, your compost bin will soon be full.  ;D

Some things it's best to dig out straight away. If you've got tall grasses, they'll presumably be brown and tough by now, so weedkiller won't be effective. Best to dig them up.

Brambles can be cut back, then the roots dug up.  Ditto nettles, which will also be at the end of their season.

For other weeds, including bindweed, I would give them a spray of glyphosate and leave them to die.  Any roots should be removed as you subsequently dig.

After you've cleared a patch, either plant it with overwintering varieties, or cover it with old carpet or even cardboard to prevent weed regrowth.

[jonny211]

Hi Mottsy,

Get some garlic in about a months time.... you'll certainly taste the difference come nxet summer. Best thing in you can then use the same bit of ground to grow carrots, spinach or beetroot - at least that's what I did this year.

Good luck & happy digging.

jon

[hopalong]

As a fairly new allotment holder, I'd urge you to plan the layout of the site so you can rotate crops.  There's lots of advice on this in the books.  I regretted not planning more carefully before I started digging.

This is the best time of year for digging, so I'd suggest you do as much as you can before it gets much colder and the ground gets hard.  Find out what your soil is like.  Dig in some organic matter. Get to know other allotment holders on the site - they're bound to give you helpful advice about what to grow and what does best on the site (I certainly found that when I started nearly 2 years ago). 

As far as growing things is concerned, I agree with others that garlic, overwintering onions, winter salads and aquadulce broad beans are good things for this time of year.  It will also soon be time to plant fruit trees and bushes if you want them.

If you've got nettles in a corner of the plot, don't dig them up completely but use them as a valuable resource.  Cut some of the leaves off and use them as a compost activator or, rotted down in water, as a plant feed.

Best of luck!