New allotment, where to start?

[Akumos]

Hello everyone.

Last Sunday I took over a plot at the local allotment and now I have no idea where to start. Where do all you experts advise me to start first?


It's a nice size but overgrown with grass. In the middle I have 4 blackcurrent bushes and at the back a plum tree. The structure of the raised beds already there need seeing too but that should be easy to sort out.



Thanks for your help!

[Lazgaot]

That doesn't look too bad! You are lucky!

Try an cover all the grass with either cardboard or black plastic weighed down with stones, bricks or pallets to stop any unwanted growth.

Get to work on the raised beds once they have thawed. Strip out the weeds and clumps of grass. Give them a once over with a fork. Try and get a load of manure on them and either dig it in or leave it as a mulch on the surface.

Have a think about what you want to grow and eat this year. You could start some seedlings indoors for planting out when it warms up. Eg: Onions, Leeks, carrots, lettuce. Order some seed potatoes....
Just my 2p.

[Two_Sheds]

Work out where the sun goes. You won't know properly until it gets a bit higher in the sky, about April.

Aim to use your shady areas for things that don't need sun ... water butts, shed, compost heap etc.

Start reading, and planning.

You won't get much digging done until it warms up a bit ~ even then, take it easy, do a little at a time.

[xandra3004]

Wow thats a lovely size plot - congratulations!!! I got my plot just over a year ago and it was in a much worse state that that and I managed to get it all cultivated and producing for the first season. This is a great time of year to start as you should be able to get it under control and ready to plant come the growing season. Sorry if this is too obvious but you will struggle to dig if the ground is rock hard and you shouldn't do too much on the soil if its really wet (as you will end up with a mud bath) but otherwise a great time to get stuck in.

To my mind there are two ways you can do it - and it depends how much time you have. Either way the first thing you need to do is to plan where you want your beds, decide whether they will be raised or not and where your paths will be. Once you have done this mark out where your/beds and paths will be, cut down the grass on your paths so that you can see the structure and the areas you need to work (I also covered my paths with weed membrane - you can use cardboard or other stuff - and covered this with bark chippings that we get free on our site so I have permanent paths that won't get muddy - you can use slabs but this can give drainage trouble if you have any drainage issues).

Once the paths are in place you have the choice of the dig or no dig. If you are going to dig then this is as straightforward as it sounds - dig with a fork not a spade as less likely to chop roots up. I dug everything over roughly once then went a second time getting the weeds and stubborn roots out. If you want raised beds do the digging before you put the beds in for the first time as it will be easier to manage. This is time consuming and tiring work but I have to say I got a buzz out of it. Be realistic in what you can do in a day - set yourself a target and see it slowly come together.

The other way is no dig - if you are using raised beds put your beds in place - then cover the bed with old newspaper/cardboard on top of this add lots of manure, compost etc and then put black plastic or weed membrane on top of that. Come the spring you just plant through the plastic/membrane and only dig if needed at the end of the season.

The mulch will help kill the weeds and the worms will come up for the manure/compost and help turn your soil over.

I didn't try this last method but saw it trialled on the Allotment programme (which I got on dvd for christmas) - if I had have known about it I would have tried this on at least some beds (eg for courgettes squash etc).

The method you use will depend on your personal choice, resources available and what you want to grow.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

[Paul Wagland]

Unless you have many hours of free time, my first step would be to visit your local builders' merchant and buy a big roll of damp-proof membrane (DPM). You can get 4m by 15m for about £30.

Next, decide how much of the plot you can bring into cultivation in your first year (don't be too ambitious), then cover the rest with DPM. Weigh it down very thoroughly and uncover it when you're ready to expand!

[jackie j]

Wow thats huge I have a half plot and its too small. Just do a little bit at a time you will soon get it done. Good luck

[Akumos]

Thanks for all your welcomes!

Try an cover all the grass with either cardboard or black plastic weighed down with stones, bricks or pallets to stop any unwanted growth.

The lady who owns the plot next to mine said that there is a patch of rhubarb at the front under all the grass. Can I still cover this or will it kill it off?

Do I cover to stop further weed and grass growth or to kill off whats there now? If the latter, how long will it take to die off?

[Denise in York]

Hi Akumos- I would think covering the rhubarb will kill it.. Maybe cover up as near as poss' to it and then once it starts sprouting when its a bit warmer you will know exactly where it is..
I have used cardboard to cover up some of the grassy areas on my plot and covered it with a thick layer of manure.. hoping in Spring / Summer (when I have got on top of
the other areas) this will have broken down enough to plant into without having to do too much back breaking weeding and digging....Definately worth covering up the areas you won't get to in the next few months as it will make weeding and digging so much easier especially if you dont want to use chemicals.Also looks tidier if you have a "keen" commitee ..
Good luck - looks like a great plot- pls keep posting photo's as you get it under control its great to see what other people are up too..

[PAULW]

Akumos
Instead of wasting your money on DPM I would hire a strimmer if you haven't already got one and knock the grass off, you can now start digging once the ground has thawed, the weeds won't grow this time of year, I dont know what sort of limp wristed diggers there are giving advice on this site but I can lend you a 76 yr old bloke off our site that would have the front bit of your plot up to the timber dug and deweeded in about 14 hrs thats 7 days at two hours a day and that includes talking.

[Snadger]

Depending on your fitness levels I would just start digging at one end removing weeds as you go.
It took me three month of most nights (once it gets a bit lighter of course) and every weekend.

Then a good mulch and I've never needed to wield a spade again..............I now practice a no-dig gardening regime!

[Beetroot Bob]

I think you may as well bite the bullet and get it dug and weeded/de-rooted first as last. Looks like you've got a fair bit of couch grass and that will need to be dug out as the roots are thick and will keep coming unless you get them all out.

We took our plot on in November and finished our first dig on Boxing day. I thin we got about 85% of the roots and weeds out onthe first dig. It's now been left rough for the frost to do it's bit. We dug ALL the plot and will now set out our paths and cover them with plastic then bark. The beds will now be dug again and given muck where needed and riddled where the roots are going. Once they have thawed out that is

Our plot was worse than yours but the committee strimmed it for us before we started digging. It'ds been hard work bu the sort of work that gives you a real feel good buzz. There's piccys on my profile if you want to see the progress.

Happy digging - and welcome

[Akumos]

Thanks Denise, will look into that then.

Thanks PaulW, I was thinking of hiring strimmer. Might still cover the parts I don't think i'll be able to reach before spring.

Thanks Beetroot Bob, Already looked through your piccies whilst reading through
other posts on the forum. Well done! What's with the bath tubs though? lol

[Snadger]

Akumos
Instead of wasting your money on DPM I would hire a strimmer if you haven't already got one and knock the grass off, you can now start digging once the ground has thawed, the weeds won't grow this time of year, I dont know what sort of limp wristed diggers there are giving advice on this site but I can lend you a 76 yr old bloke off our site that would have the front bit of your plot up to the timber dug and deweeded in about 14 hrs thats 7 days at two hours a day and that includes talking.

And tea, of course! Lol

[Beetroot Bob]

Thanks Denise, will look into that then.

Thanks PaulW, I was thinking of hiring strimmer. Might still cover the parts I don't think i'll be able to reach before spring.

Thanks Beetroot Bob, Already looked through your piccies whilst reading through
other posts on the forum. Well done! What's with the bath tubs though? lol

They came with the plot and are make shift water buts until we "find" more blue barrels. There's only 2 taps on our site so you have to collect all you can.

And have you never wanted to have a bath after a days digging ??

[Akumos]

lol you should keep them, it's a good talking point!