Topic: Advice for Derelict Allotment needed

[boxingtortoise]

I have just taken over a derelict allotment. To begin with the grass was waist high. Over the course of yesterday we managed to bring it down to a lawn height. We do not aim to plant any veg this year, but want to get it ready for next year. The ground is tough, and the grass roots are deep. Someone has suggested turning the earth over, and the grass and weeds will rots. Someone else said throw the whole top layer of topsoil out. Another person said use Round Up and dig it over in month when all the grass and weeds are dead. Plus what do we do then? Any help will be greatly appreciated, or if you could point me in the way of a good website.

[gavin]

Hi boxingtortoise

The way we did it was cut the top greenery, and then dig beds 4 foot wide and whatever long.  We removed the grass and weed sods, and as much of the weed roots as we possibly could, to start a compost heap.  And dug in lots of horse manure in late autumn.  It worked for us - but then I enjoy digging, and wanted to grow organically (so Roundup was out).

It's a very good time of year to do this - as soon as you dig, you'll bring years and years of dormant weed seeds to the surface - they'll burst into life soon, but if you clean them off before winter, you should have pretty weed free beds next year.

I wouldn't just turn it over - a lot of your weeds will be very tenacious; and don't throw your topsoil out!!!!!

Have a look at http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/ - put together a couple of years after we started the clearing job.  Hope it helps.

All best - Gavin

[Lil]

I agree with Gavin.  I took an overgrown allotment inbeginning of June. Really overgrown with perennials and grass as high as me.  An ol gardener told me to chop it down to soil level and put all the weeds, not on a compost, but in a line against the hedge and cover with black plastic for a couple of years.  Its not unsightly because its covered neat.  Then told me to one small bed getting all weeds out of that, plant some stuff in it, and start another small bed and so on.  Have bought some more black polythene and am in process of covering rest over so weeds don't grow as much.  
Hope this helps.

[reedos]

Hello all,

Just found this forum, wish I'd looked in about April when I got my overgrown allotment.
This is what I did if it's any help. Firstly I ignored all the old guys from the allotments around me, they are dead friendly but definately of the 'nuke 'em all and bring out the DDT' brigade.
Then as suggested by the others I started small, dug a couple of 4 foot wide beds and pulled up as many of the weeds and roots as I could. In the beds planted peas, potatos, onions, cauliflowers, lettuce and beans. Not many of each but enough to keep me encouraged. Then I've slowly cleared the rest of the site, the fact I've been harvesting stuff has been a great help, just digging with no reward at this point might have been soul destroying!! Still got plenty to do (like remove a 15 foot long row of lilac, anybody got any ideas on how to get it out ?). Good luck with your site it's definately worth the effort. (sorry for being long winded)

[LynneA]

Now's the time to start what could become a habit of a lifetime - Skip Raiding!

Yes start small -- try to get on area dug now - for overwintering crops and your own self confidence.

Then look out for any scrap carpet and cover the rest of the plot for the winter.  If you start now, you should be able to kill off most of the grass by the time the soil starts warming up in March - maybe even have some ready for October or so.

Keep a look out for anything else you can recyle for the plot - wood, paving, bricks, plastic bottles - you'd be amazed what can be reused.

[moses_cm9]

Hi

With the hot weather we have been having - you probably won't be able to get a fork into the ground now - so I will tell you what I did with part of my patch when I got started in late May a couple of years ago.  It was desperate (and expensive measures) - on the grounds that if I didn't grow something I would become discouraged and pack it all in ... (I only have weekends).

Assuming you have ankle height weeds now, I burnt a strip about 4' wide with a gas weed flame gun contraption.  I then made a couple of wooden raised beds 6" high, which I filled with grow bags - then just grew all sorts of salad stuff in the grow bags - rocket, lamb's lettuce, mizuna and plain Little Gem, spring onions and radishes!  

In the meantime on another strip I barrowed in loads of horse muck which excluded weeds there.  

And on yet another I rough dug.  

The raised beds were dug over and the grow bags emptied after rain (and before flood) in September and were planted up with asparagus and strawberries - so I didn't think it was too extravagant as these are 'permanent' elements on my plot.

I dug a trench to plant autumn fruiting raspberries along one edge of the plot and covered it with more horse muck.  I similarly just dug holes for blackcurrants, rhubarb and gooseberry bushes - surrounding them with horse muck.*

I just stuck potatoes into the rough dug bits with a bulb planter in late April.

By May the horse muck was down to about 8' deep and I didn't dig that patch either - just put pumpkin, butternut squash and sweetcorn plants straight in.

The rest of the allotment was double dug (very slowly and painfully) as recommended by the old geezers.

All the aforementioned crops were a dazzling success apart from the potatoes (King Edwards) that were a bit sluggy (lots of mash) - but I've had sluggy potatoes (even after using Nemaslug) since so ...

The point is that I got on with getting stuff in the ground rather than wait until everything was the texture of coffee granules.  The Cyrils and Edgars might have tutted but this year (my 3rd season) I've had 4 good meals with asparagus and haven't stopped making jam every weekend since June.

* the horse muck is from a neighbour - it's always quite strawy / wood shavingsy (I think because she doesn't want other neighbours to complain about the smell from her stables) - who benefits from my carrot rejects - always a lot of those.

Another tip is - don't be too virtuous about Round Up.  I use it on bind weed - spray it on as many leaves as possible in full sun, then wrap the whole lot in a plastic bag pegged into the ground.  Also burning.  I am very selective about what goes on the compost heap and move the incinerator around a lot in the hope that it kills off bugs like leatherjackets still lurking in the soil.

War and Peace - sorry, but I hope this helps.