Allotments 4 All

hi, just taken on 20 rods of very neglected allotment, could do with some sound advice as how to clear the grass, ive been told not to rotivate, got a digging party going yesterday ( forking out the grass ) to be told by my neighbour to spray with weed killer and leave for a couple of weeks, been told if i use weed killer i can't grow anything for quite some time.
Am  getting a bit confused and dismayed by it all!  :-\
Would welcome some suggestions please.

Hi!! Plenty of advice available in the "wiki" see top of screen, methods of cultivation is the bit you need, I think. Best advice?...take it a bit at a time!!

;)

The eejits next door to me did a much better job than I did, so here's their method :). First they got a strimmer, and strimmed down the long grass etc. (I would have begun to build a compost heap with this). Then they used the blades of spades to cut the weeds right down to the earth, so there was barely any green to be seen (too much rhyming in this sentence, sorry). Only after that did they mark out basic beds, and paths, and dug the borders of the beds so it was really clear what had to be done next. Then they got a digging party going and each took a bed and took their own time digging it over and removing perennial roots. If you've got the labour, it's a good way to do it. Remember rotavating doesn't remove roots so you're going to have to do the back-breaking work anyway.

As for weedkiller there's different types and different choices.  If you want to be organic it's a no-no from the get go (Sorry! I seem to be possessed by the spirit of Dr Seuss today). If you're not bothered and you've got enough labour you may as well do it the hard way and you can make the organic/not organic decision later.

Quote from: bupster on March 23, 2006, 15:14:46
Then they got a digging party going and each took a bed and took their own time digging it over and removing perennial roots.

hmm i can feel a party coming on....LOL

;D ;D ;D ;D

Quote from: bupster on March 23, 2006, 15:14:46
Then they got a digging party going and each took a bed and took their own time digging it over and removing perennial roots.

And I bet they made you watch bupster :'( But sounds a really well organised way of tackling it, if you can.

And if you do go down the weedkiller route(pun!!!) glyphosate based ones are rendered inactive on contact with the soil so planting etc. is not affected. It also kills slugs by the way.

thanks everyone am a much happier allotmenteer :D