How to level an allotment plot?

[JaniceH]

Hi all,
I'm really not sure what to do for the best here, I wondered if I could ask some advice. My mum and I took over a new half plot, 8m x 8m last Saturday, I posted some pictures somewhere. It was completely full of rubbish, bags, old bottles and had giant vegetables still left in it. It was described to us as 'the previous tenant started things and left them, he also dug massive holes and then refilled them!'

However the whole plot is literally a massive moonscape of craters and sunk bits, we are talking whole really sunken beds, which were all edged in a twisted rope of plastic bags as a 'border'. I really need to level the plot properly so we can cover it in proper weed suppressant, then we are going to put raised beds/edged beds? on top, cutting the membrane in those places as the soil is mostly in good condition.

My mum is 70 and at the ripe old age of 44 I've already had two discs in my back rupture. I can dig and expected to remove weeds and rubbish, but not have to level to this extent. I'm seriously considering removing as many weeds as possible then getting a rotavator in, which I promised myself that I would never do. Just wasn't expecting this level of earth moving.

What would you do?

[WendyC]

My suggestion would be to tackle it a little at a time. If you are going to put raised beds in, then the bottom of them doesn't need to be too level to start with as presumably you are going to be filling the beds with something which you can level then. I'd take the level from the surrounding paths or plots, start one end and work across.
Sounds a bit of a nightmare, makes you wonder what the previous tenant was thinking of.

[alldigging]

Get someone with a good back to rotavate it after you've cleared the junk off and removed any perennial weeds.
Create a huge compost heap.

[Bill Door]

Hi JaniceH and welcome.

Normally I would say dig it over. However, given your personal circumstances I would second alldigging's suggestion. Get out the junk and ask someone to rotavate the ground several times between now and the end of April. You will probably get a load of weeds growing but if you rotavate enough you may kill most of them off. I would suggest covering the ground in between rotavating.

Meanwhile start off shallots and onion sets in modules. You could do the same with garlic and leave them outside (garlic that is but onions shallots in the shed/garage for now). Any other veges can be done in modules later.

Best wishes and I hope you both enjoy your exciting journey.

Bill
P.S. don't try to do too much in one go. Remember there is no point in growing sweetcorn if no one likes it!

[Veggielot]

When I first got my plot it was covered in brambles, weeds and assorted junk. I cleared the worst of the junk and then got a man with a mini digger to skim the surface. He just piled the rubbish in a corner. I covered and treated it as a big compost heap. Dug out the useable soil which I used to level off the bottom of my plot. Still had some rubbish and brambles left but a lot less than I started with and it did give a cleared flat if slightly sloping area to start working on.