Topic: New allotment

[northener]

Hello i am just toying with the idea of an allotment.Any advice would be grateful.The plot is 6M square totally overgrown.

[teresa]

Oh dear sounds like you have a lottie and a half.
This is the best time of year to take one on the weeds dont grow so quick.
You can cover it with carpet old bankets anything that the light wont reach the green weeds they will then turn yellow and die back makes it easier and you can see you have done something.
If you dig an area and plant it it does give you the encouragement to go on. Make sure you have an old chair to sit and straighten your back as well as a hot drink in a flask.
A little digging and often is the best way set yourself a targert dont over do it.
Then after a hot bath plan what your going to grow thats the fun part. A lot of seeds are being sold off at half price now so get yourself a tin box and put your seeds in it ready for next year with your plan.
But most of all enjoy it remember it is cheeper than going to a gym.

[Andy H]

Loads of fresh air,organic produce. Its amazing how much stuff you can get from a plot.just done our first full year and freezers brimming with stuff!
From our experience I would clear the weeds on part of it thoroughly(perhaps a quarter) then dig and or rotivate.if weeded good then roti wont chop too mant weeds up like we did >:(
Get some manure on it if poss. cover the rest with carpets etc. if you want to do more then all the better.
Have fun and enjoy the workout!
Plan next year as it gives encouragement.grow what YOU like if you are the one doing all the work.
If doing it with someone else it is more fun and normally great talking to the OLD timers and getting advise etc...
We went mad with manure and roti and got great crops and weeds but one plot width produced 102lb runner beans and that was just for starters, It`s great!!! ;D

[dave]

Grow lots of potatoes- smother weeds and make a wonderful difference to the texture of the soil

I took on my long-neglected adjacent plot last year because I was sick of looking at it, and the bindweed kept creeping over into mine.  The soil was compacted, hard, clayey and full of broken glass, plastic and perennial weed roots.

After digging out the bits and a crop of Kestrel, when I came to turn it over a couple of weeks ago the soil was so friable that I hardly needed to push the fork in- just drop it .  That was an exaggeration but only a slight one!