New (overgrown) Allotment

[Jimothy1275]

Hi all,
This is my first post hopefully of many!

I got handed the keys to an allotment on Friday, and popped over to have a look after work to survey my new acquisition.

I was a bit disheartened when I couldn't find the gate in to my plot because of all the nettles...

So on Saturday I went back armed with some stout gloves and a pair of shears and went to work, managed to clear the front and gate enough to get in, and cleared a path to the back of the plot, where I discovered a padlocked shed underneath a thicket of brambles. On my way through the jungle I discovered some cold frames, a wheelbarrow, a pushchair and some old tyres. Once I've cleared the brambles from the shed, I looking forward to getting in there to have a look at what's been left behind as I can see a padlock keeping it secure.

Here's a photo of my plot from the front looking down to the end
IMG_1357 by James Saunders, on Flickr

I spent a few hours there on Saturday and a couple on Sunday afternoon. I have managed to clear a good portion of the front of the plot, need to do some digging of roots and lay down some weed suppressant as I go away in a couple of weeks for a fortnight and didn't want all my hard work to go to waste.

Here's where I got to in operation clearance -
Looking towards the front from about halfway
IMG_1364 by James Saunders, on Flickr

Looking from the front
IMG_1366 by James Saunders, on Flickr

Going to go up after work today and tackle the nettles along the left hand side fence.

Here's the shed hiding away
IMG_1353 by James Saunders, on Flickr

[1Bee]

Wow, James you work hard!!! You'll be impressing all your neighbours who'll be glad to see the plot being looked after again, and all those weed seeds disappearing. This will pay off with offers of spare plants and seeds, no doubt....

I'm excited for you, for two reasons - 1) nettles means fertility. 2) the padlocked shed.... what will you find? Please let us know where you get in there.

You're very wise to be laying down weed matting. But please don't try and do too much at once and end up running out of steam.

Looking forward to seeing your progress. Thanks for sharing the pics.

[Jay-ell]

Hi James - wow, loads of work done.

Get some cardboard and rip it to shreds for browns to mix with all those green nettles - you should be able to get some hot compost going in no time.

[bikermike]

+1 on the compost - get it all piling up and composting

a locked shed... what could it contain... (my money's a few rusty tools and a near infinite amount of that green netting that is of very little use)

[pauls_allotment]

Incredible effort so far well done!

Some people say clear a small area, dig it and get planting but I've never found this helpful tbh. It's a personal preference and I'm the sort of guy who when he does something, he does it all at once and doesn't do anything until it's done. If I'm clearing an area, I won't stop until it's clear. If I'm digging, I'll do nothing until it's dug. You could be different, but mentally I think you'd feel much better getting the area clear to ground level and then start planning!

Best of luck and keep us updated. I'm fairly new to the game too.

[bikermike]

I'm a "do a bit at a time", but the critical thing is that you've got the membrane down, so it won't get wasted if you can't get it all planted.

bear in mind that with cultivated ground it's "use it or lose it" (well, actually, "use it, cover it in membrane, grow green manure on it, or lose it" - but that's not as snappy).

Can you cover the membrane with, eg woodchip - it stops it degrading as fast under UV light/being ripped etc?

[Jay-ell]

a locked shed... what could it contain...

If the previous owner is anything like me - the key to the padlock

[1Bee]

You forgot the holey hose that's tied everything to the wheelbarrow, mike... ;-)

[bikermike]

in my plot the holey hose was hung up in the sun and had welded itself together, I had to cut it off to get to the good hose...

[Jay-ell]

None of my hoses were holey. The longest of the 40 or so hoses, however , was 18".

[1Bee]

AHHAHHAHHHAHahhahahahhahaha!!!

[Jimothy1275]

Wow, James you work hard!!! You'll be impressing all your neighbours who'll be glad to see the plot being looked after again, and all those weed seeds disappearing. This will pay off with offers of spare plants and seeds, no doubt....

I'm excited for you, for two reasons - 1) nettles means fertility. 2) the padlocked shed.... what will you find? Please let us know where you get in there.

You're very wise to be laying down weed matting. But please don't try and do too much at once and end up running out of steam.

Looking forward to seeing your progress. Thanks for sharing the pics.

The plot has been neglected for about two seasons now, I was talking to my neighbour on the left hand side and he said the people on the right have been complaining to the town council for ages about the state of it. I think they'll be glad to see some activity going on when they're up next!

I can't wait to get in the shed too, it's a case of wondering what's in there, I'm hoping it's bags of cash, but I know I'm going to be disappointed...

[Jimothy1275]

Incredible effort so far well done!

Some people say clear a small area, dig it and get planting but I've never found this helpful tbh. It's a personal preference and I'm the sort of guy who when he does something, he does it all at once and doesn't do anything until it's done. If I'm clearing an area, I won't stop until it's clear. If I'm digging, I'll do nothing until it's dug. You could be different, but mentally I think you'd feel much better getting the area clear to ground level and then start planning!

Best of luck and keep us updated. I'm fairly new to the game too.

I'm in the same school of thought as you, I'm not going to break my back clearing it, but it's all I will focus on until it's done. I aim to clear the front half completely, then dig the roots out, then concentrate on the back half as I think that's going to be more work. Although I'm going to have to get into the shed soon as the curiosity is driving me mad!

[Jimothy1275]

I'm a "do a bit at a time", but the critical thing is that you've got the membrane down, so it won't get wasted if you can't get it all planted.

bear in mind that with cultivated ground it's "use it or lose it" (well, actually, "use it, cover it in membrane, grow green manure on it, or lose it" - but that's not as snappy).

Can you cover the membrane with, eg woodchip - it stops it degrading as fast under UV light/being ripped etc?

I'm going to speak with a friend of mine who knows a tree surgeon to see if I can get a load of chippings, I am going to keep a path up one side as it's going to get heavy footfall while I'm clearing and i don't fancy it turning into too much of a mud bath over the winter. But yep, will look to cover the membrane with some sort of mulch be it woodchips or cardboard for now.

[chillithyme]

Great photos and progress, how exciting to find all thoses goodies at the allotment, especially the shed, that's like finding a pot of gold at the bottom of a rainbow, great place to seek cover and have a cup of tea when it rains, don't forget your biscuits