Clearing an allotment.....help!

Top_Banana_2

Hello,

First off....I am a complete amateur to gardening, and especially allotments.
I am going to see a site secretary at the weekend with a view to getting a plot at my local site. I am very excited about it and intend on growing some simple fruit and veg' at first.

I do not know if the plot will be overgrown, but I know that they are 250 sq.yds.

I have been doing a lot of reading online about the first things I should be doing and all the websites tell me I should be clearing the weeds and grass from the plot. Whilst looking for this info', I have looked at a number of pictures of overgrown plots......and it has frightened me in to to thinking twice about actually having a plot.

1- Is it absolutely necessary to get a rotovator? Can I not just clear it slowly by hand/tools?
Or do I not even need to clear it? i.e- if I simply cover the whole plot with black plastic and leave it for X amount of time, will it kill all weeds and grass? If this is true, how long do I leave it for?
Do I then take the plastic up and remove the dead weeds etc? (Then dig over).

2- How long should I expect to wait until the plot is ready to receive the plants I'm sowing at home?

3- Where do I put the weeds and grass once dug up? Is there an onsite location or am I responsible for all rubbish?

Sorry for the essay!

Keith

1. You should dig out the weeds before you rotovate, as the rotovator will chop up the weeds creating more.
I've cleared a section, planted it and I'm working through the plot, with plastic covering a large section.

2. Depends how quickly you dig!

3. Could be a site heap, you may need to remove it or you may be able to have your own heap.

ScratchandSniff-->[X]

Top_Banana wrote: »

Hello,

First off....I am a complete amateur to gardening, and especially allotments.
I am going to see a site secretary at the weekend with a view to getting a plot at my local site. I am very excited about it and intend on growing some simple fruit and veg' at first.

Good stuff. Around here like many places there is a waiting list of several years...

Top_Banana wrote: »

I do not know if the plot will be overgrown, but I know that they are 250 sq.yds.

Possibly. Plots become vacant usually because someone hasn't used it properly or they've died. In the former instance it will have deteriorated, in the latter it depends how keen they were.

Top_Banana wrote: »

I have been doing a lot of reading online about the first things I should be doing and all the websites tell me I should be clearing the weeds and grass from the plot. Whilst looking for this info', I have looked at a number of pictures of overgrown plots......and it has frightened me in to to thinking twice about actually having a plot.

The one thing you need is time. Lots of it. Unless you are on telly and have a team to do it for you and people falling over you to get their mugshot on telly.

Top_Banana wrote: »

1- Is it absolutely necessary to get a rotovator? Can I not just clear it slowly by hand/tools?

Do NOT rotavate it if it has weeds. You will simply make more weeds by subdividing them. If it is heavily weeded the rotavator will bind up anyhow. Only rotavate a clean plot or maybe one that was clear last year and has surface annual weeds.

Top_Banana wrote: »

Or do I not even need to clear it? i.e- if I simply cover the whole plot with black plastic and leave it for X amount of time, will it kill all weeds and grass? If this is true, how long do I leave it for?
Do I then take the plastic up and remove the dead weeds etc? (Then dig over).

Yes, you could do this. Whilst I appreciate you might want to avoid weedkillers, sometimes with a new plot there is no practical alternative to start with (IMHO anyhow, others will probably disagree). Personally I'd clear as much as you can - some folk clear a patch and then work on it, but I reckon it's pointless as the weeds will invade from the uncleared ground.

Top_Banana wrote: »

2- How long should I expect to wait until the plot is ready to receive the plants I'm sowing at home?

When the plot is clear and it's the right time of year. Go for things with big seeds/tubers e.g. potatoes and broad beans etc in the first year as they'll be better able to fight off the competition from weeds. If you must put seedlings in, go for the largest ones you can find. Maybe some shrubs too if you have space. Cheap soft fruit like goosberries etc from the Aldi/Lidl, but don't go for trees until you know how your plot will "work" - possibly a few years down the line.

Top_Banana wrote: »

3- Where do I put the weeds and grass once dug up? Is there an onsite location or am I responsible for all rubbish?

A very big tip somewhere on the plot where you know you won't want to move it. Cover it and consider weedkiller on it to kill the perennial stuff. Some allotment societies will arrange communal skips (usually in winter) for anything that can't be burnt. Scrap metal merchants may pick up old metal, glass is usually put into your domestic refuse.

Top_Banana wrote: »

Sorry for the essay!

Glad to help. Good luck!

MonkeySaving?

ScratchandSniff-->[X] wrote: »

they've died.

That is sadly how we came to get our allotment :beer:.

oliveoyl

I'm in the process of getting a plot too... I was told I'd be waiting about a year when I initially enquired... 2 weeks later they called to offer me one!

I've been to have a look and it's not so bad... the clearing up looks like mostly bricks/wood/asbestos roofing/glass (which the council are going to deal with), I'd say it had been used up to the end of last summer. Plenty of weeds and old veg plants to clear but it's not a jungle, so you might be lucky.

I can't wait for the key!

angelavdavis

Congratulations on getting your plot (I am still number 30 on the waiting list for mine!).

How wet is the site? If the plot is well drained, you can start doing some clearing now. If not, I would leave it to later.

Split the plot up into sections (either physically, or on a piece of paper) and plant which part you want to tackle first so you don't find it all too daunting. How long it will take you to prepare the site, depends on the amount of space you want to concentrate on. You could prepare a section to initially plant earlier crops into, then continue onto another section for the next lot of planting.

I agree with others on here, you might be better off putting a glyphosate weedkiller down to kill the weed growth (it won't taint the soil), but you will still need to physically clear it by pulling the plants.

If you don't want to use weedkiller, you can buy a weed burner which will remove the worst of the top growth so you can then dig out the roots manually.

You can then create compost out of the weeds and grass you accumulate. The compost can then be dug back into the soil to replenish nutrients.

Stack up the pulled weeds and grass into a compost heap at a suitable place on the plot. There are lots of methods of building compost heaps - advertise on freecycle and try to get a tonne bag (those used for delivering building materials in). Or if you are handy, make one out of wood. If you google "building a compost heap" you should get some ideas.

Alternatively, if you just want to keep the compost heap contained, you can push four bamboo canes into the ground in a square and then get some cheap plastic netting (the type used for fencing so is quite strong). You can usually pick up rolls quite cheaply from gardening shops. Weave the fencing over the bamboo canes. Continue around all the canes. Use cable ties to join the fencing together. Then pile your weeds and grass inside. After a month, you can then pull out a couple of the canes, reposition next to the original location and then turn the rotting weeds/grass over into the new location. You might have to do this a couple of times before it has rotted down into crumbly compost.

There are some good tips on Gardeners World on preparing soil. The areas you haven't yet started can be sprayed with weedkiller (on a mild day with no breeze) and covered with a thick layer of dampened newspaper (top with some soil or bricks to stop it blowing away). The growth will die off under the newspaper over the season while you are planting in your prepared area. You can then tackle the rest as you go.

I have never used a rotavator, I always manually dig - but its hard work!

Some information on single and double digging, if you can get hold of some free or cheap manure, it is worth initially double digging the area you first want to tackle before planting - you will get better results.

Your seedlings you are growing will need potting on singularly into larger pots and planting out when they are approximately 2-3 inches high and have a good few leaves on them. If you are growing the seeds inside, you will also need to harden them off before planting out (hardening off means you put them outside during the day, bring them in at night - do this for a week, then leave them outside all night for a week so you know they are ready to be left outside). This is usually the case by the end of April/May. Ensure the frost has passed.

I agree potatoes are a good bet, as are runner beans for a new plot (both can be planted directly in the ground).

DKLS

Bring a spade party?, A case of beers should suffice to encourage a few friends to help out.

irishwexford

This time last year we had just taken on an overgrown allotment but parts of it were covered with carpet. OH moved all carpet onto half plot and started digging the other half. He dug down deep and made a good job of it and carried on to complete the whole plot. I thought we would just be using half in our first year but he did well. Neither of us knew what we were doing but ended up with a very good crop, made some mistakes along the way but overall pleased with results. OH said some new tenants are just digging shallow but if you want a good plot then digging, digging and some more digging to start with. One year down the line and I have my allotment planned and its looking good. Furtunately OH loves going there (although he does work full time), its a social thing for him, half the time digging and the other half chatting. Its amazing the amount of people you meet there all willing to offer free plants and lots of advice.
Best of luck

Lotus-eater

DKLS wrote: »

Bring a spade party?, A case of beers should suffice to encourage a few friends to help out.

Only if you want substandard work and weed roots left in everywhere, do it yourself and save the beer

Top_Banana_2

Thanks for all the input- I really appreciate the tips and advice.

I am going to buy a compost bin and put in the weeds and grass that I cut down. But I've been told not to put the weed roots in it. Where do I put them? Do I have to take them to the tip?

Also, I am going to cover the plot. But what should I cover it with? I can't get my hands on any carpet, so was thinking of some kind of black vinyl. Where do you recommend getting the vinyl from (cheapest!)? And how do I weigh down whatever material I use? Bricks?

Thanks again.

arkonite_babe

Not quite allotment tips, but this old thread on clearing a large veg patch might offer some help

Clearing vegetable patch