Just Taken over my Allotment

[NewbieFromHell]

Hi All,

Just a post to say hi really, I've just taken over my allotment of 6.5 poles. busy cutting down the weeds at the moment, with a view to putting down weedkiller in the next week or so.

the patch is a wedge shape approx 22m long, 6m at the short end and 9m at the long, the 22m is the south side, not sure of the layout i want to use at the moment, apart from putting the shed out of the way at the top so the sun can get to all the crops

its my first allotment and i'm busy reading everything i can get my hands on including john seymores book on self-sufficiency.

so there it is my new allotment and so the journey begins

[Bigmallly]

Welcome to the vine NFH, weedkiller is often frowned upon. Much better to cover areas that you are not working on with cardboard or plastic. That way you can always plant stuff. Using weedkiller, you would have to wait till next year.

[Hans Mum]

And the priority has to be somewhere to sit and drink your cuppa while your planning your plot .....enjoy

[NewbieFromHell]

Welcome to the vine NFH, weedkiller is often frowned upon. Much better to cover areas that you are not working on with cardboard or plastic. That way you can always plant stuff. Using weedkiller, you would have to wait till next year.

Thanks, I was planning on covering with blackplastic, but was advised but someone else on the lot to use glysphate (not sure how you spell it) as apparently it will be fine to plant on within a month (not that i'm going to get a lot in this year anyway)

[rustylady]

Hi Newbie, welcome to the Vine.

I'm anti-weedkiller but if you intend to use it you should be aware that glyphosate needs to be sprayed on actively growing weeds. It is then absorbed through the leaves and kills the plants. If you cut everything down and then spray you will be wasting your time and money.

What sort of weeds are you dealing with?

By the way, could you add your location (nearest town) to your profile please? Then it will show on your posts and helps us understand your local growing conditions.

[Mikey]

Taking over a plot at this time of year is a tough one. I've recently been given an adjoining plot to mine, trying to dig the heavy clay now is a pointless exercise so I've covered it with black plastic to kill the weeds, and look to make a start in the autumn.

You can still get planning with what to grow for over wintering. Onions, broad beans, etc.

Enjoy.

[Jamesy_uk]

It is tough this time of year, I got mine end of June last year but there is still a lot of stuff you can grow to just give you a taste, check out some of the threads on here.

[veggiechicken]

Hello Newbie and welcome. Like so many others on here, I wouldn't use weedkiller. Cover it with cardboard to smother the weeds and clear it bit by bit. As you clear a patch, plant it up with something to keep the ground covered and slow up the weeds return.

[NewbieFromHell]

hey all thanks for the replies, I have added my location which is Milton Keynes

weeds are nothing special, grasses, docks, nettles etc... got something that looks a bit like ivy but is creeping through the grasses etc...

I'll think about the weedkiller i'm going to head down there in a couple of hours to continue the scything

[Indigo23]

Hello, Newbie. Good advice you have already from the other Grapes. I wouldn't use weedkiller either. We took our plot on at the end of April and, what with other commitments, we're still working through clearing it.

[Veggielot]

Unfortunately weeds are a fact of life with an allotment, it is more a case of controlling them then getting rid of them. you cound spray your whole plot which will get rid of what you already have, but they will come back if you dont do anything with the ground afterwards i.e planting and/or covering.

Weedkiller is not particular popular with a lot of people but ultimately it is your choice. If you do spray though avoid a windy day so it does spread to any neighbouring plots.

when I got my plot, I cut down all the weeds and then covered most of my plot and started work on the rest and gradually worked my way over the whole plot.

Nothing to serious with most the weeds you mention. Docks probably best to dig up to get rid of the roots., the nettles you can cut down and make into a liquid feed. The one that looks a bit like ivy could be bind weed and that can be a bit of a pain, if it have any flowers on it then it probably is. If it is then it can be difficult to get rid of even using weedkiller but can be controlled.

[bojangles]

Ahh another member from Milton Keynes where is your plot? Good luck with it all mine was waist high in weeds luckly I had help with clearly it all. Now nearly two years on it's slowing getting there!! My weeds are still going strong too!! But do rem a weed is just a flower in the wrong place!! Im been cutting down the weeds and collecting them to use on the plot once all cut up. I've got blindweed too much for my likings o well that what happerns when you rush ahead and don't think clearly!! Don't rovlataet sp?? otherwise you will just end up with even more weeds!! O rem take photos dailly!!

[Guykp57]

Welcome newbie, I new to all this had my plot about 2 months and its great, hard work but know its going to be worth. Got bits and pieces going on but cos i got it late everything in ground is later than everyone's around me but no worries...planning next years crops already. And of course there's winter stuff.

[NewbieFromHell]

Ahh another member from Milton Keynes where is your plot?

hey Bojangles, its on the patch allotments, Woughton on the Green, yours ?

[Feral007]

I'm not into weedspray either. Just remember that whatever you do the weeds will still keep reappearing. Weedspray does not mean that they are all dead forever. When you look at it that way it's often not worthwhile spraying, but it is your choice.

We are doing cardboard with mulch on top. The cardboard will kill off many of the weeds underneath. The you can plant through the cardboard, by cutting holes in it, or lift it off and plant. We use the cardboard as mulch and hay mulch on top. There's loads of advice on this sort of thing on the forum. Have a good look around.

You need to do some work on the allotment but if you cover it first, then start working on one small area after another, you have two things going for you. One you're suppressing the weeds till you can work on them, two you are able to plant up with things to cover and improve the soil as you go. You'll find that lots of people who've had big clearings first up have found the weeds are springing up on the bits they did first before they get to the last. Plant as you go.

And because you are not trying to do it all at once, you can take your plan of things (where the sun is, how much sun the different plants need etc) and plan what you will put where as you go. And you can change things as you go because you haven't done it all at once. Have fun!