Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: SiWard on March 15, 2005, 21:45:08
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I have just taken over an allotment which has been overgrown for a year. Whilst starting to dig it over, I was advised that the weeds will come back if I just dig them in. Ive used roundup but it seems a little slow acting, i think due to the inactivity of the weeds due to the cold. I could wait longer but I have the next 2 weeks off work and was hoping to make great headway into the allotment. I would be greatfull for any advice on how to proceed?
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Well, first up, welcome and congrats on getting an allotment! As for the weeds, you don't really want to be digging in the likes of couch grass, bindweed, marestail and nettles as they will just keep coming back to haunt you. Really the only way forward is to dig the bleeders out. I can't really help with weedkiller advice as I am a digger rather than a sprayer, not for any politically correct reasons, more through ignorance, I don't know anything about them, or what they do, so best to steer clear. Little and often is the way to go and as you clear a bed, try to plant something, then you have something to inspire you onwards.
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little and often is the right answer.
you have probably picked the best time to start i reckon as i did this time two years ago. just go one bed at a time, digging out as much weeds and their roots as you can, put nutrients into the soil and plant.
i found i was doing a bed at a time and it was encourging to see the hard work coming to fruition in front of your eyes as your crops start to grow as your toiling on the next bed.
oh... and welcome :D
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I started clearing an overgrown site at Xmas and enlisted a few friends to help with the task of strimming, chopping, uprooting etc.
Since then I've been digging like mad and taking out as many perennial roots as I can. As EJ said, if you dig them them in they come right back. I've got bits of dandelion root that were broken off whilst digging the 1st bit shooting back up!! I have removed a MASSIVE pile of couch roots, dandelion, bramble and bindweed roots that will be burnt when it all dries out a little.
I think that for systemic herbicides to be effective, weeds need to be in full growth, but there are far more knowledgable people on here than moi ;D
Keep digging, remove what you can, plant some stuff and take your time!!
Good luck & welcome!
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I've not dug at all but just laid down black sheet mulch over some of it. I've got some manure now and I'm going to tuck some of that under as well and let the worms take it down and churn me soil up for me. Also I plan to throw some spuds under there as well.
I took the weeds off a piece of ground about 4' x12' just like cutting turf. chucked that to one side, and then planted some onion sets. The turfs I'd chucked I covered over with some plastic so that will be my next bed when all the weeds have died off. It's such a huge plot that I couldn't do it all so I'm doing a bit at a time. With all this sheet mulch down I thought also I'd plant some squashes in it (with some manure under as well)
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Great advice. We have the same problem - loads of couch grass roots under the soil just waiting to come up. We did think about putting Round- up on it but decided against it as it probably wouldn't work without leavest to spray anyway. So we're doing it the hard way - which is strangely satisfying!
One question, we have a large pile of manure that is well rotted down (left over from the last owners). It too is riddled with couch grass roots. Will we need to clear that out too before we use it?
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I think you will otherwise you will just be planting the couch in lovely rich compost!
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I've got the same problem - lots of lovely compost inherited from my predecessor but riddled with couch grass roots - so - I have got myself a sieve and I am going to spend a few happy hours trying to remove the roots that way - if I can't I am just going to have to get rid of it - can't bear the thought of spreading couch grass back into the areas I have cleared (she says optimistically)
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I'm still clearing couch grass, brambles and nettles too. If you have two weeks to do it ,I would suggest that you just turn over the weeds roughly, and then go back to them a few days later when the soil will have dried out a bit. It's much easier to get the roots out then. I dug part of mine last October and again this Jan/Feb and was amazed at how many roots I'd missed, even though I thought I'd got them all. I think it will take while to finish them off, but each time I dig it definitely gets easier. I just keep thinking next year will be so much easier... I hope!
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Carrie
The compost with the couch grass in could go on the compost heap or bin to rot down which will get rid of the weed seeds (if hot enough) I'm filling two big compost bins (plastic) with manure as I want to try and make some growbag compost and some for potting. Don't know if it will work but I'm giving it a try. I think it will take a fair while but I've got plenty of manure and bins so nothing ventured nothing gained ;D
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Hi Wardy ,
If anyone on your site has a wormery cadge a couple of handfuls for your bins with the muck in ..You will get your compost a lot quicker that way also put a lid on em a bit of plywood and a brick will do . If you cant find none. Will that pit managers helmet fit ?.. ;D Cheers jim..
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Good thinking Growmore! Wormeries on our plots! You're having a laff! I'm having to sneak me broccoli Romanescu and me Parmex carrots on t'plot as my fellow plotties think I'm some kind o yuppy ;D
My bins have no bases in so the worms can get up inside them. Will that do or do I need proper wormery worms? If so I could get them at my local worm emporium - Woppo's Worms ;D
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are you being serious WOPPOS WORMS ???
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Yes we really do have Woppo's Worms. He's the local worm magnate. Worringly he also has a burger business and the "W" is pinched from McDonald's and he's just turned their "M" upside down. He's got away with it so far ;D He mainly does worms for fishing but has now gone into composting worms. I might so and buy some of his worms but funninly enough don't like the sound of his burgers ;D ;D
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I've been looking for a Red Wrigglers supplier (Belgium). Anyone know of one?
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When I started to clear my plot I took it on in August, I contacted those nice people who make Round up for the best advise, I was told it best to use later in the growing year as this is the time Bindweed etc take on as much food as poss, never use it during a dry spell and never use when it looks like rain is coming within 2 hours of spraying, it will take up to 4 weeks to work and kill some weeds and is no use on marestail I tried all sorts but the only way is to dig you may also have to repeat the spraying but I can say it killed the couch and bindweed only the marestail is still with me, that and tons of annuals. There are two schools of thought here and I think I will open a can of worms in saying you dig, dig, dig and dig until you have picked out every single piece of root out or (and I can hear them screaming) if you have use of a rotovator you can rotovate it but you need to do it on a regular basis so no weed has a chance over getting established, I know it works because a chap next to me did this method, he rotovated it every two weeks over a season and is enjoying a nice plot without the backache. Whichever method you use just keep thinking of the veg at the end of it, it is worthwhile.
Regards Aidy
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I fear I have posted some bad info on here! I did it not knowing it was the wrong thing to do. Well, it's not wrong but it's not a good idea according to the HDRA Organic Book I was reading over me cornflakes this morning.
"I made a raised bed and cut the top layer of weedy ground up just like cutting turf". Apparently that is a bad thing to do as the top bit of soil with the weeds in it is the most productive bit
Oh well it was only the one bed - not the whole bloomin lotty ;D
So very sorry to be the bearer of duff info. I shall not do it again. Slap!! :(
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Hello, I am new to this website and feeling my way around. I should have introduced myself in the newbie topic first I guess but I thought I would contribute to this thread as it is very topical for me at the moment. I have just taken over a massively overgrown allotment, covered in brambles and I decided to document how I am going about it on my blog. I may have some useful advice on tools, techniques etc, in particular the Azada. Please drop over and let me know what you think. You will find it at http://diggybob.blogspot.com, feel free to follow me on the blog.
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Welcome to the forum diggybob! You'll get lots of help and good advice here. You might want to start your own thread that people can contribute to - the one you/ve tagged onto is 7 years old!
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I was actually enjoying reading it before I twigged... :-[
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I was actually enjoying reading it before I twigged... :-[
Me too ::) gotta love this forum, even the old stuff never gets old ;D
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I only twigged when I thought hmmm, haven't seen them around recently! ;D
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It took me a while to twig. :P
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Perhaps you should branch out.
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It's a waste of money using herbicides when the weeds aren't growing. Don't rely on Roundup too far; it'll kill the more delicate weeds like annual grasses, but the tougher ones will come back. At that point, they'll have no competition, and the last state of the plot can easily be worse than the first.
There are three practical ways to tackle it. Dig the weeds out and compost them, which is hard grind, but relatively quick. Black plastic for a year. Dig it in round the edges so the roots don't just run under it. Or mow it for a year, which will kill most things. A combination may be best. Dig what you can, and black plastic or mow what you can't. Keep digging it over as you can.
Never throw out green material. Compost it, and put it back on the garden.
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Isn't it surprising how names change. How many of those 'new allotmenteers' are still around on the site [ or still on their allotments?] ???