Hi everyone,
I have just been given a 5 rod allotment and it is in a right state!
Looks like it hasn't been tended for sometime.
It is covered with thick weeds and the soil definetely will need over-wintering.
My question is: Although I garden organically, I am considering using a weed killer (due to the density and back breaking work otherwise). What is the best one to use?
Look forward to learning lots of new stuff.
Cat :)
welcome to the site! you sure will learn a lot on here.
General concensus is to avoid weed killer - you will have to dig it all over anyway and it does nuke nutrients out of the soil.
If you cannot be detered "round up" is mentioned a lot. Do a search, or flick through the basics sections as just about everyones first post is the same (i.e. help - where do I start! mine included), so there is lots of good advice on here already.
Enjoy ;D
A 'right state'? Like we inherited 46 years ago. Great - that folk are still joining DAN'S site?
ORGANIC? If it's just for you, & not for sale - get rid of it. Burn, plough, cover, poison?
In the end, you'll be putting less horrors on your plants than the supermarket 'organic' stuff.
Hi Cat, welcome to the site. :)
We gave our plot a spray with glyphosphate when we got it in may. It was our choice to do this, it gave us a head start and we were (and are) comfortable with that decision. I don't think it's a case of 'organic good; anything else bad/stupid/not worthwhile doing'. The organic debate tends to be very black and white, but as with most things, there are shades of grey in between. That said, the organic method seems to be very sensible as it works with nature. I guess the important thing is that you get good crops and are enjoying what you are doing. Sorry for the rambling, just thinking out loud really!
:) Happy allotmenteering.
Hi Cat
Welcome, I also believe in giving yourself a head start, spray with glyphosphate, walk away for two weeks and then come back and spray the areas you missed. Best of luck.
MikeB
i was under the impression that applying weedkiller in autumn isnt really the right time to do it? but i am not an expert.
going from tim's suggestions, i would cut, burn, dig and/or cover the plot. little and often - 5 rods is not that huge and the winter is long ;)
As you say Svea autumn isn't the best time, the best time is when there is new growth on the plant (weed), but it will work in autumn.
Glyphos is the same as Roundup but if you buy glyphos from the lotty shed it will be much much cheaper. It will kill anything green and leafy so beware of drift if you spray it on. I covered loads of my plot with black sheet mulch and then am doing just a bed or row at a time
I think your plot is about half of a standard plot which probably still looks pretty terrifying. Can you get hold of a strimmer to take down the weeds to a few inches above ground level? A set of secateurs or a machete would do brambles. As mentioned somewhere above, you may save a couple of weeks, but you'll still have to put the work in to dig it over. Even if you rotavate, all the roots will still have to be hoiked out.
Though I haven't used it on my plot, I'm not massively 'anti' weedkiller; I just figured that with months of winter ahead, a couple of weeks saved would make no difference. It's a long-term project, and every bed I dig and clear by hand ties me closer to my plot. Just a personal preference though.
If you must, though, buy the stuff from your allotment store if you have one. They'll probably help recommend one too.
Hi there, I found this site in July after I'd had my plot for two months.
The best tip I got for **morale** when faced with the primeval plot was to cover what I wasn't digging with cardboard, black plastic etc. - and just clear and plant a bit at a time. In other words, get something growing as soon as you can in however small a space!
If you 'search' under cardboard, mulch or plastic on this site you'll find bags of advice on tackling the wilderness. I use roundup on really nasty brambles, couch, willow weed, nettles etc. and have no trouble sleeping at night.
I do hope you enjoy the site, my plot wouldn't be where it is today without advice from the wonderful peeps here ::)
Have fun! ;D
Without looking, isn't SBK better for 'branches' than Roundup?
And, as said, is not the latter better applied when there is 4" of new growth - like in the Spring?
Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much for the warm welcomes and advice!
I have wrestled with my conscience and decided that as I have been 'organic' for some time now, I will have to give the weedkiller a miss.
So it looks like my dh is going to rotavate (we can borrow one), pull up by hand!, dig and burn. After all ash is good for soil right?
Edit: After reading further down...it seems that rotavating is not a good idea! So will strim down etc..
Cat
Yes, cut it down with a brush cutter or strimmer. Make sure you have the protective gear on. My OH ignores all such instructions and chopped his face really badly the nit ;)
When you've got it down then you can see better just how much space you've got and how much you want to cover up til you can get round to it and how much you want to start work on straight away. I just did one small bed about 12 ' long x 4' wide and put Japanese onions in it. I was dead proud of that. the sods from that first bed I turned upside down on top of cardboard, put manure over the lot and a piece of sheet mulch and left it for the summer when I grew courgettes on it. I used the areas where we'd had bonfires (which burns all the top weeds off) to plant celeriac, cabbages, broad beans, peas and onions. I didn't dig it at all first just made a hole with a bulb planter and popped the plants in. For the onions I just made a small divot :) I feel I've got really good crops without killing myself digging and weeding :) It does involved plenty of cardboard, manure , homemade compost, and black sheet mulch though :)