Hi everybody!

I'm a newbie in this forum and gardening world.

I'm from London and applied months ago an allotment near my flat.

Some plots are available now. I will go to see them on saturday and 'll be able to pay the rent on sunday.

The letter from allotment society says all plots owergrown with grass and several with brambles.

I didn't know what does it mean until had a search about them on internet )

It means lots of work

I'm working part-time, looking after my 22 months old son and going to holiday for 20 days only 3 weeks later ))

I think the best thing to clear the allotment to find someone and pay for it Do you have any idea how much it can cost me?

Should i make clear it before I go to holiday or after I come back? I'll be back end of april.

Another question, is it safe to take my son to allotment while I'm working?

Thank you!

"Esra" wrote on this newsgroup via gardenbanter.co.uk...

Hi everybody!

I'm a newbie in this forum and gardening world.

I'm from London and applied months ago an allotment near my flat.

Some plots are available now. I will go to see them on saturday and 'll
be able to pay the rent on sunday.

The letter from allotment society says all plots owergrown with grass
and several with brambles.

I didn't know what does it mean until had a search about them on
internet )

It means lots of work

I'm working part-time, looking after my 22 months old son and going to
holiday for 20 days only 3 weeks later ))

I think the best thing to clear the allotment to find someone and pay
for it Do you have any idea how much it can cost me?

Should i make clear it before I go to holiday or after I come back?
I'll be back end of april.

Another question, is it safe to take my son to allotment while I'm
working?


Quite normal in my experience. Grass and weeds are easy to kill with an
application or two of weedkiller which will leave you with clear ground and
no perennial weeds, the brambles will need cutting down and digging out.
There may well be someone on the site with a "Brushcutter" that can do the
work for a small fee, ask around.
Anyway, you need to get onto this ASAP as the growing season is fast
approaching and weedkiller takes time to act.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

The message
from Aries contains these words:
On Wed, 4 Mar 2009 08:23:45 -0000, Bob Hobden wrote:

Anyway, you need to get onto this ASAP as the growing season is fast
approaching and weedkiller takes time to act.

A question Bob. Doesn't weedkiller poison the soil for growing crops? If
not how long should one leave the soil after first apply weedkiller before
it's safe to sow seed ?

Glyphosate (Roundup) and Paraquat, etc, only act on the plants. Once
they contact the ground they are neutralised as far as any effect on
plants is concerned.

You can plant immediately.

The sort of weedkiller which is absorbed by the roots wouldn't be used
on an allotment - I hope...

--
Rusty
Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk

valerie. wrote after
Bob Hobden wrote:

Anyway, you need to get onto this ASAP as the growing season is fast
approaching and weedkiller takes time to act.

A question Bob. Doesn't weedkiller poison the soil for growing crops? If
not how long should one leave the soil after first apply weedkiller before
it's safe to sow seed ?

Not Glyphosate doesn't, it only works on green stuff and becomes inactive on
contact with the soil and is broken down by the soil bacteria. Should be
safe to sow seed almost immediately. It's the only way to rid an overgrown
plot of perennial weeds...Couch or Twitch especially. Digging that out
successfully and permanently is only possible over years IME.

That said, sensible precautions should be taken with all chemicals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glyphosate for more info.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden

The message
from Esra contains these words:

Hi everybody!

I'm a newbie in this forum and gardening world.

Tis is a newsgroup, not a forum.

I'm from London and applied months ago an allotment near my flat.

Some plots are available now. I will go to see them on saturday and 'll
be able to pay the rent on sunday.

The letter from allotment society says all plots owergrown with grass
and several with brambles.

evil grin

I didn't know what does it mean until had a search about them on
internet )

What just brambles, or grass as well?

It means lots of work

Hence the evil grin

I'm working part-time, looking after my 22 months old son and going to
holiday for 20 days only 3 weeks later ))

I think the best thing to clear the allotment to find someone and pay
for it Do you have any idea how much it can cost me?

If you want the satisfaction of an allotment, you should do all that
yourself. Otherwise, why bother?

Should i make clear it before I go to holiday or after I come back?
I'll be back end of april.

Cut down brambles and dig out the roots. Burn them. Spread the ash on
the plot. Cover the plot with black plastic sheet and peg it down, and
put old wood, bricks, etc by the edges to make sure.

By the end of April most of the grass will be dead.

Dig it in.

Another question, is it safe to take my son to allotment while I'm
working?

Why do you ask? Do we know your son? Your control? What you are going to
do on the allotment? Can we guess what your fellow allotmenteers are
going to do with those flame-throwers, rotavators, forks, spades, axes,
mattocks and the like?

--
Rusty
Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk

Esra wrote:
Hi everybody!
snippy

Should i make clear it before I go to holiday or after I come back?
I'll be back end of april.

Do it now. By the end of April it will be twice as bad.

Another question, is it safe to take my son to allotment while I'm
working?

Your decision, based on common sense. Lotta nasty things on allotments.
Would I? Not unless he was tied to a bean pole I'm just gonna get my
Tetanus topped up.
--
Pete C
London UK