Instead of ploughing our field up...

[OverWyreGrower]

Our Great Plan (made in about August when the pic below was taken) was that we would plough our field up:


And divide it in half. Half for our "allotment" space and we'd re-seed the other half as lawn and for chickens.

The weather though has been absymal, and most of our garden has flooded (but not the field).

Since we're so behind with our Great Plan, we thought that we would:
a) Cut veg beds into the existing grass/weeds, turn them over and edge them with bricks we have (and cover with cardboard if necessary)
b) Fence the half off from the rest of the garden so the dog can't "help" us

Does that sound like a quicker and easier way than ploughing the whole field and then being left with a field of mud?

I figured we have enough space to leave the paths about 1.5m wide (to get wheelbarrows and the lawn tractor down), but would the paths be ok as grass/weeds?

Going to have lots of full weekends ahead of us

[Nicos]

I would cut out areas as you suggest.
Grass paths will be fine, and if you strim/mow them the weeds will go.
One word of warning though- if you cut beds into the pasture , I'd suggest you put something between the beds and grass to prevent the weeds which grow by throwing out roots sideways, as they will persist in trying to invade your new beds. ( I speak from experience here! )

[OverWyreGrower]

Thanks Nicos... do you mean sinking something (not sure what) a few inches into the ground?

[Nicos]

Yes- something the roots can't get through , down to a depth of about 9-12ins should halt most of them. (permeable membrane would probably do the trick- I used free metal sheeting, but my raised path needed supporting, and there was only 80 feet of it)
Couch grass , creeping ground elder and that spaghetti rooted pesk are 3 egs.
If you don't have any of those , you may be fine!
By digging the path areas, you would have removed most of that problem.
Might be worth trying some with edgeing and some without...

[OverWyreGrower]

I'd like to do the path areas eventually, but I think we'd be giving ourselves too much work, before planting season!

Maybe a job for next winter!

[dinky_doo]

dont i know aboutbeing behind on the plan i got a third of my plot dug and around 8, 7x4 beds made when in went the sun and it started raining in early nov. i went down 1 sunday in dec and it was flooded big time a lot of clay yu see ,so i might be able to fit it in -inbetween looking after the kids and going to see baby in hospital

[OverWyreGrower]

Dinky - our whole lawn is a quagmire... to get to the field (at the back of the garden) you need wellies, as the water comes over the top of my walking boots

It's living near the sea I think. We get horrible winds, but are so close to the water table, it can't drain off (thats what Mr OWG thinks anyway)

[roitelet]

Hi OWG,

I started with a field for a veg plot and also started small! I double dug removing all the obvious roots as I went and then burried all the remaining turf. I then banked the soil away from the remaining turf and didn't plant within about 18 ins of the edge of the beds and it worked Much cheaper than trying to edge the beds. The following two years the lottie plot was gradually extended and finally at the beginning of last year had a wooden edge put round it.

Good luck and remember that 'Small is Beautiful' to start with at least

[ugly gourd]

Watching other allotment holders opening plots the ones that leave the paths in between the bed seem to get on better than the ones whom dig everything then try to put a path back in they just end up with muddy weedy bits