Allotments 4 All

 ;DHi im new at all this i have had a plot for about 5 days,

its a bit overgrown with grass and bramble with a small area used last year, ive started digging and turning the soil over but i have a long way to go. :o 

does anyone have any hints on what to do first? should i dig over the whole site? or should i cover some with old carpet( ive seen people do this) ive also heard that you can cover the turned soil with cardboard and a mulch then plant through this?

help me im a bit lost :-[

Quote from: nicola on March 17, 2005, 13:50:25
;D Hi im new at all this i have had a plot for about 5 days,

its a bit overgrown with grass and bramble with a small area used last year, ive started digging and turning the soil over but i have a long way to go. :o

does anyone have any hints on what to do first? should i dig over the whole site? or should i cover some with old carpet( ive seen people do this) ive also heard that you can cover the turned soil with cardboard and a mulch then plant through this?

help me im a bit lost :-[

Hi!
Firstly, welcome (I've not been here long myself, but it's very friendly!)
Second, congratulations on the plot!  How big is it?

My advice is to cover as much of it as possible with whatever you can find, carpet, card, opaque plastic...  That will stop the manic weedgrowth we usually get in April from making you depressed!
Then pick what looks like the nicest area or corner, uncover it and start weeding and digging it over.  Your used patch sounds like the best place to start, simply because it will give you somewhere to plant things very quickly, which is a nice boost. 
I'd also get shot of the brambles as soon as you can - once they start growing you will have a battle on, otherwise. At the moment they are only just starting to grow for this year.

I'm organic now - but wasn't when I took mine on! I sprayed everywhere with weedol, which removed the annual weeds but not the perennials, so I had to dig it all anyway and the weedkiller was pointless. After 5 years of digging/hoeing I've almost got shot of the field bindweed.  Go gradually and whatever you do, don't overdo it! If your back starts to ache, listen to it!

If you do it all gradually, you'll find you can grow more than you think while bringing it back into cultivation.

There are quite a few newbies about at the moment on this forum so you can swap tales! (Oh and keep a notebook/photos of your plot so you can watch progress and cheer yourself up when it feels like the triffids are taking over!)

good luck
moonbells

Hi Nicola, first things first,  :D nice to see you on the site, things to do,see if there's a water pipe or toilets on the site, take your time when digging and make your plots 4ft wide x as long as you wish, then a path 2ft wide around each plot, clear all weeds,grass,and brambles, when you dig try to add compost or farmyard manure if you can, plant potatoes frist as this will help to brake up the soil, ask for help or advice from others people on the allotment as they will know your area the ground pH levels,the soil struckture (Clay,Sandy,Chalky ect) and what grows well (some will even give you free seeds or plant) make a list of the veg you and your family like, dont take this wrong, buy a gardening book as you can take it to the site and if you have a problem you can see how to fix it there, but most of all have fun, make a place to site and enjoy yourself,
good luck
windygale  ;)

Welcome. Plenty of advice on other 'I'm new' posts, but will reccommend some reading, especially if you want to be organic. The HDRA Encyclopedia is good!
Oh and start a compost heap  :D

Just to echo what everyone else says really, especially about doing a bit at a time or your back will give out!  Be warned.  Just cover up the parts you're not using with black sheet mulch weighed down with bricks or pegs.  Then that gives you breathing space to do a bed at a time.  At least if its covered in sheeting then it stops the weeds growing.  You can put manure under it as well and then the worms will take it down into the soil for you.

I cut all the long grass down on mine last autumn and then I ran the petrol mower over it.  Then I put some black sheet mulch down where it's been ever since.  I only did one raised bed last winter and put onions in it.  Got my manure and raring to go but laid up with bad back..  I tried to do too much at once and now I'm living to regret it.  Have a great time  ;D

Quote from: nicola on March 17, 2005, 13:50:25

its a bit overgrown with grass and bramble with a small area used last year,

You haven't taken on the plot next to mine have you? It looks exactly like that (but then most overgrown plots do I guess).

I only started with this lark last year, and had a completely overgrown half-plot to contend with as well. Didn't manage to cultivate it all in one year, but got some good results and a wide selection of veggies. Little and often is the way. Try to get an many of the roots out as you can whilst digging - it'll take longer, but it's worth it. Good luck with it all, and may your fingers always be green!

Carpet the naff bits.  We have got a piece of shag pile that gets shifted every so often and seems to do the trick.  Dont be tempted to use the underlay that is cushioned - it rots and you're left with stringy nylon bits.  Wehave also planted a few flowers by our shed so when we have a tea break we're not looking at things to do.

Nicola :)

Take a deep breath.....Have a Nice Cuppa ....Welcome here

Everyone is so friendly....You'll get lots of good advice info and Help so dont worry,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Everything will work out. :D

Congratulations with your Lottie...Just enjoy it Good Luck ;)

I might be classed as a heathen on this site, but I used Roundup Ultra 3000 to clear my plot. It did a great job.  Some of you may well hiss and spit at me, but hey guys, I have a clear plot with weeds that I can now get to with a spade rather than a combine.

Grumpy

You are not alone....I did just that too

Like you I also have a much easier task

Derek

I suppose if you want to do the whole plot at once then doing a mass weed kill is ok but for most of us our lotties are about de-stressing and relaxation, so a more slowly slowly approach is called for :) For me and my old man we took on our plot so we could get away from stress so the last thing we want to do is kill ourselves trying to do the allotment all at once.  After all it's not going anywhere  :)

Wardy

I tried...honest...but after two hours of hard digging I stood back and admired my efforts... just two square yards of clear earth.
Now with another two hundred and fifty square yards in front of me.... I chickened out....not into masochism.. too old (and a bit wiser) these days   ;)

Derek

Welcome to  the site. I have had great success with the covering with carpet thing. I think hessian backed is best not foam backed as this will rot down eventually but foam backed will not.

Good luck!

Thanks for the welcome
everyone is soooo friendly

I am gonna take it one step at a time and its so lovely and relaxing just being out in the open air.  Im gonna plant some potatoes first as suggested and then hopefully some root veggies. and carpet the rest. Im not into using chemicals.

I have met some of my neighbours and they are lovely as well,
i didnt really expect such support from everyone when i started its helped me feel less overwhelmed
Thanks . ;D

Quote from: Derek on March 18, 2005, 07:00:35
Wardy

I tried...honest...but after two hours of hard digging I stood back and admired my efforts... just two square yards of clear earth.
Now with another two hundred and fifty square yards in front of me.... I chickened out....not into masochism.. too old (and a bit wiser) these days   ;)

Derek

My first experience was identical - took my children up to enthusiastically start digging.  Hour later of hard graft and 1 square yard dug.  Gave up, went home and called in the rotovator which is included in my rent.  I have since learned that the bit we were trying to dig was used by the previous plot owner to park his car - so was therefore very compacted.  At least this made me feel a bit less of a wimp.

Quote from: nicola on March 19, 2005, 11:58:13

I have met some of my neighbours and they are lovely as well,
i didnt really expect such support from everyone when i started its helped me feel less overwhelmed
Thanks . ;D

I have some very good neighbours - however this too can get in the way of working - a case of too much jaw jaw and not enough war war against the weeds.

PS if a chemical gets within three fett of my plot I will scream