clearing a plot

[owl1971]

i have just aquired an over grown allotment and really do not have a clue, it is covered in mainly grass, i have strted digging it over and and exposing roots to the frost what do i do next do i fork through it and remove grass bit by bit, any advice would be good thank u

[binley100]

Cover it with cardboard or suchlike while you work on it bit by bit ......I've just uncovered some of mine today , raked off the dead stuff which pulled out a lot of grass and roots and it's dug really easily .

[Matt94]

im doing the same as you but on my neighbours garden, i just set myself targets. e.g. do a 2m by 2m square everytime you go to the allotment (or whatever you can manage), and as binley says cover the rest of the plot until your able to dig it over.

[chris]

Little and often. Take some time to step back and have a look at your progress too

Also if you can't manage it, just work with half of your plot this year.

[Kleftiwallah]

If it is a council allotment, (I've no experience of private allotments) ask the council rep to come and have a look at it and see if there isn't some way the council could put some of their machinery to help you in the early stages. Well, you can only ask ! Cheers, Tony.

[binley100]

that'll spread the couch grass nicely ........

[di]

.....or just leave you with great huge clods of ploughed soil that dry rock hard.

We had one of ours ploughed. It was the biggest nightmare to get it worked.

[Two_Sheds]

any advice would be good thank u

There are many, many quality threads on the topic if you want to search for them. Here's a few to get you started:

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ons_48265.html

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ard_62967.html

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...lot_62591.html

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ment_5573.html

[DiggyBob]

Hi, I took over a very overgrown allotment in January, you can see progress and techniques I used at An overgrown allotment versus a dodgy bad back

[Dynamo]

I can just go along with what most people here have said. Cover as much of the plot as you can with cardboard or covers. Avoid carpet though as it contains chemicals that will do damage. Then just do a few square yards at a time. My plot was totally derelect when I took it over three years ago. It was covered in weeds and rubbish. I soon got enough cleared for a decent crop in the first year but didn't actually get around to digging the complete plot until late last summer.

[taff]

diggy bob eh?
fab name
and I see you have an azada too, or mattock, or something....

[Lazgaot]

I cleared my allotment a few years ago now but it was hard work to do it thoroughly. I want for the Glyphosate route to knock the wind out of the weeds first. Then I used a bush cutter, strimmer with blade, to chop everything down to soil level. This was all removed from the site as I didn't have any space for it to compost and couldn't burn it.

Then I meticulously dug out all the roots. This took me a couple of months to complete and I think I injured my back doing this. My advice would be to do the above and then cover the undug sections while you take your time & thoroughly clear the beds.

I'd also really recommend you read up on the no-dig method .I've been doing it since I started and it's so simple & brilliantly effective.

Good luck!

[Two_Sheds]

the no-dig method .I've been doing it since I started and it's so simple & brilliantly effective

Amen to that

[Dynamo]

I'd also really recommend you read up on the no-dig method .I've been doing it since I started and it's so simple & brilliantly effective.

Good luck!

I have absolutely no qualms about digging my plot. I had been doing it spasmodically from last autumn, but then when the nice weather started last week I was lucky enough to have a few days off work and really put some time in grafting with my spade and fork and getting all the long rooted weeds out. After the first day I was completely jiggered and my bad back that has troubled me for about twenty years or more was really having a good gripe. One hot soak in the bath and a good nights sleep later I was fit and ready to do it all over again though, and as each day passed, my aches and pains have subsided a great deal. I think I've probably lost quite a few pounds in weight too so theres an added bonus.

I'll be back down the lottie tomorrow afternoon all being well to get back to turning the soil over. There's not much left to do now though. Daft as it may seem, I think I'm going to miss it. It looks like the only shovel I'll be weilding soon will be a firing one on the steam loco's lol.

[Lazgaot]

I have absolutely no qualms about digging my plot. I had been doing it spasmodically from last autumn, but then when the nice weather started last week I was lucky enough to have a few days off work and really put some time in grafting with my spade and fork and getting all the long rooted weeds out. After the first day I was completely jiggered and my bad back that has troubled me for about twenty years or more was really having a good gripe. One hot soak in the bath and a good nights sleep later I was fit and ready to do it all over again though, and as each day passed, my aches and pains have subsided a great deal. I think I've probably lost quite a few pounds in weight too so theres an added bonus.

I'll be back down the lottie tomorrow afternoon all being well to get back to turning the soil over. There's not much left to do now though. Daft as it may seem, I think I'm going to miss it. It looks like the only shovel I'll be weilding soon will be a firing one on the steam loco's lol.

I fully appreciate the feeling of satisfaction that one gets from digging and pulling out all the weeds and roots. But the sheer pleasure and time saved by not doing it is equally rewarding.

When I got my plot it was really overgrown and hadn't been used for over a year at least. I'm sure my back issues started as I dug and cleared it. I read Charles Dowdings book on No Dig gardening and the logic behind it made total sense to me so I adopted it from day one.

My neighbouring plots are cultivated conventionally, dug at regular intervals, and the weeding they have to do is unbelievable in comparison.