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Allotment and weed plan help please

sarahmkirbysarahmkirby Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Hi all. We’ve just been given a lovely allotment plot and I’m keen to get things organised. Should I be patient with the soil and do the no dig approach and wait 6-12 months for the soil to be ready or should I dig the soil myself which would be ready for planting by Spring? Will I be weeding a lot if I dig myself? I’m not a very experienced gardener so any help would be much appreciated :) thank you 

Posts

  • WilderbeastWilderbeast Posts: 1,415
    You could do a bit of both. Plenty of people on here would say that starting an entire allotment from scratch as an inexperienced gardener is a tough ask. You could dig over some sections for planting this spring then either no dig some beds using copious cardboard and compost/manure/green waste etc which you can plant into straight away if you have enough mulch 15cm deep or cover areas with thick plastic membrane which will deny light and water to the weeds below and you should get a clean bed below in say 6/9 months. 

    By the way I'm no expert and am just starting a largeish veg garden at home right where I live so it's dead easy to do bits as and when, I wouldn't possibly have been able to do all the work I've managed if it had been a couple of miles away on an allotment. 

    Best luck and most importantly build a compost bin and start composting (it's my thing I love it 🤣🤣)
  • Mr. Vine EyeMr. Vine Eye Posts: 2,394
    We took on a plot last year which was completely overgrown with weeds - head height in places, proper jungle - as it’s quite large we didn’t try to use it all straight away. We cleared it, left the back third, behind the shed, as a wildlife area with compost bins and mostly left it to its own thing except for pulling out pernicious weeds. In autumn I put a pond in there.

    Middle third we dug over and removed as many weeds and roots/stumps as we could. Major back breaking work as even a third was still a large area and it was completely full of bindweed and horsetail. Still had to hoe very regularly during the year.

    The front third I just mowed every few weeks to keep it under control.

    But from this year we’ll be using that section too.

    I wanted to do no dig but wouldn’t be able to get the quantity of compost required to the site realistically as there’s no vehicular access. So that’ll have to wait until I’ve got enough of my compost. But I did do a test patch on a large piece of cardboard and planted leeks into it. Worked well, easy to weed and the soil underneath is really nice now.
    East Yorkshire
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    Hallo Sarah, and welcome to this jolly forum.  Whatever you decide to do, don't be tempted to rotavate it.  It's a quick and easy way to break up uncultivated ground, but it chops up the roots of any perennial weeds that are there, each bit of root grows a new plant, and you end up worse off than when you started.  I found out the hard way.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    sarahmkirby  Inevitably there are things we members don't now about your situation, so many suggestions will be preceded by 'if'.  I'd second the principle of not attempting to do the whole job in five minutes, and I'm a great fan of the builders membrane system of keeping weeds at bay while you do some of it.  For my 'if', if you can source good quantities of farmyard manure AND get it on to your plot, it's a great weed suppressant if applied generously and some crops can be planted straight into it, e.g. onion sets.  So, by all means do a thorough job on some of the plot, but don't make it a chore.  Cover what you can't cope with, using membrane, to restrict weed growth.  Another idea for preventing your precious crops from being overrun is the attached pic of a length of roofing felt (not that expensive) that will allow you to plant, say, lettuces in the holes while covering the rest.  Don't forget, any sheeting material will need to be anchored down.
  • StevenHStevenH Posts: 1
    Greetings Sarah, I took on a new allotment nine months ago and as a complete novice I decided to concentrate on half the plot to begin with.  I covered the other half in plastic sheeting.  I can highly recommend the no dig method.  I have spent a fair amount on peat free compost and timber for raised beds but the results have been way beyond my expectations; not that I expected very much in the first place. The Charles Dowding videos on YouTube will serve you well as an introduction.  I am presently trying to decide whether or not to uncover the second half of the plot or leave it another year.  I have started my own compost manufacture and I hope the cost will be minimal after the initial outlay.  Good luck and may all your broad beans be broad and your runner beans runny.
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