digging over the lottie!

[lottie-newbie]

well I said I was feeling bad as I hadnt been to lottie since October and i finally made it today! it was really nice here in the midlands and I was the only person there which was nice. I managed to dig over about a quarter og the plot. I didny get the weeds out-literally just turned it over. Next time i go when its nice i will hopefully try to get the wes out. Will this be ok? its really just bits of tufty kind of grass, odd bit of couch grass here and there and some rosette type weeds. Ther were still some beetroot left in but i guess these will be like old bit s of wood now so i put those on the compost heap. Worst thing is not really knowing what i am doing and thinking that others will be looking at me and laughing!

[Percy T]

you will prob find people offering advice, but I very much doubt people will laugh at you not on a lottie site. The peeps that laugh are those who buy expensive veg from supermarkets.

[SHAZSULL]

dont worry we went down today hoping to bump into some one ,not a soul!
strimmed the long grass ,hubby put hand in poop yuck! pulled out some long woody stuff real easy one look like it had aparsnip attached only 1 out off about 100?
the grass is just like a carpet!
dont knock yourself weve all gotta start somewhere,i feel a bit useless too cant wait to bump into peeps down there
today was lovely was sure someone would be there!

[Two_Sheds]

I got down my lotty for the first time in months too ... I dug out loads of raspberry suckers, and despaired at the couch & buttercup taking hold again.
I covered it with a mulch of thick newspaper and old carpet, so when it dies back, by spring, it will be much easier to pull out.

[lesalou]

Off to see what ours looks like shortly - loads of grass coming through again i expect. we had an amazing find - 8 x 6 foot green house on freecycle. Can't wait to get that up and running. Roll on the spring!!!!! :-)

[jnkimjones]

I'm with you all!!! Everytime I book a day off to spend down the allotment....it rains!!! I keep a diary, and all I seem to be doing is moving jobs on by a week!! My mother and Father said they would help...thank God!!

[gojiberry]

I have been down to my allotments a couple of tomes this year, and I havn't seen a single person. Mind you most of the ones on my lottie are old traditionalists who will put their spuds in on good Friday and work the lottie till end Sept and then I wont see them till next good Friday.

Ian

[terrier]

My ground is just at the 'stick to your boots' claggy stage so I'm keeping off it, but I'm still pulling beetroot and onions out of the soil and they're fine to eat. What's left of the turnips are a bit woody now so they're for the compost heap. Apart from that, the only thing I've got growing are a few lettuce, but the seedlings are coming up now and soon it'll be time to start all over again.

[jackie j]

I am very often the only one at our site, but I like the peace and tranquility. I do put my radio on but its not loud, just reminds me that I am not alone in the world lol.
Need to get to mine again soon, wont have so much time this year as I have a job two afternoons a week.

[Paulottie]

In my humble opinion it is better to dig out the buttercup and couch as you go (don't worry about the meadow grass) . You are wasting time and walking on dug soil if you return to weed later...better to do 1/8th well than skim over a 1/4....if you are going back over use some duck boards in this sogginess.

I always dig in the muck in/mulch in late autumn/early winter..leaving the weather,birds and worms to work on it. That way land is nicely prepared and settled in spring. I would find pitching up on good Friday harder work as There is too much to do with propagating and planting to be digging. I still enjoy popping down to get the leeks and celeriac etc. and will do a bit of weeding if it is not too wet/frozen.....something magical about peace and quiet on a crisp winters day.

Forget the paranoia...nobody is laughing at you!...its OK!!!! your doing the right thing... and the only wrong way to dig is the one that hurts your back...a tip is not to lift great clods of earth on a fork and shake them, as you often see, rather twist them over and prise out the weeds on the ground.

....we are all here to offer advice and you'll quickly learn what suits you....best advice for any beginner is to feed the soil not the plant...get some muck to get the land in good song and you'll grow great veg.

[Snadger]

I need to go to lottie at least once every day.............else the chooks would go on strike!