Preparing large area for plot space

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

I have been invited along with a few others to utilise a paddock for vegetable growing. Currently it is rough pasture with some couch grass amongst other things running through it.

The owner has offered to plough the lot and drag chains over it.

I am not well informed enough to know if this is a good idea or not. I am worried the couch grass and everything will be broken up and scattered further.

It did cross my mind that if they really wanted to do bulk preparation it might be better to scrape the top layer (as thin a layer as possible)? Then mark out plots and get them covered. I have read that some allotment sites do this to help people who are taking on badly overgrown plots.

Alternatively just do it bit by bit and try and cover marked areas now - though I think they want to just crack on... so not sure this will be an option.

Thanks.

[veggiechicken]

Sounds like a great opportunity!!
What about mowing the grass off. Then cutting the turves on the plots and stacking them to rot down?

[poly]

Are pigs a possibility? They do a great job turning ground over, eating roots as they go and fab for clearing up wire worm etc too. They'll produce some useful manure and are generally lovely fun animals.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Thanks vc.

It is a great opportunity and having not been here for very long I was surprised to be asked. It will allow us to grow things we haven't got space for here and larger quantities. Also, it is literally over the road so only a short trot. There is also unmetered water on site.

They did have some horses on there the other week - not sure if they could put them back for a while to mow it for us!

That was kind of the thinking with scraping - heap and cover the scrapings. It means a start can be made and the scrapings can rot down.

I don't know what the dimensions of the space are. But it is a few plots at least.

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

A pig was mentioned a few weeks ago. Though it was in the context of bacon sarnies and sausages rather than ground clearance and nutrients.

I will ask.

[Two_Sheds]

The owner has offered to plough the lot and drag chains over it

There are pros and cons, as there are to everything.

Ploughing will turn the soil over and loosen it somewhat (but only to a shallow depth, and the weight of the plough is going to cause further compaction too of course).

A bare brown field will look lovely for about 5 mins, then all those weed seeds that had been buried, are going to germinate now they've seen daylight

I am worried the couch grass and everything will be broken up and scattered further

couch grass reproduces by root cuttings: what does digging/ploughing do? Cut up the roots.

It would work if you got right on top of every bit of grass as it germinated again in the spring, and fork it out. Lots of work though, and if you stop forking it out it will take over again

mark out plots and get them covered.

That's what I've done with a client's field. We sectioned off a corner of the horse's field (the poop corner, as it happens. Oh the irony) and dug that over.
With 4 of us it took an afternoon, and it got planted up too. She's apparently had a massive crop of pumpkins


If she wants a bigger veg patch, she only has to move the electric fence a bit more, and dig over another section. As and when she's ready

[Loudbarker1]

Three options in my book:

1) cover with light impermeable material that (ideally) that lets water through and (again ideally) a layer of organic material on top of the soil (eg animal dung, straw, compost etc) but under the material and leave for a minimum of 6 months and better a year;

2) Spray with glycophosphate in the spring - it's a bit late this year - leave for four weeks and then start gardening;

3) laboriously dig out every last bit of couch and other weeds over the winter and then start planting once it has all gone.

I have read about the pig solution and it sounds great but I have to admit I am dubious. But it's option 3 with the advantages that the pig manures the land, does the work and you can eat it at the end.

LB

[Two_Sheds]

lol that's so funny

[Two_Sheds]

That was kind of the thinking with scraping - heap and cover the scrapings. It means a start can be made and the scrapings can rot down.

Or you can turn the first spit over, burying the grass which will rot down in situ. It'll save you making a heap, and you can pull out the couch roots as you find them

[daviddevantnhisspiritwife]

Thank you for the replies. I'll have a chat with them as soon as I can.

It looks like marking out beds with paths in between, cover (with cardboard). If we can get something to graze if before that would be good.

We can then manually deal with them over the winter.

Of course it's not my land so I will offer this up and see.

Thanks again - I will report back.

[grahamR]

I suggest spraying the whole area with glysophate to ensure that current weeds don't return. That won't stop weeds seeds for the next few years but by then individuals should be looking after smaller areas. Next step depends on how you want to develop. You could then have the whole site ploughed. That would give plot holders broken ground to deal with - a bit easier than digging virgin land. You may need tracks through the site. Make them just wide enough for a vehicle - sheds, etc. May need to be delivered. Think, too, about water supplies. Even if piped water is available push for folk to use water butts.


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