Allotment clearance

[saljo]

Just taken on my first allotment which was well tended for many years(20-30), but has been left for about 1-2 years. Any advice on clearing matted grass, including large areas of Couch, would be much appreciated.

[saljo]

[cambourne7]

hi

congrats  ;D

what size plot do you have?

Its possible that the plot might need a little freshening up.

Personaly i would hire some kit.

1) dont know what its called but they use it to cut the turf off the top of the soil this should slice away most of the dross at the top.

2) rotivate

then add as much maure and compost as you can and rotavate like mad

Or

Pen the site and add a couple of little piggie who will do the same job.

Cambourne7

[saljo]

thanks for the quick response- its good to get advice from others  rather than info in books.

- I'm very tempted to go with your turf cutting/ rotivating suggestion - as it should be quick and satisying but I've read there would there be problems with working lots of small fragments of couch roots that would re-establish- am I over-worrying ?

The plot is fairly small; approx 7/8m x 30m
:-\

[Larkspur]

Hi saljo, no you are not worrying too much. If you do have lots of couch and you do chop it up with a rotivator virtually every new,small piece will grow. You have two choices, remove the pieces by hand or use a herbicide. Depends on which side of the organic fence you stand :D

[norfolklass]

You have two choices, remove the pieces by hand...

if it's any consolation, I've started down this road and I have to say that the bit I've dug and hand-weeded is the only weed-free bit of my plot. everywhere else has new weeds growing away like mad that I'm frantically covering and ignoring!

[Larkspur]

norfolklass, I agree withyou 100%, have always done it that way and always will. I know it works but there are others on here who are likely to disagree......... ;) ;D 8)

[Barnowl]

We dug, forked and hand pulled, one bed at a time. Then did it again just before planting.

If I'd known about A4A I would have learned to use mulch / black plastic to suppress re-growth from the bits we missed  ;D

Spuds and Jerusalem Artichokes seem good at clearing beds (but JA's can become a problem in their own right!). We also used a lot of marigolds.

[supersprout]

Hi saljo, good question! We've all been there, just take it one small bit at a time and plug away :)
If you look on the wiki (middle button, above), Forum members have posted suggestions for alternative ways of clearing a site. I did what Barnowl suggests, and it's worked. There are different methods, find one that works for you and just keep going!
Good luck :D

[saljo]

thanks everyone !- this is one of the most friendly /useful websites I've come across

here we go then...........
-cut down tall stuff- remove perennials off site
- work rough bed layout with pegs/string
- cover beds in plastic
- dig bed/hand weed/ replace plastic unitil ready to plant
  :)

[saddad]

That should sort it out!
;D

[Barnowl]

Looks a fine plan. :)

[triffid]

And take pictures before you start, then you can post them here and show us how brilliantly you've got on in due course  :) :)

[SMP1704]

Saljo

I took on a previously cultivated then neglected plot last year.  There were tufts of couch grass all over the plot.  These were easy to lift, turn over then leave for a bit for the weather to do its thing then shake out the soil and dispose of the weedy bunch you are left with.

As the weeds started growing, I felt I was losing the battle so used some Roundup (said in a whisper, with furtive glances over shoulder ;) )  After about three weeks, it was completely knocked back and I have not had any problem with regrowth.  So depending on how organic you plan to be, that could be another approach and then you could rotavate - the downside is that you would have to wait until the grass is actively growing and the rain stops........

BTW I am also with the diggers, but now use a spade rather than fork so that I get more of the weed roots out (not couch but the evil Horsetail)  While it won't help you much in year one, I have found that digging in year 2 ,after a year of cultivation ,has been much easier.

One last thing, deffo recommend the string and pegs method to mark out and dig your beds but I found that the undug paths provided a place for weed roots to lurk and spring out given any opportunity, so it meant that I spent a fair amount of time hoeing the paths.  It has to be said that I ran out of cash for ground cover material - so be prepared for those clearn soil paths that look fabby in April/May to be jungles by July.  This year, I am digging up the paths and also resiting some of the beds and hopefully will get rid of the weed reservoir...

That all sounds a bit negative, but please don't be disheartened.  If you can clear say 6-8 beds and cover or just ignore the rest in year one, you will be in a great place to fully cultivate the plot from Year 2 onwards.

Enjoy ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

If the paths aren't free from perennial weds, you definitely need to dig them over, otherwise you're just laying up trouble for yourself.

[cornykev]

Go for it Saljo ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[okell]

Hi,

Your plot sounded a lot like mine from a couple of years ago,  I waited for a nice day (a bit hard in this weather!!).  Then phoned a few friends and said we'd have a digging party, everyone bring a fork.  It took a while but it was well worth digging it all up by hand,  I still got a bit of couch grass and bindweed the following year but most of it was clear.

[cambourne7]

i still like the idea of sticking a couple of pigs in the site :-)

has anyone tried it?

[kt.]

If you do have lots of couch and you do chop it up with a rotivator virtually every new,small piece will grow. You have two choices, remove the pieces by hand or use a herbicide. Depends on which side of the organic fence you stand :D

My last allotment I rotavated and got tons of weed cropping up and was forever weeding but never on top of it. My current plot I did by hand this past 8 months. It is still virtually weed free and they are just starting to rear their ugly heads now.

My opinion - get your back into it lad ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D Keep you fit....

[okra]

Couch grass unfortunately in my experience needs digging out thouroughly and repeating until it is all gone. If you are using a new plot gradually, scrounge and beg old carpets and any other covering material available and cover for as long as possible areas not to be used - at least this reduces the area to work on whilst allowing the weeds to die off.

[artichoke]

I can only repeat the virtues of thick, heavy, FREE cardboard, held down by bagfulls of the weeds you gradually dig out. The cardboard gives the couch grass etc a big setback, the bags gradually rot into useable compost, the cardboard rots away or can be moved to the next area as you dig. Another bonus is that in this constant rain, the ground under the cardboard is less saturated and easier to dig.

It does nothing for the look of the place, but now that I have been doing it  for 7 months (v slowly and with long breaks for work/holiday/family reasons) there is a sense of purpose and steady achievement about the area, and it has received some compliments from the very few other users of this neglected field site.  And I've had lots of veg from it.