Novice with new allotment

[GoldenBeryl]

I've just got myself a half plot. I'm new to all of this and whilst trying to tackle it discovered the no-dig method. It's a clay soil plot (London) and hadn't been used for a while but had been treated so I was left with a compacted ground with weeds.

I luckily found a farm giving away rotted manure so used this and added it to the soil. I was going to just cover it but was advised to dig it in and loosen the soil. Now I made a mistake and left it over the winter and the weeds are back! I really don't want to turn the soil over and the ground isn't compact as I had dug in the manure 5 months ago. Can I just cover it with membrane and plant or do I really need to turn the soil, remove weeds and adopt a more traditional approach as advised?

Many thanks

[veggiechicken]

Hi Beryl and welcome to the forum
Can you hoe the weeds off? That's the quick and easy way!

[damian1225]

Hoe the weeds off and fill it with spuds! ��

Welcome to the vine and good luck with the plot ��

[GoldenBeryl]

Thank you both.

Now, don't laugh but I've never hoed before! I've bought a razor hoe so do I cut weeds down or remove? Then, do I just cover with membrane?

Apologies for the silly questions- there may be a few!

[Jay-ell]

Razor hoe - is that the small single handed sycle type of Japanese hand hoe?


That's great for small areas and harvesting but you'll probably do yourself in trying to hoe a large area with it.


There are loads of different types of hoes each of which is aimed at certain tasks but most people start off with a Dutch hoe for weeding


This is run rust under the surface of the soil to sever the roots without turning or disturbing the soil.

[Bigmallly]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Sd1goACTn0

[veggiechicken]

Don't worry Beryl, we won't laugh at you...............well, just a little
A hoe is great, just keep it moving whenever you spot the weeds emerging. Never let them see a Sunday

[Jay-ell]

You know, I forgot to say hello and welcome so hello and welcome.

If there's perennial weeds such as nettles, dock or dandelion you will have to get their roots up and out the soil as well or they'll just grow back again.

[Baldy]

Welcome along...

and good luck with the new plot - sure you'll do fine - ask questions get lots of (different) answers

[GoldenBeryl]

Thank you all so much. And hello to you! I didn't do that first did I? 😊

Thank you for the video link and for the Dutch hoe picture - I now know a little bit more about gardening!

Oh, is there anything I can use to disguise the membrane? Something to make it look a little less bare. Or will anything used just encourage slugs?

[Guest]

Hi and welcome to the vine

You are best leaving the membrane bare.

[Chestnut]

One chap on our site has weighted his plastic membrane down with a few grow bags - that way he can still grow a few bits and pieces on the bits of his plot where he's still subduing the weeds

[Cadalot]

Flower Buckets filled and planted are useful ways of holding membrane in place, at the moment I have my flower buckets full of manure, so I have it stored for adding to the compost heap as they year progresses and I dig and release more area of the plot.