how to clear a plot

[darcyvuqua]

i was given a very big plot on saturday in fact its a sun trap very very nice however i need to clear it first i have clear one bed since saturday the rest is covered with bind weed, brambles, nettles and a whole load more so what i am asking it the any quick solution to this or am i just going to have to break my back to get it to even look like an allotment i have scouted about and taken close to 4 bin bags full of rubbish out of the plot but even now it looks as if its still been untouched

i want to do this however im starting to think that maybe i should have turned the plot down

[alldigging]

Have a good look through and see whether you've got anything planted in it.
Work out where they had paths (Unless it's a completely new plot) and divide it up.

Aim to cover anywhere that has nothing you want to keep in and then start on one bit.

Get something planted ASAP and then you'll feel like you've got it started!

[Jelliebabe]

What they said ^^^

Get it covered! Any cardboard that you can beg borrow or steal - halfords or other warehouse style diy places are quite good for this. strim if you can and put the cardboard down on top. this will weaken the weeds and stop more growing until you can get to them. Then dig and plant as you go along. Dont do what I did and go mad dig it all over and then have weeds spring up within two weeks it looks as bad as before! Nature abhors a vacuum so dont clear or uncover until you have something to plant in!

Cardboard is really good as it will rot down and improve the soil too. You can plant through it as well! Dont feel bad - Rome was not built in a day! Little and often!

[alldigging]

Ask at local corner shop for cardboard + supermarkets
Be flexible about what time you go and collect if possible. If they save it for you they won't want it lay about the shop.

[Jamesy_uk]

To give you an idea on waste my patch is overgrown, I cleared 1 bed which was about 8m x 2.5m and we filled 26 large garden refuse sacks. I have another larger one to do this week and am expecting half again as much.

[alldigging]

we filled 26 large garden refuse sacks.

With what?

[dominic10]

We took on a 5 rod plot at the beginning of April. First thing we did was to make a compost pile out of pallets. Any large clumps of grass were put in there. I also acquired two builders dumpy sacks and planted carrots and parsnips in these. We are eating the carrots now. I've used some cardboard. When we arrived on the plot there were lots of chickweed flowering all over the place so these were the first weeds we tackled. We then dug out huge clumps of bindweed and nettles. We did rotovate but then covered over half of the plot in plastic and planted spuds. Luckily we have a trailer as we took trailer loads of bags of rubbish and various items including old roof rack bars, an old rusty wheelbarrow and even an old grim reaper type sycthe amongst other things. We planted as we went along. Our previous plot holder had buried loads of plastic bags which had deteriorated and we have now built raised beds and bought in top soil for the part of the plot most affected. P.S. quite a few people turned down our plot before us but it has been well worth all the hard work. We still have some work to do but are eating spuds, carrots, spinach and runnber beans at the mo. I wished I'd taken photos but we felt it didn't look too bad at the time. Keep telling yourself it will be worth all the effort in the long run.

[Samurailord]

I have found that the best time to go to the supermarkets for cardboard is about 5am (if it's a 24 hour one) as by then the night shift have pretty much finished stacking the shelves but haven't yet got round to throwing out the cardboard.

I managed to get about 40-50 square metres of cardboard in one trip - crisp boxes and the cardboard used between layers of pop bottles is the best.

Drop in late at night as they are just starting and speak to the night manager. Tell him what you want and arrange to come back at 5 or 6 the next morning.

If you are as lucky as I was he will arrange to have all the cardboard you want put into a cage for you so you can just wheel it out to your car in one go when you get there the next morning.

Andy

[Jamesy_uk]

With what?

Dandelions, woody roots, mats of nettle roots, couch grass roots, wild poppies, bramble roots you name it. I am sure if we left the bags loose tied we could of used maybe half that in bags or composted some but everything was intergrowing and it would of taken an age to seperate it.

[darcyvuqua]

what weeds can be composted
what weeds cant be composted
im fairly new to growing as everything i have grown has been in pots
would anyone use chemicals to clear areas?

[Jamesy_uk]

Well most can be composted under the right circumstances like bindweed left in a bag to decay for awhile should be o.k, when your first starting out it's a choice like me I want a clean slate to start with and go from there.
As for chemicals I wouldn't use them but thats a personal preference but before you do anything i'd check up on here first because I am sure some folks will have some great info about which to avoid and side effects etc.

[alldigging]

All weeds can be composted. They just need different techniques for the stubborn ones.

Every bt you throw away is a bit of potential compost lost.

Old bloke n my last site had the biggest compost piles ever and composted everything together.

[Jelliebabe]

Better to have a messy plot in a good position than a tidy one in a bad position

You'll get there! Take pics!

[Bigmallly]

Welcome to the vine Darcy, try not to get over-awed by your plot, I would say 5x1hour stints is better than 1x5hour stint. Take your time, like as already been suggested cover parts up with cardboard or plastic sheeting until you can get round to sorting those areas. Make a plan if that's how you wish to do it or has been mentioned, clear an area and plant it up. The main thing is that you enjoy it & it doesn't become a chore, if it becomes a chore, then you will pack it in. You will get there if you are patient.

[Feral007]

Seems like a lot of the plots that are available are because people haven't been lookiing after them.
I'd definately agree a plot with sun is worth it's rubbish weight in gold! Well in compost really, since that's gold.
As for spraying (says she who is spraying 90 acres atm, because I have to) if you spray then the seeds that are already in the ground will then pop straight up, or the seeds of plants that couldn't compete with the ones you just sprayed. Spraying doesn't get rid of weeds it just changes the type of weed.
I agree with the covering aspect. If you try and clear all, by the time you get from one end to half way through, the first lot will have weeds again.
Chop down the big woody ones, and cover the spot - you can deal with the roots later. Strim and cover. I use black plastic here to solarise weeds. It's done a fabulous job one on of the nasty weeds. If you can dig it in around the edges so that the heat can't escape, then the sun will kill off the weeds underneath better than anything you can spray on - if the temperature is hot enough it will actually kill off the seed bank in the top soil as well - bargain! And then the dead weeds act as a mulch! It's really win, win.
Why don't you clear the quickest section, put down cardboard, put some hay and compost on top, and plant some late summer, autumn veg into that. Then you can make a plan of what you are doing with the rest of the plot, and mark it in stages and with time frames. It is so motivating to see something growing while you are busy killing all the weeds at the other end!

Enjoy it.