Clearing ground -- adding manure

[Imprudence]

I have cleared and am continuing to clear -- a lot of my new allotment. I have been been digging out bindweed and couch grass, and I am sure that I haven't 100% succesful.

Should I leave it for the frost and rain to break down and the rest of the weeds to sprout, and then incorporate manure in the spring.

Or can I get a load of manure delivered now -- while the allotment access paths are dry. I am sure it won't be well rotted so could I just spread it on top now and plant it up in the spring? There isn't anywhere else weed free to put it.

[Storming Norman]

Do you have clay lumps that you need to be frosted? If so don't' cover it up.

Manure can bring in it's own weed seeds anyway, you just can't avoid them.

You could try half and half - or putting the manure very deeply on half and letting it rot in situ. I agree with you using a wheelbarrow on slippery paths is no easy tasks and ship it in now would be really handy.

Something I learned from my sisters allotment - deeply buried couch grass is a nightmare to dig up - especially if some silly person put raspberries in amongst it!

[PAULW]

I would spread the muck over the place where you are going to be planting your spuds then dig it in in the spring before you plant them, you are coming in to a cold period and there will be very little if any weed growth between now and then, nothing worse than rushing round trying to get every thing done in the spring because you put it off,

[geoff]

I had a plot with poor soil and quite a lot of weeds. Last winter I put down a layer of newspaper and cardboard then topped it with vast amounts of fresh manure, as I couldn't get ant rotted stuff. dug it all in this spring and things were greatly improved; plants grew, and the weeds were reduced, and easier to dig out. Spend half an hour witha cup of tea and remove all the packing tape , plastic stickers etc. first