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Any Advice for Clearing My Badly Overgrown Plot.

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Paulh:
My random thoughts:

If I found my new plot was mare's tail and bindweed, I'd give it up. You are a better person than me.

I started off when about 15 years ago I took on my plot (grassed over and unused for a few years) as an old school gardener. I dug (and even double dug) it and got out much of the main weed - couch grass. It's clay soil and I think that digging helps get it into a physical state in which you can effectively incorporate compost - humus - to open it up. Clay soils form a "pan" about a spit or two down which is a barrier that impedes movement of water and nutrients. Whether annual digging is beneficial on the improved soil I'm not so sure now. I'm looking more to cover, mulch, lightly fork, but I'm a way off that yet as a total approach.

That said, if you grow potatoes, you will be digging a part of your plot every few years when you lift the crop. A good opportunity to see what a large area of soil is like and apply improvers.

Cardboard is great. Break open a stout box, place it where you have weeds - even bindweed - and cover with (ideally) wood chippings. If the covering is too light, you will need bricks or such to hold it down. It will suppress growth for a few weeks, and when it rots then, you can easily weed out what comes through (dandelions mostly). I use it mainly on the permanent paths but also between bean rows, etc. You could certainly plant courgettes, squash etc through it. The cardboard lasts only one season but the wood chip works on.

Similarly, carpet or plastic sheet clears the area of vegetation and gives you the clear space to start from. Then keeping that clear is the issue.

I use other mulches of varying cost and greenness, but would benefit from obtaining some good heavy duty plastic sheeting to use over winter. When I ask other plot holders where they bought theirs, it's usually been a builder's skip! My neighbours are not so accommodating when engaged in construction works.

Green mulches - a friend is a strong advocate of these as a soil improver and preventing erosion over winter. You just dig them in - or even plant through them. I'm wondering if they would be my new weed ...

Finally, the hoe, strimmer and mower are your friend (but I am not as well acquainted with them as I should be).

My next job is clearing the nettles and dandelions out of my raspberry bed. It may be easiest to lift the raspberries too.

Harry:
Thanks PaulH for the helpful replies.


--- Quote from: Paulh on May 05, 2023, 23:22:13 ---My random thoughts:

If I found my new plot was mare's tail and bindweed, I'd give it up. You are a better person than me.
--- End quote ---
Thanks. I considered surrender, but every plot on the site has the same combo to some extent and yet others manage to grow good crops. I don't expect to eradicate them, but my crops will have to coexist and compete.
--- Quote ---I started off when about 15 years ago...
I dug (and even double dug) it...  It's clay soil and I think that digging helps... Whether annual digging is beneficial on the improved soil I'm not so sure now. I'm looking more to cover, mulch, lightly fork, but I'm a way off that yet as a total approach.
--- End quote ---
Crikey: 15 years of digging clay! Much kudos to you. I would surrender if I thought I was going to battle like that. Apart from the weeds my soil looks like excellent loam. Dead easy to fork through and the azada makes light work.I aspire to only single dig enough to do SOME weeding and then enough to get my crop out (if and when)
--- Quote ---That said, if you grow potatoes, you will be digging a part of your plot every few years when you lift the crop. A good opportunity to see what a large area of soil is like and apply improvers.
--- End quote ---
Indeed. Digging to sow those gave me a fair idea. Even a spade and a half down, I was still in good loam with no stones or rubble.
--- Quote ---Cardboard is great. Break open a stout box, place it where you have weeds - even bindweed - and cover with (ideally) wood chippings. If the covering is too light, you will need bricks or such to hold it down. It will suppress growth for a few weeks, and when it rots then, you can easily weed out what comes through (dandelions mostly). I use it mainly on the permanent paths but also between bean rows, etc. You could certainly plant courgettes, squash etc through it. The cardboard lasts only one season but the wood chip works on.
--- End quote ---
Thanks for confirming I'm on the right track.
--- Quote ---Similarly, carpet or plastic sheet clears the area of vegetation and gives you the clear space to start from. Then keeping that clear is the issue.
--- End quote ---
If I'd had the plot before Jan, I'd have had more success with tarps, but it definitely helps and lots cheaper than weedkiller.
--- Quote ---I use other mulches of varying cost and greenness, but would benefit from obtaining some good heavy duty plastic sheeting to use over winter. When I ask other plot holders where they bought theirs, it's usually been a builder's skip! My neighbours are not so accommodating when engaged in construction works.
--- End quote ---
I love skip diving, but not yet found any of that membrane. But I do have some huge tarps from a project. Probably let some light through, but nothing's perfect
--- Quote ---Green mulches - a friend is a strong advocate of these as a soil improver and preventing erosion over winter. You just dig them in - or even plant through them. I'm wondering if they would be my new weed ...
--- End quote ---
I'm only just picking up the idea of green mulches (clippings) And I share that concern. Also harbouring slugs and snails and other critters.

--- Quote ---Finally, the hoe, strimmer and mower are your friend (but I am not as well acquainted with them as I should be).
--- End quote ---
I've never used a hoe before and I don't think I have the technique. it just seems to move the weeds, not chop them. No electric mains for strimming and nothing flat enough for mowing.
--- Quote ---My next job is clearing the nettles and dandelions out of my raspberry bed. It may be easiest to lift the raspberries too.

--- End quote ---
I have a patch of raspberries which will have to fend for themselves for a while.

gray1720:
Harry, if you struggle with a hoe look for a Dutch hoe. No, not the sort of thing the Dutch are getting a bit peeved with young British tourists seeking , but a garden tool with a much easier mode of use than a draw hoe.

Deb P:
You mention a lot of ground prep but have you been planting up the cleared areas yet? Getting potatoes in and growing and the foliage will suppress the weeds for you, any nasties you miss you can dig out at harvest.
Also I’d recommend getting your hands on any paving slabs you can on Freecycle or Marketplace, lay them on old compost bags or similar to make a semi permanent path or two, then you won’t spend time clearing  paths as well as beds!
 If you have anywhere  at home to raise seedling you can give them a head start before planting out which will reduce your failure rate compared with sowing direct. Big leaved plants like courgettes and squash will also naturally suppress weeds once they get going, you can even plant them through cardboard that will help even more to knock the weeds back.
 You will have to learn to live with some weeds as they grow back from the smallest bit of root left in….like most people I’ve spent years digging out couch on my plot but the bindweed is now knocked back enough just one bed suffers with it but I keep it planted up and the crops still grow ok!

Harry:

--- Quote from: Deb P on May 09, 2023, 09:15:45 ---You mention a lot of ground prep but have you been planting up the cleared areas yet? Getting potatoes in and growing and the foliage will suppress the weeds for you, any nasties you miss you can dig out at harvest.

--- End quote ---
Yes. Sorry, I've been sowing. My plot is about half a dozen beds and I ensured to sow something immediately after clearing half or a whole one. That's part of my distress: I thought I'd cleared a bed pretty well before I'd heard of marestail. Sowed spuds and carrots and onions and now have these blasted marestails springing up everywhere between them. My carrots havent even germinated and peas/beand are getting disturbed as I try to remove the shoots. Rather p155ed me off. Plus I may have consigned some marestail to my newly created heap in it's formative days. :(

--- Quote ---Also I’d recommend getting your hands on any paving slabs you can on Freecycle or Marketplace, lay them on old compost bags or similar to make a semi permanent path or two, then you won’t spend time clearing  paths as well as beds!
--- End quote ---
Good plan, but there are many metres of carpet tile paths and it would take a lot of slabs.
--- Quote --- If you have anywhere  at home to raise seedling you can give them a head start before planting out which will reduce your failure rate compared with sowing direct. Big leaved plants like courgettes and squash will also naturally suppress weeds once they get going, you can even plant them through cardboard that will help even more to knock the weeds back.
--- End quote ---
All of that is now the core of my plan, especially the sowing through card.

--- Quote --- You will have to learn to live with some weeds as they grow back from the smallest bit of root left in….like most people I’ve spent years digging out couch on my plot but the bindweed is now knocked back enough just one bed suffers with it but I keep it planted up and the crops still grow ok!

--- End quote ---
Crops growing ok will be the measure of 'success' regardless of what weeds survive. It looks a bit messy just yet where I've stomped over my beds pulling roots. Disheartened. I'm taking to a dutch hoe next.
But as I walk around the site, i see other plots, well tended and with neat rows of veg's in beautifully tended soil.... and there, too I see little marestail trees up to 6" tall. I figure if those diligent tenants have the problem, I'm not to feel too bad. Also, While others have it, I'll always have it come back.
A plot adjoining mine is massively overgrown with nothing but weeds. I may grumble to the committee about that.
 

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