Topic: New allotment

[Cassie17]

I just got an allotment after yrs on waiting list now I'm a complete novice but so willing to learn and not afraid of work but I need advice the weeds are about 4 foot high thistles with huge stalks and nettles just as angry looking how do I go about clearing this please any advice would be so helpful

[caroline7758]

Hi Cassie, and welcome to the forum. A lot of us have taken on allotments like this. If you look in the Serach for "overgrown", you'll find a lot of advice. The main thing is to not get downhearted. unfortunately at this time of year the weeds are growing madly, but at least that means you can see where they are! If you can get hold of a strimmer, cut them down to ground level, cover with thick cardboard or plastic (some allotments allow carpet but it's not good except for a temporary solution, then tackle a small patch at the time, digging out the roots. You can still sow some veg, and also green manure to improve the soil and keep the weeds down. the rain coming tomorrow should make it easier to dig. Whereabouts are you, by the way?

[ancellsfarmer]

Hi Cassie,
Welcome.
Try to workout why there are particular weeds in a given area. Deal a death blow to any that are seeding. Try to cut them down , to wilt at least before they let loose a thousand more. Nettles are a good sign, for they indicate recent fertility in the soil. Be prepared, find a Dock plant first for sting relief! Gloves can help A tightly gripped nettle will not sting, its the waft pasts that get you.
Personally, I would water (not spray ) glysophate
to kill any of the worst offenders, bind weed, couch grass, ground elder, thistles, ragwort, and leave long enough for the material to travel into the roots. Read and follow the instructions for that particular brand. Once dead you can remove the remains or if site and conditions permit ,burn them  If you do have the nasties listed above, treat right up to the boundary including the path if its on your plot. I get frustrated with folk who dig beds in "infected "surroundings and then spend all their time weeding and whingeing. Get shot of them strait away, get a truly clean slate while you can.

[Silverleaf]

I think it depends what weeds you have. And I can see three possible ways to tackle it, but I'm sure other people have more ideas!

1) If there's nothing particularly persistent you can get away with a no-dig approach, smothering weeds in a thick layer of cardboard and adding as much organic matter as you can on top of that. Many weeds can't make their way up through six inches or more of stuff piled on top of them. Easier than digging, but you need access to a lot of organic matter and it won't kill stuff like bindweed.

2) Cutting down/burning as much as possible and then digging thoroughly and removing every single little piece of root can work really well but it's physically hard, especially if you're not used to it. You can do it a little bit at a time though, covering up the rest as Caroline suggested. Digging will expose any number of weed seeds which will germinate like crazy but little baby weeds are easy to deal with!

3) I'm not a fan of weedkillers myself, but the option's there and of course it works and is pretty easy. Depends whether you want to grow organic or not I guess. I can't advise on that as I've never done it.

Nettles only grow in soil rich in nitrogen and phosphorus, so they tell you that you have decent nitrogen and phosphorus levels at least. If you cut them down you can make a great nettle "tea" to use to fertilise your veggies once you have some growing. :)

If you can spare a little patch of nettles for wildlife, peacock and small tortoiseshell butterflies and many species of moth will thank you.

[Cassie17]

Thanks to all of you for your advice , I'm in Dublin Ireland and the rules are no fires but all of the other advice I will take on board thank you all so much , this site was recommended to me cos of all the helpful advice which I agree with and I have looked up loads of stuff in this forum Brilliant it is ,

[Silverleaf]

Oh and I forgot to say welcome to the forum! :)

[Jayb]

Hi and welcome Congratulations on getting your allotment 

I like the cut, cardboard cover and mulch way, just leave the worms get on with the job. But you do need quite a bit of both cardboard and mulch material. I use grass 'mowings' mostly, but it can contain weed seeds (well it does from my lawn!) but they are not too difficult to remove as seedlings.

Look forward to hearing your progress

[antipodes]

Welcome Cassie, I use the cardboard method each year, when a patch is finished for winter, I lightly dig it over, pull out the biggest toughest weeds, if I already have some manure, spread a little under it then put down think cardboard, I usually manage to pick up boxes from wide screen TVs, or large appliances (IKEA is a good source!!!) and weight them down with large rocks or bricks. That can stay down for up to 3 or 4 months. When you are ready to prepare your patch; lift the cardboard. Underneath there should be no weed growth, and the worms and beetles will have munched through the topsoil over the winter. You just need to dig it over, pull out any persistent roots; add in some compost from your pile or I use organic fertilizer pellets to give the plants a head start, rake smooth and plant or sow!!! It beats a lot of hard work!! This gets you off to a flying start for your initial crops that will go in at the end of winter - onions,peas, broad beans, potatoes etc.
Use the winter period too to mark out the places you want to plant, get in your seeds, lay down paths if necessary and start scrounging the useful things like planks of wood, bricks, containers, buckets etc.
best of luck to you