help, bit of advice needed please

[Le-y]

Ok so my plot has gone to pot !

my husband's just had surgery so i've not been able to spend hardly any time at the allotment for almost a month now!!

i've just had enough time to spend about 30 mins up there a day, if i'm lucky which is mainly spent watering everything.

anyway, weeds are taking over, i cant even see the floor on the back half of the plot anylonger!

i'm thinking about covering the empty bits ready for winter digging & soil improvement using cardboard and tarpaulins, but is there anything i can use to undersow or to sow around the more empty spots to help surpress the weeds?

any green manure etc i can use? or should i just cover it?

we always knew this year wouldn't be a wonderful crop but i dont want to make work any harder than it has to be and with hubby needing nursing for a while yet i need fast and effective supressent methods (and preferably cheap/free ones!!)

[Le-y]

[calendula]

if it were me and with so little time I would cover it with whatever you can find - even green manures need some time spent on them, digging them in before they get too big etc

[markfield rover]

Lawn cuttings can help,also do you need to let the site rep know of this temp' situation  so that there is no need to send a letter,and  there maybe even an offer of help.

[antipodes]

I don't know where you are but it's not too late to sow some squash!! They soon romp over the place! Even if you sow too many, at least it looks like the plot is being used and they do discourage weeds.

[Le-y]

squash!! why didnt i think of that??? excellent thanks!

luckily the front half of the plot is easily managed and is all planted up with obvous fruit and veg, plus we've chickens on the plot but it really s the back half going mad!!

i also dont want my neighbours getting mad with me for letting my weeds go rampant.

dont think our council can really complain the chap on the plot next to mine has quite obviously abandoned his plot and his weeds are already 4ft high and encroaching on mine.


is cardboard alright to use on such a big scale?


i've got some manure thats sitting in a heap (fresh this year) should i dump that on top to rot down or should that only be done with well rotted manure?

[Jeannine]

Dump the manure on and spread in hills,then plant trailing squash or pumpkins on top of the hills all overover, they
will quickly grow, cover everything in a field of green, you will get fruit and you can compost them or dig them in as green manure after XX Jeannine

[Le-y]

Dump the manure on and spread in hills,then plant trailing squash or pumpkins on top of the hills all overover, they
will quickly grow, cover everything in a field of green, you will get fruit and you can compost them or dig them in as green manure after XX Jeannine

Thanks Jeannie i'm definately up for planting some squash! can you suggest any types that i can plant now?

and are they ok on the fresh manure ? 

[Jeannine]

Either  pumpkins or squash,if  tell me what types  you have, I can tell you the growth habits?

XX Jeannine

[tonybloke]

cut down the weeds, cover with WET cardboard, then with a layer of manure. covered finally with a layer of straw. ;)

[chriscross1966]

The F1 Bon-Bon is an aggressive grower that will give a fine crop of biggish buttercup squash with excellent taste,  almost any squash will scream away right now

chrisc

[antipodes]

cut down the weeds, cover with WET cardboard, then with a layer of manure. covered finally with a layer of straw. ;)

Yep that is the way to do it!! Cut some holes through it all and put the squash in. If you are sowing direct, make a little soil mound that pokeup up through the hole and sow into it.

[Le-y]

THANK YOU!!

I'll go to the shops and get some today :)

[detailista]

Moreveg website have some lovely ones in and their postage is cheap/free if you spend over £6 - they do smaller lots of seeds at 50p upwards so you can try lots of different varieties without having to outlay too much - they have some mixed selections too.   I found their customer service really good and the seeds came first class post and arrived the next day despite ordering in the afternoon!

Will look forward to hearing your progress - I got my seeds on tuesday and already have have squash that are standing an inch high with two big leaves on!

[Le-y]

Just ordered some Sweet Dumpling anyone have any experience of those? they sound lovely

[Jeannine]

Well done. one of my absolute faves, XX Jeannine

[Le-y]

:) looking forward to trying them, thanks for the sound advice all x