Topic: Finally getting somewhere

[swampyseifer]

Hey all...long time no post!

Just thought I'd update anyone interested in how its going...

Well we were going well until all that rain fell....we didnt touch the allotment for a month at least.  Went back when the sun started shining and blow me sideways if the grass had grown to 2 feet high!  Where we had spent 3 weeks of hard work preparing the first section of ground for tatties was now full of bindweed and the Comfrey that had been barely there in the plot next to us was a hige bush that had half grown across our plot!

So we've spent another 2 weeks cutting the comfrey back, redug over our first part of the plot 3 or 4 times...weeded, cut the grass back and planted a donated rhubarb.

yesterday we planted 13 bean plants...dont know what theyre called exactly but apparently they grow across the ground instead of up sticks. and we also filled one half of the first part of the plot with King Edward chits (i think thats the term!)

In a few days we'll need to plant the other tatties on the other half of the first section and then we can start looking at preparing the next section!


Anyone got any suggestions for something that we could plant in the second section that will still get a haul from even this late in the planting seasons?

[antipodes]

Too late to sow but you can pick up a few tomato and courgette plants. Unless you are in a place where toms won't grow outdoors?
Get some leek plants if you've not sown your own - they can go in in June.
keep sowing lettuce and other salad plants. You can also sow late beetroot now.

[manicscousers]

Squash, courgettes, dwarf french beans, as antipodes says, leeks, I'm putting main crop carrots, some more parsnips and lettuce, springys and radish in next week  :)

[swampyseifer]

Thank you both for your suggestion, we shall see what the bank holiday weekend brings!

[Deb P]

It can be really disheartening when grass and weeds grow so fast. If you clear a bit of ground, you have to keep on top of it by either planting it straightaway and weeding regularly or it does revert to nature PDQ!

I am also struggling to get my new plot under control. My established plot looks good quickly because it just needs new weeds hoeing off and it looks ok. The new one is full of dandelions and bindweed and has to be covered for a long time to clear it before planting up. I have resorted to using squash planted through plastic; that way it looks ok whilst the weeds are being starved out, and you get a crop. The next year the ground is a lot clearer and you can plant what you want then.

[Robert_Brenchley]

A decent strimmer is a big help. The battery went on mine, and the plot is really noticing it. I just ordered another.

[chriscross1966]

It can be really disheartening when grass and weeds grow so fast. If you clear a bit of ground, you have to keep on top of it by either planting it straightaway and weeding regularly or it does revert to nature PDQ!

I am also struggling to get my new plot under control. My established plot looks good quickly because it just needs new weeds hoeing off and it looks ok. The new one is full of dandelions and bindweed and has to be covered for a long time to clear it before planting up. I have resorted to using squash planted through plastic; that way it looks ok whilst the weeds are being starved out, and you get a crop. The next year the ground is a lot clearer and you can plant what you want then.

Agree with this strategy, I've got two plots as well as the garden (which is pretty much the same size if not bigger) ...plot 1 had massive proper dig in its first year and although I still get the odd thistle and some bindweed it is pretty much OK now and easy to keep on top of... digging it this year only took a few days instead of several weeks the first time.

plot two had spuds and a few squashes on it last year and still has a lot of perennial weed in it... that said I've rotovated it off several times and that has made it very hard for the weeds... although they've been broken up and effectively multiplied, each actual plant is now very small and quite weak, plus the soil is nicely friable.... pulling on a weed now likely brings the whole thing out, hoeing the tops off leaves very little food behind in the root to try again.... It'll get another rotoring in a weeks time before the pumpkins go out in this year (and the rest of the sweetcorn)...I'll try to get some cardboard to plant the pumpkins through ...

[swampyseifer]

Well I'm afraid the bank haoliday didnt quite go as planned...we popped down on Friday to water and pull a few weeds and then havent been back since!

We did manage to get a strimmer off a family friend....he says its quite old but he's been maintaining it, so hopefully it should make much lighter work of whats left.

I would hope we'll pop down tonight, at worst tomorrow.  I am expecting to see a good few new shoots of bindweed coming through!  Hopefully they havent interfered with the peas/beans and tatties!

[swampyseifer]

Well, we've been keeping ontop of the new weeds...I was adivsed that just pulling off the leaves is absolutely fine when there's only a few weeds hanging about......no leaves=no growth....

The peas/beans are completely dead.  I dont know what happened, maybe all the leaves were eaten or something but we went back to see them and all that was left were leafless stalks and now the stalks are gone too!

The tatties are doing well...3 weeks growth or so and we've already got 4" growth on some of them.  Look nice and green and lots of leaves!

We've also found out that a neighbour of the in-laws is well versed in using a strimmer and has all the equipment needed - so hopefully that will get done either this weekend or next.  We're thinking that if we just mow the entire 5 pole plot (that which we havent touched thus far) down and then we can get it all dug up and flattened out and it will be easier to then mark out the sections we want to grow in and gets some pathing in etc