Wow thank you all so much for taking the time to reply! There are some really good ideas to consider. @barry island yes, I have to say, I thought the same. I was quite surprised. I have paid a deposit on the plot that I will lose should it not have been kept cultivated when I hand it back. It looks like they aren’t using those lost deposits to keep the empty plots tidy. It’s a shame but hey-ho. My plot is going to be hard work. I’m told there was a guy who took it on before me who spent one afternoon on it and never returned... eek! However, I am determined.
The site grounds man is going to strim it this week and I’m going to take it on by hand a bit at a time. Rome wasnt built in a day and this plot definitely isn’t going to be easy : ) The roots that beat me are going to be treated with Glyphosate. I am then going to install raised beds and prepare woodchip paths.
I am determined to get something in by Spring even if I only have a couple of raised beds in!
Glyphosate doesn't work on roots. You need growing foliage and 6 hours minimum of sunshine to transport the active ingredients down to the root and it takes a minimum of 2 weeks to work. Plants like couch grass, thistle, bindweed, creeping buttercup will need more than one dose.
Good luck with it all. Hope you get some good crops.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
@MrsJennyP it isn't necessarily the case that you have a plot full of terrible weeds and only systemic weedkiller will cure it. Although it's obviously overgrown, it looks to be in amongst better cared for plots. Marestail and bindweed are both difficult, but apart from those two, the answer to most weeds is to improve your soil to make it easy to dig over. And then to dig the weeds out. You won't get them all, but you'll knock them right back and each season gets easier and the weeds fewer. My veg patch was sheep pasture when I started, with couch grass, spear thistle, creeping thistle, creeping buttercups, nettles and docks. All those things are still around, but are generally not in my veg beds anymore. I work full time, I have dodgy knees so digging is limited, I have cleared the area without resorting to superhuman effort and I've never used weed killer on it. Weeds are just plants, not monsters (except marestail. That is a monster).
I think your plan is a good one. Raised beds make it much easier to focus on one patch at a time and not get overwhelmed by trying to do everything on day one, as your predecessor probably tried. Weed thoroughly, mulch deeply, plant closely and tend regularly. The weeds will disappear if you stick at it
PS if you are struggling with a particularly persistent weed, ask your lotty neighbours. Anything in your plot will have been in the neighbouring plots at some point and they'll be able to suggest ways to control it.
Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
@raisingirl Thank you! I love your little mantra 😊 I actually haven’t spotted weeds as such, it’s just lots and lots (and lots) of grass (and abandoned plastic barrels which I’m hoping to use).
I’m hoping that once it’s been cut and I’ve cleared the cuttings away, it will be a little less overwhelming and I can make a proper start. Its going to be a massive learning curve for me but I’m ready for the challenge
You seem to have the right attitude for success, I agree with raisingirl allotments will have weeds and there's nothing that we can do about it apart from pulling them out every year. I have seen plots which have looked tended which after being left vacant for a few months become completely overgrown, if it's not the weed roots regrowing then it's years of seed laying in the soil germinating. I have had my plot for six years now and this year has been the easiest digging so far, that's maybe down to the weather but there are far less weeds than there used to be.
The suggestion for covering the plot with a sheet is a very good one. You'll need a lot of cover though, a lot of which- or at least some- you won't use again. Buy thick sheets that don't perish! I use these as much as I can at my plot, they're prevent weeds and as a nice side-effect offer homes to toads and voles.
Rotovate and then rake up the grass, is my preferred choice; even after the grass is dead there will be some mass to it (if you want to plant next year anyway). You will need to rotovate twice a year before planting season and, ideally once after. For a plot in this condition it'll need a couple of goes through with the rotovator. If you can't afford to buy one (I paid £120 for a second-hand one in good condition) then just stick to sheets. You could hire one to dig through the grass (you MUST rake it afterwards though), digging this by hand is a considerable amount of work.
From experience I'd not recommend laying weed sheets or putting in raised beds because they just end up being burdensome. To be frank, I'm a man who thinks the aesthetics of the plot are secondary to its function, you might feel differently and don't mind the trade-off.
Find what works for you, that's important (except weed killer, that's awful advice, you WILL end up eating it), it's mostly about managing the time you can put in. Don't burn yourself out, the plot doesn't have to be perfect in its first year!
Hi thanks for commenting @BobFlannigon & @Del_Griffith you’ve both definitely given me some food for thought.
I’m not sure about covering it yet. But I’ve definitely had a change of heart about week killer. I’m really going to have a think on it.
I’m not too concerned about the war of the weeds in the coming years. I find weeding quite therapeutic and get a great deal of satisfaction seeing the finished weed-free results - in the garden anyway 😊
Posts
@barry island yes, I have to say, I thought the same. I was quite surprised. I have paid a deposit on the plot that I will lose should it not have been kept cultivated when I hand it back. It looks like they aren’t using those lost deposits to keep the empty plots tidy. It’s a shame but hey-ho. My plot is going to be hard work. I’m told there was a guy who took it on before me who spent one afternoon on it and never returned... eek! However, I am determined.
The site grounds man is going to strim it this week and I’m going to take it on by hand a bit at a time. Rome wasnt built in a day and this plot definitely isn’t going to be easy : ) The roots that beat me are going to be treated with Glyphosate. I am then going to install raised beds and prepare woodchip paths.
I am determined to get something in by Spring even if I only have a couple of raised beds in!
Good luck with it all. Hope you get some good crops.
Marestail and bindweed are both difficult, but apart from those two, the answer to most weeds is to improve your soil to make it easy to dig over. And then to dig the weeds out. You won't get them all, but you'll knock them right back and each season gets easier and the weeds fewer. My veg patch was sheep pasture when I started, with couch grass, spear thistle, creeping thistle, creeping buttercups, nettles and docks. All those things are still around, but are generally not in my veg beds anymore. I work full time, I have dodgy knees so digging is limited, I have cleared the area without resorting to superhuman effort and I've never used weed killer on it. Weeds are just plants, not monsters (except marestail. That is a monster).
I think your plan is a good one. Raised beds make it much easier to focus on one patch at a time and not get overwhelmed by trying to do everything on day one, as your predecessor probably tried. Weed thoroughly, mulch deeply, plant closely and tend regularly. The weeds will disappear if you stick at it
PS if you are struggling with a particularly persistent weed, ask your lotty neighbours. Anything in your plot will have been in the neighbouring plots at some point and they'll be able to suggest ways to control it.
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
I’m hoping that once it’s been cut and I’ve cleared the cuttings away, it will be a little less overwhelming and I can make a proper start.
Its going to be a massive learning curve for me but I’m ready for the challenge
Rotovate and then rake up the grass, is my preferred choice; even after the grass is dead there will be some mass to it (if you want to plant next year anyway). You will need to rotovate twice a year before planting season and, ideally once after. For a plot in this condition it'll need a couple of goes through with the rotovator. If you can't afford to buy one (I paid £120 for a second-hand one in good condition) then just stick to sheets. You could hire one to dig through the grass (you MUST rake it afterwards though), digging this by hand is a considerable amount of work.
From experience I'd not recommend laying weed sheets or putting in raised beds because they just end up being burdensome. To be frank, I'm a man who thinks the aesthetics of the plot are secondary to its function, you might feel differently and don't mind the trade-off.
Find what works for you, that's important (except weed killer, that's awful advice, you WILL end up eating it), it's mostly about managing the time you can put in. Don't burn yourself out, the plot doesn't have to be perfect in its first year!
I’m not sure about covering it yet. But I’ve definitely had a change of heart about week killer. I’m really going to have a think on it.
I’m not too concerned about the war of the weeds in the coming years. I find weeding quite therapeutic and get a great deal of satisfaction seeing the finished weed-free results - in the garden anyway 😊