Topic: First Allotment - What to do now?

[dave83]

Hi all,

I have just accepted my first allotment plot (I should be picking the keys up this week). Both my friend and I have decided to get the allotment and both work on it, we have seen it and it does require a lot of work on it. The guy who showed us round told us to get an industrial strimmer (from a local rental store) and get rid of the overgrown grass and weeds. Once we have cleared it we should then put 'Round-up' on and cover it with tarpaulin (or something of similar ilk). I believe that if we do this and not grow anything on it for about a year then we may lose faith in it and eventually give it up.

I have an idea to build a small raised bed, so that we can grow some veg in it, hopefully in time from Christmas, to see us through until we can start to plant directly on to the allotment floor itself. I wondered if anyone could tell me what size bed we should build, the allotment itself is quite large, although I do not have the exact measurements yet, so we can afford a decent size bed.

We are aware that this posses problems if we build the bed too large, as this would cover over some of the allotment and render it useless.

I hope I have not wittered on too much and any help on the bed size, what to grow, and how to generally look after an allotment in its first year would be much appreciated.

[Digeroo]

Welcome to A4A dave83

Even with the weeds I would expect to be growing next year.  Round up goes through the leaves into the roots so I am somewhat surprised at the suggestion of strimming it back first and then applying.  Depends on your attitude to chemicals.  If you have bindweed it may be the only good suggestion.  Can give us some more details of the actual weeds for some more specific answers.   Do you like digging?

You do not say what your relationship with your friend is.  Shared allotments can sometimes be a frustation.

[Tee Gee]

Welcome to A4A


These links might help; http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Allotments/01-Introduction.htm

Best of luck!

[Ellen K]

Hi - there are a number of approaches and they all have their merits.

I got my first plot in Sept 08 and it was very overgrown.  First I bought a big pack of roundup (glyphosate) and gave everything a good spraying.  Then I started at one end, striming, clearing, digging and planting and worked my way across the length of the plot. 

I bought some winter greens as plug plants and potted them up so they'd be a bit bigger by the time they went in.  Also bought Japanese onion sets and Aquadulce Claudia broad beens.  All these went in about November time when I was about 1/4 of the way down the plot.

It was very hard work but I see so many plot holders who say "you don't have to do it all in the first year" and 5 yrs later they have still got the black plastic on at the back end of their plots.

Let us know what you decide to do.  I would do the spraying then spend the next week or so planning, reading, digging out the worst weeds and waiting for the round up to do its thing.

[lisaparkin]

This is our 1st year with an allotment, we  rotovated, then dug over really well and weeded as we planted/sowed as we were going along, small sections at a time.  To keep on top of the weeds, we weed every time we go to the allotment, hard work, but worth it.  We have lots of chickweed, nettles and those little 'fir-tree' weeds, can't remember the name off the top of my head.

[Bugloss2009]

and those little 'fir-tree' weeds, can't remember the name off the top of my head.

you'll know all there is to know about them soon enough  :D

[gp.girl]

Horse tail? Mares tail?

Oh yes you are going to enjoy yourself so much, not even roundup works propally on this  :'(

Thank goodness I've only got bindweed, and a few persistant brambles.....

[lisaparkin]

Ah yes, Horse Tail

[shirlton]

We took on plots that had been vacant for more than a decade so we had every sort of weed except mares tail. We dug and planted as we went along so that we had something growing(cos that spurs you on). We used round up on about half the ground that we knew would be spreading seeds everywhere if we didn't dig it.
Even now when we harvest something we dig the area over and plan whats going in next.
By the way......welcome to A4A

[kt.]

Don't get disheartened with all the excessive weeding and digging you have to do when first taking on  an overgrown plot. 

If you get cracking now, you will be able to get in some over wintering onion sets by mid October and broad bean plants in by mid November.  Strawberry plants and raspberry canes can also be planted before the end of November.   You can also sow over wintering lettuce such as Valdor in seed trays now.  By the time you have cleared they will be small plug plants for planting out but ensure they are covered with cloches.  You will then have plenty time over autumn - winter to clear the remainder before springtime when you will need all the cleared ground space available.

[gwynnethmary]

Congratulations on getting your first plot!  I would agree that getting it all dug over and weeded would be the way forward.  Realistically, there's not an awful lot you can do during the depths of winter, but there's enough time in the autumn to get cracking on it.  If you can get it dug by the first frosts the soil will be much more workeable come the spring, and you'll be all ready to go with the sowing and the planting.  Have fun!

[lincsyokel2]

Mares Tails

the legend is that the roots of Mares Tails poke out through the roof og Hell.

Seriously. They go down anything up to 10 feet. Furthermore, the bit that pokes up above ground has an impervious waterproof chemically resistant coating, just spraying them with weedkiller is a waste of time.

What you have to do is crush the plant to break open the coating, then dose them with something serious, like tree stump killer.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Roundup is a waste of money unless it goes on actively growing green tissue. Even if you do use it appropriately, the tougher weeds will grow straight back, and you'll often fine them spreading into the gaps left where you've killed off the grass. The last state of that plot is then worse than the first. If you rotavate, all you do is shop up the roots, and if it's something like ground elder or couch grass, every bit grows straight back.

My advice would be to cover most of it, leaving a manageable area which you need to dig over, thoroughly, several times. Plant what you like in this, and plant things like potatoes, brassicas, squashes etc through the black plastic next year. By the end of the season, any surviving weeds will be so weakened they'll be easy to deal with. Just remember to dig the edges of the plastic in a spades' depth. Most people don't bother, and the weed roots just run in underneath.

[dave83]

Thanks to everyone who has replied to my post, I should now have a fair idea of how to get started.

What does everyone think of my idea of building a small raised bed, to start to grow things in as soon as I get the bulk of the allotment cleared?

Could anyone suggest possibly the best way to build one (probably talking 3 square yards size), things like how deep should it be, should I be layering the bed (such as rocks on the bottom, or sand then the soil)?.

Thanks in advance of any replies to this one.

Dave

[Allotment-junkie]

welcome to A4A .. my advice is enjoy yourself and dont make it hard work .. alittle at a time and it is more enjoyable

[1066]

hi dave83 and welcome to A4A  :)

The raised beds I've seen around the place generally aren't that deep, some people use scaffold boards. Unless you have access to the wood I wouldn't bother - I'd just mark the space out, clear it of the worst weeds and plant! I'd have a little dig around that area to see what soil conditions are like - clay or sany loam, and make a decision from there as to what you may want to add - what you should think of is that if there are weeds then the soil is fertile  :)

Or you could cover the area with some cheapo black weed suprresant and then plant some plug plants etc through holes in the fabric, that's what I did - and slowly worked my way round the plot  :)

Happy gardening - and don't forget to take photos, its great to be able to look at progress made  :)

[BAK]

Dave83,

I am not aware that you have mentioned how big the plot is. This, along with the type of soil, can often dictate your approach.

[dave83]

@ BAK,

Hi,

I have just got the keys to the allotment today, I have seen it and been round the allotment with someone however so I am not going in to it blind. Last week when I did see it the boundries were not marked out, it appears to me that the land may have passed through a few peoples hands before coming to mine, I think that every year someone new got it, thought they would sort it and probably not bothered to get round to it.

I have been told today that the boundries have now been marked out, will go and check it out for myself tonight and possibly get the measurments for the allotment, from their I will then be able to plan out how I will tackle the allotment after first clearing it of the long grass.

Hopefully I will have more information to go on after this weekend, as for checking out the soil types, what should I look for to tell me what the soil type is like (hopefully this is not a daft question, apologies if it is)? Any hints and tips would be great.

[nilly71]

Don't have a shared plot, no two people work the same of have as much passion for their plot and if you work harder you will end up recenting your friend when they turn up on the odd days. If anything split the plot in half and if one of you give up you could extened into to other side.

I would decide where the compost/manure bins are going and start weeding that area. Build some Compost/manure bins and start bringing all your waste from home to start filling up the compost bins, it will save a fortune in spring. The manure bins can gradualy be filled up over winter. Buy some plug plants and repot as suggested in the other posts.

If your having a shed: Work out where your shed will be(take note of the sun so you don't shade your plot), build your shed so that you have somewhere dry when it rains. Mark out your main paths, and weed them, then cover in weed supresant and wood chippings. This way you or others will not walk across your beds and when it gets really wet you have somewhere to walk to and from your shed without slipping all over the place or get your shoes dirty if leaving work boots in the shed.

Start nearest to your shed and dig a trench the width of your bed, weeding as you go and placing all the soil removed at the opposite end of your plot. Take your time and get out as many weeds as you can. Fill the trench with manure/ paper shreddings or anything that will improve your soil. Then dig another trench alongside the first, placing the weeded soil in the first trench, continue until you finnish a bed. Fill with plug plants as you go.
The reason starting from your shed is that it will look a lot nicer when sitting there having a cup of tea and watching stuff grow.

Take your time and do a bed at a time. It's a long time investment so do it right in your first year and it will be much easier in the future. I see many plot holders digging up brambles and nettles two years later because they only strimmed them when they took over the plot and didn't remove them.

Have fun and take plenty of pictures.

Neil

[1066]

The reason starting from your shed is that it will look a lot nicer when sitting there having a cup of tea and watching stuff grow.

excellent advice there Nilly!  :) It's so important to be able to sit back and look at and enjoy your efforts  :)