Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: posie on April 23, 2008, 21:15:45
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Ok, I admit, i've been busy and I've neglected the lottie for over a week, but why oh why does that mean that it reverts back to a flippin meadow the minute my back is turned!!! All those lovely beds that i dug over and over and over and over were covered in flaming grass! So now I've covered them all with black weed supressant fabric and plan to plant through it instead, because there is no way that I can keep up with the d**n grass!
Anyone else done this? Any tips?
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What sort of grass? To bounce back that quickly it must be the dreaded couch..
:-\
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Spray it with glyphosate, make sure the weather forecast is dry for a couple of day afterwards though.
If you are 100% organic, then I'm sure somebody else will be along soon...
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Ok, I admit, i've been busy and I've neglected the lottie for over a week, but why oh why does that mean that it reverts back to a flippin meadow the minute my back is turned!!! All those lovely beds that i dug over and over and over and over were covered in flaming grass! So now I've covered them all with black weed supressant fabric and plan to plant through it instead, because there is no way that I can keep up with the d**n grass!
Anyone else done this? Any tips?
Exactly how much 'over a week'?
A quick rake over every few days upsets weed growth.
I suspect though that you may not have dug deep enough to bury the grass and have only covered some with a too thin layer of soil so that the same weeds have recovered their status over the week.
If so, then you may find it easier in future to take up the grass with a spade like it was turf, and putting it in a pile somewhere, cover that with plastic to rot down to soil again, then begin digging. Pulling up any white roots you find as you go. If you have a lot of roots, use a fork instead of a spade as this will prevent bits being sliced off the roots so that they regrow as a new weed.
Digging deep enough to bury weeds properly is not only a developed skill most people do not have it is hard work too.
Keep trying. If the weeds grow fast, so will the crops!
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If it's couch and you dont want to use chemicals, you need to go over it again and get every trace out. Or, alternatively, black plastic most of it, and just re-dig what you can.
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One of our less enthusiastic tenants has had a warning letter, dug over his plot and rotorvated it... if he didn't take out the couch he is going to face a nightmare in about three weeks!
:-X
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I suspect though that you may not have dug deep enough to bury the grass and have only covered some with a too thin layer of soil so that the same weeds have recovered their status over the week.
If so, then you may find it easier in future to take up the grass with a spade like it was turf, and putting it in a pile somewhere, cover that with plastic to rot down to soil again, then begin digging. Pulling up any white roots you find as you go. If you have a lot of roots, use a fork instead of a spade as this will prevent bits being sliced off the roots so that they regrow as a new weed.
The top layer was taken off as if turf and put onto compost heap and it was dug with a fork to the depth of about my spade, maybe a little deeper. It was also gone over with one of those garden claw type things about 4 times. Some of the beds are ok, but the last three were pretty bad and had almost grassed over.
As to whether it's couch I honestly don't know. It has white roots I know that much. :(
If I was to use glyphosate (and I'm not sure I do right now), then how long before it's safe to plant in the sprayed beds? My major problem right now is that the next 3 weeks are basically going to be a nightmare to find time to get up there, I've got essay deadlines and exams coming up and I have to focus on them. However I don't want to leave it to run wild either!
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Couch has spiky roots -
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Sounds like couch, you need to get all the roots out - even the little bits - or it keeps coming back.
For this season, can you cover the grassy beds with black weed suppressant and put sturdy seedlings out in holes cut through the plastic? It will weaken the couch and let you have full use of your plot.
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That's what I was thinking Bupster as I really don't want to go down the route of spraying if at all possible to avoid it. Also my lottie is pretty much always windy so it would be a nightmare trying to avoid drift onto neighbouring plots. As it's my first season growing I've started pretty much everything off at home anyway apart from the early carrots and spuds and they're in already anyway, so I'll just grow them on a little more to make sure they're sturdy enough and go from there I think. I've also kept one bed spare which I'll cover over now until next year and use as a seed bed I think, so I don't end up with yet more mini greenhouses in the back garden next year! lol ;D
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You could stick some rye grass or another green manure in your spare bed if you definitely don't want to use it till next year, it'll also keep the weeds down and can be dug in to enrich the ground. Just an idea :)
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Oh yeah, doh didn't think of that! :)
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I know the feeling, Posie. Last time I was at the plot I really thought I was winning the battle against the weeds. I went down today intending to sow some seeds and ended up spending three hours digging the weeds out instead. :(
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Sounds like you need a barbie on the allotment. Invite all your mates round to give you a hand.
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Hmmm, my mates are now running a mile at the mere mention of the "A" word ;D I will not be defeated!!!
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Oh forgot to say, my 1st early potatoes are starting to show through! Also got some coming up out the garden in pots. No sign of the early carrots though, did a seed tape for those and nothing anywhere. So I've sown the next row direct into ground to see what happens. Fingers crossed! :)
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Where did all the dandelions come from - a sea of orange awaited me today. Have dug those I could and chopped the flowers off others (temporary measure). I think its because I allowed myself a 'I'm more on top of things this year' thought.
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I sprayed my paths with weed killer but its not made much difference the grass is still quite high at the bottom of my plot. I am going go up tonight with a long handles sheers and cut the grass and add another dressing of weed killer.
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Bloody dandelions everywhere, also chopped all the flowers off with a spade. Still haven't brought all of plot under control and it's this time of year you really suffer for it!
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This ia my first year with a lottie & I was totally shocked when I went down there today all my beds were covered in baby weeds :o
I had just finished digging & raking them on monday ready for planting but bad weather delayed me :-\
I have no idea what baby weeds they are & to be honest Im such a newbie they look like tiny seedlings to me ::)
I know I havent sown anything in these particular beds so am assuming they are weeds.
This is going to be a major problem for the bed I have sown cos I wont know which is weed & what is veg ???
Glad Ive started most things off at home so I can learn what things look like.
Anyone got a picture of yellow cylindrical beetroot seedlings to help me indentify them? ;)
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What's happened is the digging has thrown up dormant weed seeds which are now germinating. If you've marked the row where you sowed your seeds it shouldn't be a problem - you'll see the difference as the seedlings grow. Once you recognise which are which, you can just hoe the weeds off.
Some people are sufficiently organised to do a stale seedbed, where they deliberately let all the weed seeds germinate then hoe them off to leave a clean bed. I personally am nowhere near that level of competence. ;D
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That's one reason why I mulch so much, it keeps them down! the quantity of seedlings does diminish with time, as long as you keep on top of the weeds, but they're a major pain. it soon becomes obvious which are the veg, as they'll be growing in a straight line and nothing else will.
Dandelions can be a right pain. they're not too bad where I am now as the water table is close to the surface and they don't need to go very deep. When we lived in Cornwall, we were just above an old clay pit, with the water table way down. Bot long after moving, we had a septic tank put in. The hole was 8 feet deep, and the dandelion roots were still going strong at the bottom, barely thinner than they were at the surface.
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Feeling better now I've read this.Took my spuds down today and brought them back again because even after a couple of hours digging, I didn't have a patch ready (or the energy) to put them in! Also, I was still digging up old potatoes from 2 years ago so should probably change my mind about where to put them.Think we need a "cream crackered" smiley!
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Yep I'm with you on cream crackered smiley! Well so far my spud bed isn't too bed and I've got 8 out of the 10 spuds that I planted coming through, so not a bad result. Still can't find those darn carrots tho!