just started

[hoonteo]

i'm new at this game, although i've gardened for years. just got my allotment through, it's covered with couch grass. Any suggestions as to the best way to prepare the ground?

[hoonteo]

[saddad]

Dig slowly with a fork... tease all the bits of root out... takes time but works and if drowned... ie kept under water for about a month they can then be composted. Or totally dried out... or kept in the dark (polythene sacks) for about two years they make excellent compost. Hope yoou enjoy the site and of course your new lottie!
;D

[star]

Welcome Hoonteo,

You can either dig it out or cover with carpet, black plastic. I would cover all of it and just leave exposed the amount you can deal with (dig) then re-cover. Everyone has their own ways to clear the plot.

If you do a search for couch grass and see what has been advised before, then make your choice. But Im sure there will be many more answers here before long.

Hope you enjoy being here ;)

[Lauren S]

Hello Hoonteo and welcome to A4A  :)

[saddad]

Be carefull with carpet it will eventually grow through it and then is a real B**ger to shift...
:-[

[chickadoodle]

I was just about to post the same as above ::)   Cover what you cant work on and plant up asap what you have cleared.  That way it doesn't look so daunting and with plants in it makes it worthwhile.  Just don't let the council rotivate it for you, it looks great for a week and then you realise it's 3 times worse!

[manicscousers]

hiya, hoonteo, nice to meet you, happy digging 2008  ;D

[hoonteo]

is couch grass really bad?

[saddad]

Irritating rather than bad... not as horrible as ground elder or Bindweed...
;D

[betula]

Hi Hoonteo,
Hope you enjoy the lottie. I have couch grass on clay and yes it is a pain.I have found that you can never really clear it as you leave one tiny bit and it grows again.
Just make weeding a habit. ;D

[hoonteo]

I was out digging the other day, there was this old fella he must have been about 65, anyway he dug over his plot in about two hours while i'd only got through about a foot square in mine! Anyway, he said to dig , fork and rake in a marked out square, then let it dry, and dig out the roots. What does anybody else think? And what do I do about stony patches?

[Tatiana]

Hi and welcome!

I'm in the same situation - nice carpeting of couch grass on my new-ish plot.

As with advice already given above, I find that digging small areas and covering the rest works very nicely. The digging is quite hard work as you have to sift through and find all the white roots (it does regrow from small bits...) but I find it strangely satisfying!  ;D I agree with the rotovating comments - all those root bits will come back to haunt you!

The covered areas are easier to dig when the green bits have died down but I found that although the top is dead, the white roots will still be there... I'm not sure if the old fella's suggestion would work - unless you can get all the roots on the surface... Might give it a go...

I'm also sure that some of the roots have the ability to move, a bit like The Hand in the Adams family. I can see a bit out of the corner of my eyes and when I get to that bit of digging, it's mysteriously gone...  :D as betula said, it's all down to regular weeding to keep it under control!

Happy digging!

[hoonteo]

I have to say that i much appreciate all the advice. Anyway I can't keep away from my plot, i don't know if it's because it's just lovely seing a neglected piece of land come back to life. It used to be school allotments, then the land must have lain dormant for 30 years, and the local association managed to save it from developers, before parcelling it out to people again. There's a good bit of community spirit going on, we're clearing out the site bit by bit ( there's a sofa and a bath on it ), so i'll keep you posted!

[star]

Grab the bath for your carrots.............!! ;D

[Clairylou]

I took on my plot 3 years go it was overrun with couch grass it has been a lot of hard work but worth it i would suggest cover what you are not cultivating in my first year i mostly just planted potatoes as they helped break up the ground and also semmed to help keep couch at bay.

The key is don't worry about the guys whos allotments are almost perfect and can be turned over in an afternoon they have probably had their gardens for years.

You will get there in the end.
:)

[manicscousers]

have you got paths marked out, hoonteo,?   if not, stick thick cardboard down, weed control or cut flat compost bags on it and wood chip over the top,
mark out your beds and work a bit at a time, as everyone has advised, cover what you've dug or plant them up and cover the undug parts, it weakens the weeds, even if it doesn't get rid  ;D