New Allotment: Help

[reddevileater]

Hello all,
Newbie here so please be gentle. I have been given use of a small plot, 7m x 10m. Only problem is i have to clear it first The problem is nettles that are chest high and was wondering, after i attack them with strimmer/rotivater, do i need to get 'all' the roots up and what treatment can i use to stop them coming back ???

[rustylady]

Cut the nettles back with a strimmer if you have one = I had to do mine the hard way with shears / secateurs. The good news is nettles aren't deep rooted, the bad news is that the roots spread sideways and there are an awful lot of them. Put on a stout pair of gloves and pull up as much as you can. I personally don't like rotovators as they chop roots up and bury them throughout the plot and new plants will spring up from every single piece. That said, at least the soil will have been loosened so the new plants will be easier to remove.

[zazen999]

Also, do it after a really good rain, the roots come out much easier and if you loosen the soil with a fork they slip out. [OK, slip out easier than from hard clay].

[Two_Sheds]

Don't think that glyphosate is an easy option on nettles ... it doesn't kill the roots, and they WILL grow back, in amongst your crops.

My 6 foot nettles got sprayed last yaar - 4 times - and this year they grew back from the same roots (I am still digging them out).

Good for the compost though !
Oh, and leave a small patch if you can: Peacock butterflies lay their eggs on it. Just don't let it go to seed.

[reddevileater]

Thanks guys/gals, will try and be gentle with them.
Peacock butterflies are good i take it ??
P.S. The bloke who is letting me use his land has only gone and mowed half the plot.......bless him !!!!

[rustylady]

Right, so he's mown it for you. Get started digging it over. Do a bit at a time, and thoroughly, removing as many roots as you can. Don't try and do it all at once. Clear a bit and plant something in that and then move on to the next bit. Keep the bits you haven't dug either mown/strimmed and/or covered (with old carpet or thick cardboard which will stop the weeds growing till you get to cultivating properly.

[rustylady]

Peacock butterflies are good i take it ??

They're beautiful, and their caterpillars don't eat your brassicas like cabbage whites do!!!!

[reddevileater]

Thanks again
Going to start tomorrow evening, have enlisted a couple of friends to help, hopefully this will mean more done quicker!!

[johninblackpool]

Also if you leave a small patch you can cut it back and use the cuttings in sacks in your water but to get a good natural fertilizer for watering your crops

[reddevileater]

Cheers for that John !!