Overgrown plot! Pull weeds out or dig in?

[Does the Cooking]

My partner had a stroke earlier in the year so have been unable to visit plot. Completely untended. Severely overgrown with weeds etc.

What should I do with weeds etc pull them out or dig them in? Or should I apply weed killer first?

Thanks folks.

[Mr Bones]

Sorry to hear about your partner DTC. For me I wouldn't use weed killer where I intend to plant edibles (even if it isn't until next year). I'd be inclined to cut the weeds down with my trenching hoe and either dig out any perennial roots or keep hoeing them back. You could mulch also to keep control. Good luck with it.

[ESBkevin]

The easy answer is to cover in a light excluding membrane and mulch.
Cheapest method is brown corrugated cardboard and wood chip. Chop the weeds down and leave them there. Cover with the card and hold it down with a thick woodchip mulch (3"+) from a tree surgeon or whatever. Come spring you can either plant through it or dig it because the worms will have done lots of the work for you.

[alldigging]

Docks and dandelions are best dug out. The rest don't matter so much. Ease of work is covering as much space as possible with cardboard and a muck mulch.
Dig a small area over though with no muck for carrots.

[Kirk]

I would suggest a good pair of gardening gloves and pull everything you can. Digging them in is not going to help as many will have roots that regrow. Also I would expect that in the weeds are some items that you can harvest and cook. So get those if possible.

After that the options are up to you. However the big weeds will have come out and you will have a greater chance of seeing the state of things.

[lottie dolly]

I am in your position literally,hope yours makes as good a recovery as mine is slowly doing,i personaly have pulled the weeds by hand,some area's strimmed,and another just mowed down for a grass area,yes it is very hard work,but this time of the year,as has been suggested cut,leave and cover where you can till next year,let nature do it's stuff,things like dock,nettles,thistles and,need to be dug out, and either burned or drowned to go on the compost heap next year,along with any bind weed and horse tail roots also drowned,if you plan to sow some over winter onions ext, then you will need to prep a bit of an area,what i have been doing the last 3 or months is taking him with me,he rests or mooshes about whilst i get something done,good for both of you,this will give you some time to yourself whist knowing they are safe,take your time,ask if any friends or family can give you a hand,and take time out to breath,good luck to you

[w33blegurl]

Echo what others have said! No weedkiller and get rid of anything nasty that's likely to keep coming back! I'm a big fan of black plastic and have half a (new) plot covered in it at the moment. It stopped the weeds getting any worse and has killed off most of what was under there, although the bindweed needs to be dug out by hand and is still going fairly strong!! Hope your OH has a speedy recovery!