The weeds there are not vey agressive. I was thinking using the roundup
(or the generic) now and rotovate in 2 weeks time and then do it again
in february. After applying the weedkiller how long do I need to wait
before start using the soil and how far do I need to keep if from the
already cultivated areas (fruit trees, plants and veggies)?

I never used chemical weedkillers, but now this is quite a larger area
and I think I will have to use to speed up the process.

Thank you again...


Sounds OK to me. You should check the label on the weedkiller regarding the
time you need to wait before planting. I think it may need to be longer for
veg than none-edible plants - I don't know if there is any risk of veg
absorbing anything harmful to health. Personally I've recently set a lawn on
ground glyphosated and rotovated only a couple of weeks earlier, and the
grass is thriving. I think glyphosate may be one of those weedkillers that
loses it potency anyway when it touches soil - again check the label -
unfortunately I can't check my label as it is all in French and I'm not that
fluent yet! Just don't use something that lingers in the soil such as sodium
chlorate - that is only suitable for paths.

In my experience of spraying glyphosate it is important not to let any spray
drift onto nearby plants, so I'd do the spraying on a wind free day or when
there is a light breeze away from your already planted area. At any rate I'd
leave a gap of a few feet. If you have a large sheet of cardboard or similar
you can carefully move that along as a barrier with you while spraying
closer to your veg - using that method I managed to spray grass and weeds
that had encroached within about 6 inches of my row of asparagus without
harming the plants.
--
David
.... Email address on website http://www.avisoft.co.uk
.... Blog at http://dlts-french-adventures.blogspot.com/