Rotovate?

[newbielou]

I've inherited a plot 20mx10m. It's overgrown but there aren't many weeds just lots of old crops and mainly grass. The only weeds I can see are lots of baby thistles. I've tried 3 times to dig but the soil has been left for so long and the grass is covered in those awful grassy mounds. I am struggling if I'm honest to dig it over and I'm wondering whether to hire a rotovator just to break it up. I'm happy to spend hours weeding, I actually find it quite therapeutic so multiplying the thistles wouldn't really bother me. Thanks fir Reading and sorry for the ramble.

[SarzWix]

I think it depends then on whether you've had any rain recently, and what sort of soil it is.
We've hardly had any rain here in the last few weeks, but it's been sunny and breezy and my soil is clay - that's made the ground rock hard and in places it's so dry the surface is cracking... It's hard to dig, and even the rotovator struggles to get into it. Plus, when it does get going, it's basically turning the dry bits into dust...
If you've got compost/rotted manure/soil improver to incorporate then that would help a lot.

So, I would say give it a go if you like, but as you say, expect the weeds to multiply! and also that it might not do the soil structure any favours if the ground is very dry.

[jacob marley]

Go for it if you make lots of weeds grow they come out of soft ground easily if it is is the difference between growing some thing and not go for it .
There are people on here that hate rotovators with a passion but you have to do what is right for you good luck...jacob

[winstonwobble]

Try it it might work for you just add a load of compost if you can to improve the soil if it's been left for a while it will need it

[snakeshack]

I'd go for it
try to rotavate some soil improver in either compost or manure,you could also cover with cardboard or black plastic and plant through holes.
this year I am deep mulching with straw which I will dig in at years end,I am laying cardboard after a good watering and the covering with an 8 inch layer of straw.

[sagegreen]

So, I would say give it a go if you like, but as you say, expect the weeds to multiply! and also that it might not do the soil structure any favours if the ground is very dry.

Agreed: rotovate, but expect every inch of bindweed, nettle and some grass roots to regenerate; its a balance between slowly clearing your plot with hand digging or - a lot of weeding after rotovating

[newbielou]

Thank you very much everyone, I was hoping you would say that. Well a nice man tried to rotovate for me and whenever he got to one of the grass sods the rotovator just went straight over the top. So plan B is the man who owns the field is going to plough it for me. Just hoping he does it soon I have hundreds of plants that would like to be planted out by nowand not enough room at home. Thanks again

[jonohanson]

I accidentley rotavated a bind weed patch, now the sodding stuff is popping up everywhere!!

[harveymt]

Im in something of a similar situation. Rather than start a new topic,hope you don't mind if I ask here. Have a plot 27m by 8m. Fairly overgrown at the minute as it was used for chickens but has been sitting unused for years. Im hoping to rotovate it and then add in my compost through out the rest of the year in preperation for the start of next year. I realise that the rotovation will cause more weeds but the garden produces lots of grass and leaves so I was hoping to use that as a kind of mulch to block light and stop growth. I might also be able to get some seaweed too. Cardboard as well.

Will this be ok? Anything else I should do?

Hopefully come the new year I should have a well composted plot, mostly free of weeds.

[Two_Sheds]

You don't need to waste a year: just get clearing, and plant up each patch as you clear it.

what you don't clear: leave under cardboard. Grass clippings in one or two inch layers are OK, but leaves take 18 months ish to rot down

[harveymt]

I'll not be wasting the year. I've got another patch in the garden that's currently got raspberries in it. It's only half full so I can clear the rest and grow something in there. There is also 2 greenhouses, one half full of tomatoes. Again, I can get growing in there. I particularly want to get loads of herbs going as I use the dried stuff all the time in cooking and would like to have my own fresh stuff. Hopefully one of the greenhouses will be full of herbs in a short while.

As someone who has never done much gardening before I'll be more than happy if I can get the smaller patch and the two greenhouses up and running this year and leave the big plot till next year bar getting it cleared.

As for the leaves, I already have put out a few rings of chicken wire to put the leaves in so they can rot down separately to my main compost heap. I just thought that I could mix them in with the grass to cover the big plot. I suppose I'd be better off keeping them separate as they do take so long to compost.