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A large area of my newish allotment had black weed suppressing fabric over it, put there by the previous owner. It had been there so long it was completely covered in weeds/grass itself. I have taken the fabric up, and the soil below is pleasingly weed free. However it is solid! The soil is round here has a high clay content and with the last couple of weeks sun (and me tramping all over it all winter!) it is now virtually undiggable. Can I get it into a fit state for this season? If so how? I wondered rotovator, but the advice is always not to use them. Any ideas would be very much appreciated!
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Fork it over after a shower or a watering, that usually softens it up enough to work and above all.....
stop walking on soil you want to grow in! Get yourself some old planks of wood, anything will do, to stand on while working on the plot.
Better still divide the plot into bed areas that can be worked from the paths - so you never tread on the soil, beds don't have to be raised with wood, to work well
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Agree with Thelma, stop walking on it. Is the soil wet or dry? If it is dry you will have to wait til it's rained to soften it. When digging use a fork and add some organic matter as you dig. You might also consider using a digging hoe.
I've got this one:
https://www.chillingtontoolsonline.c...headed-hoe-p41
Very satisfying to use. There are YouTube clips of how to use it. Sometimes called an adze.Comment
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or.....
Try to put some fork holes in, just for a bit of drainage;
Put mounds of manure on top;
Re-cover with black plastic and then plant through the plastic things like pumpkins and courgettes.
By the end of the season the ground underneath will be beautiful.
If you do decide to do this, a couple of points to note....
when you put your plants in sink an upturned pop bottle with the bottom cut off next to them to enable you to water the roots.
Slugs will love the underside of the plastic. Make sure your plants are big enough and hairy enough to take care of themselves and use your preferred method of slug control for a week or two before planting.
On the plus side.....a flourishing pumpkin patch looks fab, the leaves will hide the plastic in no time and it's one section of your new plot that will require almost no work to be productive for you this year!Comment
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