Wildflower meadows on allotments

[Earthmama]

I've just taken over a rather large allotment; too big, at least at the moment. I was hoping to plant a wildflower and grass meadow over about two thirds of it but when I rang up to order the seeds the extremely helpful woman at Garden Organic told me that there wasn't any point in sowing them in an allotment. She said that because allotment soil is generally very fertile, the wild grasses would just go bonkers and suffocate the wildflowers. She told me that I'd need to remove the topsoil to have any success (not an option!).

Does anyone have any experience of this and any suggestions?

[BrideXIII]

well she is right, this is what happened to mine in the garden eventually, also, there is another concern, which occured to me after your last post on this.
i assume you will have neighbours? wildgrasses are prolific seeders in the main, they may not particularly like it? just a thought.

[Earthmama]

I was hoping to mow the meadow for hay to use as mulch so that might partly solve that problem. So far I only have neighbours on one side and as they will be using lots chemicals and I'm trying to be biodynamic, so I figure that might even things up a bit (not in a nasty way). Also so far they are also not using the lower half of their, equally massive, plot.

So did your wildflowers initially come up but gradually disappear over time? I've heard that they need mowing twice a year to help them proliferate ...........?

[BrideXIII]

yes they came up the first year fine, after that even with mowing they got drowned out by the grasses.
I wasn't trying to dampen your enthusiasm, it just that windborn grass seed can be a pain to other plot holders, whether they are organic or not, people put a lot of time in keeping 'weeds' and grass down, tis always wise to err on not upsetting the neighbours, especially if you are a 'newbie' onsite.

[Earthmama]

Hmm... have just done a bit of browsing on the site and noticed a few people having various "issues" with other allotment holders and/or neighbours... thanks for flagging that possibility up, its definitely a good idea not to start off the wrong foot!

[zazen999]

Hi Earthmama

We grow wildflowers to attract the bees and other beneficial insects. If you grow them on a smaller scale, and keep them under control they should be ok. This means regular deadheading and cutting them down before they all dry out and spray everywhere.

Our mainstays are: cornflower, nigella, cosmos, flax, tagetes and other marigolds, wildpansies [they were there before we had the plot], and poppies. Also sunflowers along the border. There are also wild geraniums that won't be told not to grow so I guess next year I need to work with them not against them!

If you think of them as companions rather than a meadow and space them out, you should be ok.

[Two_Sheds]

We had a girl who planted up wildflowers on half her plot ... she was eventually threatened with eviction, because they were basically untended weeds!

Yes, lotty soil is too rich for proper wildflowers. I have planted a few of my own (poppy, teasel etc) on the path edges, where the soil is poor and stony.

[BrideXIII]

well all weeds are wild flowers in one way or another, its just a case of perception

however you have made my point, there is a time and a place for everything i guess .