where do i begin

[sandallwood]

hi, just got 20 rods of very overgrown ( grass and brambles)allotment, i am not able to burn the grass( no fires allowed) thought of using a  rotivater then growing spuds as i am told that they are good for clearing the land, started to fork out the grass but my allotment neighbour says i am wasting my time and suggests the use of weedkiller! am really at a loss as to what to do for the best?
all suggestions very welcome, am very keen to get started.

[sandallwood]

[flowerlady]

I think if I were you I would dig it.  Little and often, bit by bit.

That's what we did to my plot last year, and the weeds are  now very scarce ;D  We double dug it.  Took out quantities of couch grass and bind weed. 

The more you gig the weaker the weeds become!  :D

If you rotivate it - bad news - millions of more weeds!  :o

You could always cover over some parts to starve out daylight while you attack the other bits. 

There's no quick answer I'm afraid, but I had a very good season last year and I only started in July! 

Happy digging!!   ;)

[Curryandchips]

The advantage of digging it is that the soil is loosened, which makes removal of grass by hand easy (relatively speaking ... ).

[supersprout]

Welcome sandallwood, most of us have been in exactly the same place. Fun eh :o ;)

At the top of the page you will see 'wiki' on one of the buttons. This is a wicked encyclopaedia of gardening tips, compiled by A4a members. If you open the wiki, you will see 'methods of cultivation' and a special page for 'clearing a new plot'! There are lots of great tips there to start with :) If you get interested in e.g. beds, weeds, conditions for plants and so on, do use the 'search' button here, someone will almost certainly have asked the question and you may get instant answers from the thread.

Good luck, and make sure you take lots of photos as you make progress! Look forward to seeing more of you and your plot ;D

[sandallwood]

Thanks all for the advice, feel  much happier now! i was a bit deluded thinking i would have it all up and running in a short space of time, have a small area dug which i will put some spuds into and am still clearing the brambles, got my shed coming on friday and my hubbie is laying me a small patio as i will need somewhere to sit and relax after a hard days allotmenting, have bought myself a new spade and some other bits, i think this site is brilliant and i can see me spending quite a bit of time here. :D

[Rosyred]

Welcome - I must say your very lucky to have a shed going in and a lovely husband who is going to do you a patio. Maybe once you have the patio done you could have a digging BBQ and ask guests to bring a spade to do a little digging for a bite to eat and drink. Once your able to get some veg in it makes you feel a whole lot better. I got our plot in October 05 and still have a fair bit to dig but got broad beans in and garlic last year which gave me energy to do more. Just got back from putting in my earlys potatoes in (got slightly wet).

[sandallwood]

yes i am very lucky,  my shed is a present to myself cos im worth it! and the slabs for the patio i got from reclaim for £1 each,  oh and don't be fooled by the helpful husband  he wants to sit out on a summers eve with a beer and watch me work!ive already dropped several hints about freinds dropping by to help out with a spot of digging, ive never known so many people with bad backs ;)

[Rosyred]

Where about are you?

[sandallwood]

east anglia. :-\

[Helenclare]

Hi Sandallwood, my plot is in a similar state to yours and I have covered two thirds of it with carpet and weed matting weighed down with planks and palletts, it doesn't look very pretty but it stops it getting worse in front of my eyes!!
I'm slowly marking out beds and digging each one over carefully to remove the ground elder and bind weed roots. I have manages to plant some onions garlic and potatoes in the ones I've dug but it is slow going.....I have taken lots of photos to show how far I've come. Good luck with yours.
Helen