Please help! got my first allotment!

[buttercup]

Hello, im in need of some advise!
me and my boyfriend have just got our first allotment, its huge, and the lady who had it before us let it grow wild!
we are keeping a large section at the bottom of our plot wild hopefully to atract more insects and birds ect. but the rest of the plot has got stumps of straw like grass covering the surface and i have no idea what is the best way to get rid of it?
the soil seems good and alkaline,
we are also a little worried because the council said they may of sprayed it to get rid of the weeds.
Basically we would like to know how to tackle this first hurdle, and if there any problems we may get because of it being neglected for so long!
Any advise at all is welcome as we are keen to get the most out of this lovely plot as we wont be living in the same area in two/three years time!
thanks so much, buttercup xxx

[mandyballantyne]

Hi Buttercup,

Welcome to the vine and good luck with your lottie.

I am sure you will get loads of good advise from the others, I am fairly new myself.

I cleared a piece of waste ground last year and basicaly just dug pulling up all the weeds and all the roots, you could cover part of it in black plastic or card which will kill everything off eventually.

Don't over do the digging, back ache etc just clear enough for now maybe to get some tatties in,

Have fun, Mandy

[budmap]

hi i only got my lottie last march and it was in a similar condition to yours but i was told that the council did the first dig so they came and ploughed it over i still got alot of weeds but it was easier to keep on top of getting rid of weed shoots rather than full grown weeds just dont get disheartened

[supersprout]

It's a wonderful day when you get the new plot isn't it buttercup?
Just relax, trim down and cover weeds, then tackle it one portion at a time. A good time to get your nose into some gardening books and forums, and to plan what you want to eat and how you want to grow (so many different ways!)
Whenever I take on a new plot I clear it like this: http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/scho...gGardening.pdf

There are as many ways of growing and cultivating veggies as there are gardeners. I hope you make new friends on your plot, their advice and goodwill will be invaluable in your first few years. Just take it slow and steady, and have fun!

[buttercup]

Hi! Thanks for the tips!
thankfully there are no big weeds but maybe the way ahead is to cover it all over!
got some manure coming from the local stables next week and my compost bin comes tommorow, already got a heap coverd over in the garden!
such a great oppertunity to stay out of the pub!
roll on good weather and longer days!
cheers, buttercup!

[Shortie]

Hi buttercup and welcome to the vine

the biggest problem I can see once the council clear the ground for you is the seeds left in the soil will grow. But, once they've done the initial clear for you, it should be easy to keep on top of the seedling weeds with a hoe, or hand weeding

It might be good to put some general food down for the soil too. Ask inth elottie shop if you have one as they'll know best for you soil

And most of all, enjoy it and don't worry too much about the odd weed here and there. Better to have a few manageable weeds and loads of produce, than a perfectly manicured plot and hardly and produce I say

[buttercup]

thank you!

thanks for that!
Our allotment is quite basic no sheds or anything, but luckily its only 200yrds away!
i dont no much about mulching, but have acces to a load of horse manure.
could i cover it over with manure and then put tarp over it?
but dont know how long it would take to rot down?
is it to late to get the soil in good condition before planting main crops?
buttercup

[madderbat]

Hi Buttercup
We were newbies last year, so don't have a lot of experience. Our lottie had been unworked for a couple of years and we found that the soil doesn't need much conditioning if it's had a rest.
Try digging/weeding small patches at first, and plant in them, then take your time and get the rest down bit by bit.
Good luck (and welcome to the vine)

[dexterdoglancashire]

Hello B and welcome to the Vine! I only got my lottie just before Christmas, and because of all the bad weather we've had, I've just covered the weeds with thick cardboard then thick black plastic sheeting (got it from B&Q). Just need some good weather to get in there!

I dug over my awful back garden at this time last year - that was full of rotting grass and doggy p** - so we dug down and dug out all the grass then I divided it up into sections and dug each bit over.

It's really exciting isn't it getting your very own lottie?! If you have a look around the different threads there are quite a few that give good advice.

What I would say is (although this is the most hard work - but I did it with my back garden) is to divide it up and dig out the weeds by hand - it takes longer, is harder work - but it paid dividends with my back garden.

Good luck - looking forward to hearing how you get on. DDL

[nick the grief]

Hi buttercup welcome to the vine.

Mulching is the sound that caterpillers make as they eat you greens

When I took my lottie on it hadn't been done for years so they (they site) ploughed it & removed the worst of the weeds & then I forked it through & got a lovely flush of green!! A quick spray with some round up & that sorted that out & then I planted some tatties in & covered the rest with Old Carpet.

Current thinking is not to use carpet cos the chemicals that they treat/clean it with can be harmfull - alll I can say is I'm a normal sort of person & it hasn't harmed me yet ....... well relativly normal ...... maybe ......ish

I'd go for the cardboard, well rotted muck & black plastic approach now I think, the Cardboard will start to break down after about 6-8weeks, the rotted muck will allow the tatties to grow in something nutrisious as they are heavy feeders (bit like LJ so I'm told) & the black plastick will keep out the light so you won't have to earth up or worry about weeds growing.

If you cover all your plot you can roll back a bit at a time & make sure its really clear before moving on to the next bit. & if you don't like the thought of all theat black plastic, get some tubs fro your nearest pound shop & grow some beg & flowers in them, they will cheer it up and hold the plastic down.

[dexterdoglancashire]

"get some tubs fro your nearest pound shop & grow some beg & flowers in them, they will cheer it up and hold the plastic down"

What a good idea Nick! Will do this weekend! DDL PS It will look a darn sight better than my pallets.

[nick the grief]

put them on yer pallets DDL it all adds to the effect - you can use troughs then.

Thats two tips now

[dexterdoglancashire]

put them on yer pallets DDL it all adds to the effect - you can use troughs then.

Thats two tips now

How much do I owe you? DDL

[Digger-07]

I agree with everything but would stress the dividing it into managable strips bit. It is really good to get to the end of a row when you're digging. 30 foot never ends, 10 foot is better, shorter makes the going fly by. Plus you don't need to keep moving the barrow to throw in the weeds.

[serenity]

I would love an allotment, have enquired locally with the council and there are loads available near us but they are sooo overgrown, 5 ft plus brambles covering the whole of the plots . It's too much for me alone as OH not interested in gardening at all although smugly takes my excess veggies in to work