Allotments 4 All

We have three veggie plots which we rotate, letting the chickens into one of the plots while we grow veggies in the other two.  These plots were initially fenced off and cleared by the chickens. 

Last year we didn't have all that much room to grow all the things that we wanted so have decided to make a new bed outside the fenced areas.  We haven't time or money to fence this area in and are wondering how best to clear it.  It is approximately 25 feet by 60 feet and has long grass and some pernicious weeds such as bindweed, ragwort, nettles, buttercup, dock etc.

One of the problems is that it is rendzina soil ie not very deep and sitting on chalk.  If we were to remove turfs of grass, much of the soil would come away with them.  We have considered Roundup but feel that would be too expensive and environmentally unfriendly.  Any suggestions please?

The plot to be dug is the grassed area on the right of the picture. 
Pauline

How deep is the soil? I think I'd mow it for a season or two to kill the weeds, then dig the turf in and cultivate it.

RB.  The land is on a slope and is about a spades depth; perhaps slightly less at the top.  Under the soil there are flints and chalk.  The picture was taken last Spring and the area may have been mown with a high setting.  The grass is certainly long now.  If the turf is dug in with the roots being perhaps 3 inches deep, they will only be 6 inches beneath the soil.  I think the roots will send shoots upwards.
Pauline

I would be inclined to lift and stack the turf, and make paths by digging down to the flint, then raised beds, even if not edged ... this should assist in the soil depth. Unfortunately this is all very hard work, but if tackled in a methodical manner, perhaps organise a digging party, with some beers for the muscley men !!! Lovely fruit cage by the way, I am envious ...

I wish you luck, it looks like a hard physical job.

Pauline,
If you don't mind losing a season, cover the area you need with black poly. weighed down with tufts/sods.
I did this to a plot one spring infested with everything. Come October the soil was like soot & not one weed!
I appreciate your soil isn't deep but the organic matter you'll retain will be valuable. Hope this helps.

Thanks everyone for your replies.  Whatever we do will be very hard work.  At the end of last year, we had the same problem to deal with as we had put up the fruit cage on grass.  We had to use weedkiller to begin with and then painstakingly dug it all to remove roots of mainly grass, bindweed and nettles.  It was laborious.  I am disabled and can only work for short spells at a time.  However, we got there eventually and I was able to plant my strawberries. 

This new area is twice the size though so maybe we will have to tackle it over two years.  I like your idea of taking the turfs off Derek.  I did this when I made flower beds and that was successful so we may try that.  I don't know any muscley men for a digging party. 

Telboy, I mentioned black poly to hubby but he was not keen on the idea as it hasn't worked for us in the past.  The bindweed still thrives and comes up with  a vengeance when the poly is removed. 

We have thought of putting a polytunnel on the area and a small fence to redirect the chickens into it.  We are undecide because of the costs.  There's nowt like chickens for clearing an area though.  Just to show how efficient they can be, I have added some more pics.  The first photo, taken in May 2005 shows plot 3.  This was very overgrown.  We finished off the fencing, let the chookies in and it is now devoid of any vegetation.  The second picture (May 2005) shows mainly plot 1 with 2 & 3 behind me.  It was in plot 1 that I grew my beans, courgettes, some of the potatoes and the first sowing of brassicas which were stripped by pigeons. The chickens will go into this plot again this year to clear the weeds.  My husband used half of plot 2 to grow onion and potatoes.  In the other half were my young chicks with their surrogate mothers.

Regarding the net fruit cage, we found it advertised on the village board.  It was free to anyone who dismantled it and took it away.  This was an offer we couldn't refuse.   

Bindweed is a horrible thing; I don't know any way to get rid of it apart from chemicals or several years' effort. I've been systematically pulling it out in one area every time it came up for two years; it's still going strong.

I would take the turves off and then remove the soil, down to the subsoil, I would then invert the turves at the bottom of the trench; then I would roughly hack them up with my spade, and replace the topsoil. Unless you are after exhibition parsnips most your veg will be happy with this. Take the opportunity of the subsoil being exposed to fork over the subsoil, this should lead to a slight increase in the depth of your topsoil over time, just don't mix the two soils together.

But then the bindweed makes everything complicated, and much harder work.

I must admit I am impressed by the way the chickens have cleared the plot, but it obviously grows back very quickly ...

I also admire your determination ...

I cleared my beds in the way amphibian has described, at home they were mown grass and I haven't had a weed problem since. I did the same on my allotment and I do get more weeds -really only bindweed the couch, nettles, thistles and dock are pretty much gone. This is controllable with regular hoe-ing and hand weeding though -little and often. The beds on the allotment are more productive.

Some beds I've done the no dig thing to clear them -layers of cardboard topped with manure, in my case, you can grow squashes -spuds &c. straight into them. One of these beds is pretty much clear (spuds last year and squash this)  -the other not so-  but maybe because I was a bit late topping up the mulch.

Jeremy

Am still merrily wading through fat evil white roots of some grass or other, a bit at a time...hard going, but sure that my new wellies will help imensely!