Am I doing this right???

[Bex]

My allotment was covered completely in ground weeds (grass, dock leaves and buttercups). I'm about a third of the way through digging them up but just wanted to make sure I'm doing it right. I've pulled up all the weeds and as many of the deep roots as possible. There seem to be thousands of worms which I'm hoping is a good sign, any slugs/snails etc I've slung over the fence into the stream (sorry if you're an animal lover).

Each time I go i turn the soil on what I have all ready dug removing any more roots that come to the surface and any stones. Then I dig another new bed and start the whole process again. I'm digging 2m x 2m beds and I've got five so far.

Today when I went I put some green manure seeds on three of the beds and I've got onion, garlic and a row of peas in another plus the new bed that I've dug today.

Am I doing anything majorly wrong or is this ok?

[Snadger]

You seem to be coping very well as far as I am concerned bex!

I am sure any fish in the stream will enjoy the free lunch as well!

[Bex]

Thanks, Snadger!
Thats all I needed to know, didn't want to dig the whole lot and then find I'd done something fundamentaly wrong.

[NOG]

I would leave teh stones in for draingae and when I turned it over I allways add compost, manure, grass cuttings or what ever else I can get hold of.

[Bex]

Hi Nog

Its only the big stones I'm removing, some have been the size of big bakes potatoes. I've also had house bricks and a big chunk of concrete.

[Alice]

Hello Bex, you sound as if you're doing it right to me. Good luck and do let us know what you are growing and how it is getting on. Pics greatly welcome.

[NOG]

Keep the bricks they come in handy for keeping netting down and throwing at the wift to get her attention.

It always amazes me the stuff you dig up. We get the old totter to our site and he dumps his manure (well his horses to be exact) in the car park. Anyway he asked if we had any old iron knocking about. So they put a notice up and today it was like dig for victory day. People were wheeling down 1/2" steel plate off their plots. By the end of the day there was a pile bigger than he is going to get on his truck in one go.....how and why it was ever on people plots I don't know. Must admit I got rid of a load of angle iron I had...why I had it i don't know I must have a plan some time.

[Stroppy scotte]

Wish someone could recycle all the glass off ours!!!
I was also digging and redigging but having been forced into time off am now starting again. At least it should be easier to dig this time!!!

[ugly gourd]

keep the stones and bricks to make hard standng around your shed water butt or fill holes in the road leading to your plot

[melon]

The first plot I took on was covered with brambles and nettle, but it also had lots of angle iron buried in it. The problem being that it was buried vertically and you only knew it was there when the strimmer hit it! My new plot also has iron poles all over it luckily on the surface this time and not buried. Can anyone tell me what is it with angle iron and poles?