On 11 Mar 2013 17:26:59 GMT, "David.WE.Roberts"
wrote:
However it isn't encouraging us to get stuck in.
Could be a chance to get the sledge out, though.
Last on last Autumn.
Fully occupied with house extension and refurbishment.
Then the weather turned wet and the ground has been waterlogged ever since.
The farmers have ploughed their fields even though there is standing water
but then again they don't have much choice.
I have always understood that working wet soil compacts it and that you do
more harm than good.
It does. But depending on your allotment site rules will depend on how
unimpressed they'll be with an untidy plot.
I'm certainly not going up there at the moment - freezing cold and snow on
the ground.
My current plan is to wait until it is warmer and dryer(hopefully during
April) and then treat all the perennial weeds with glyphosphate to kill
them off, followed by a second treatment a few weeks later to catch the
next round of germination plus the really hardy and well established ones
which survived the first round.
Last year we started late (new plot for us) and rushed into digging a bit
and planting a bit.
We never caught up.
This year we will try the slow steady approach and concentrate on getting
the ground ready for future years.
Everyone seems to be recommending cardboard to smother weeds at the
moment. Needs something to stop it blowing away usually but it seems
to help.
Where we have good clear well worked ground we can put in whatever the
nurseries are currently offering.
Last year tomatoes were held back by the awful weather and then got blight.
The onions, garlic and leeks got rust.
We did get a couple of cabbages......
The courgettes didn't do well last year, and the beans faded as fast
as they eventually arrived. Had onions although they didn't store well
at all. Garlic and shallots were ok. broad beans excellent, but I
think they'd be left after a nuclear way with the cockroaches.
I've been on during the nice days and started to get things ready.
There's no weeds really apart from a few at the one path now.
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