New allotmenter in kent!

[DanL]

Hi
Brand new to the site and allotments! Got my first half plot and waiting for the keys (mereworth, kent). I've viewed the plot and it's pretty big but hasn't been used for a year or so, so has a lot of long grass about waist high but not too many weeds amongst it. What would be the best way to tackle the grass and what should I do with it all once it's cut down?! I want to get at least something in as I go through the plot. Does anyone have a good app which can plan the layout of a plot?

Thanks
Dan

[Martin H]

I would get hold of a strimmer, cut off all the top growth and stack it in a corner to rot down. Then I'd set to work to dig over, probably with a fork to get all the roots out. If you've got anything opaque to cover the undug parts until you get round to them and keep the light off, that's better still.

Oh, and welcome to the vine Someone will be along with app advice, I shouldn't wonder.

[Ding Dang Doo]

^^Wot he said^^



Cos I'm new too.



Welcome to the 'vine...

[noviceveggrower]

Hi there and welcome to the vine. Agree with what Martin says. I don't bother with these new fangled apps I like the good old fashioned pencil and paper. But someone will come along soon and give you some app advice

[Jay-ell]

Hi Dan and welcome.

Check out the big stores in your area for large cardboard boxes which they are often happy to give you. I have been known to pop into JTF and come out with three trolley fulls of cardboard boxes and one small bag of licorice sweets.

Lay the cardboard over the areas you aren't going to dig just yet (make sure to over lap them) and they'll help keep the growth down till you get to those bots (you may have to weight the cardboard down). If you can get hold of free/cheap compost (check your council) you can pile that ontop of the cardboard amd plant straight into that - as long as it isn't couch grass

[anton002]

Welcome to the vine

I would agree with what has been said ,strim everything down and dig it over ,cover what you can't manage and then work on one area at a time.

I got my plot about 5 weeks ago i think and it was fairly bad ,ive decided to concentrate on the one end shown this side of the greenhouse for now ,its about a third of the plot i would say ,get what i can in there and anything else is a bonus ,and just get everything ready for next year.

Ive been told by plenty of fellow plot holders that " Rome wasn't built in a day "

[Greenleaves]

Welcome to the vine, enjoy the benefits of the advice and humour

I am a fan of graph paper, mainly because I am always changing my mind!

[astraman1]

when i got my plot it was much the same as yours full of couch grass i covered it up with black plastic and just rolled it back as i dug get all the roots out as you go

work a small area and then re dig it as you will be suprised how many roots you will miss

[DanL]

Re

Thanks for the replies, I can get hold of a load of boxes which sound handy to have! I'll get strimming when the keys are given over and try and plant at least something in part of it and sort the rest for next year!
Thanks
Dan

[Sarico]

All as above for app advice I will forget it. I'm an app geek and I can't stand any of them. The best is using excel. Make every column nod line in square and each square equal a foot. So easy to use

[Martin H]

I'm an app geek and I can't stand any of them. The best is using excel. Make every column nod line in square and each square equal a foot. So easy to use

That's what I do. My Excel workbook has a separate sheet for details of each of my 25 beds (4 grid squares = 1 square foot) and a master sheet with an overall picture.

Here's an example of one of my beds:

[Mushaville]

I found the Growveg.com online tool to be really good :-)

[Pendipidy]

Hello! I am in kent too, tonbridge. I got a plot COVERED in weeds and couch grass! I got it in late feb and have dug a bit, weeded it, added compost, then planted it, then gud a bit more and carried on like that.
Don't wait until you dig the whole lot over before you plant, dig, then plant, then you'll get some stuff in and growing as you go.
I am a complete novice, but have reads loads to improve my knowledge! Why don't you see what you can plant now and get then get them in as soon as you clear a bit?

Good luck!

[DanL]

Re

Hi
Not too far from me then! Yes that's what I'm planning to do now reading all the info on here. Question is what to grow now! Any ideas of what would grow well this time of year in kent?
Dan

[ESBkevin]

Welcome,

as others have said. Strimmer and cardboard (weighed down). Dig in sections. You can still get some tatters in for a late crop (16 weeks to end sept?). Potatoes will feed you, keep the ground cleaner and help open up the soil for next year. Once you have some established planting you can go back to digging and select 1/3 of the plot to 'double dig' and bury lots of compost (and more cardboard) breaking up the plough pan for next years deep rooted crops. when you can then just dig and compost the rest, if not use more cardboard and mulch to keep the weeds off.

Remember the motto 'Dig a row, have a blow!' There's no point killing yourself to get healthy is there.