Am thinking about taking on an allotment this year. However, according to
the allotment secretary, it is well overgrown. It hasn't been used for at
least 3 years. No-one seems to want to tackle it ;-)

So, given that I can't spend all my spare time down there .. and the fact
that I don't have much spare time to start with, what's the best / quickest
way to clear it?

Don't want to use chemicals, btw. An advantage of the plot is that it should
be clean re chemicals and such nasties.

What about simply dumping a whole load of manure over the top?
What about rotavating it - if I can borrow a rotavator?

Any ideas?

Oh ... and what is a 'rod'? The sec said they were '10 rod' allotments. How
big is that is real money?

Best,

- h

On Thu, 16 Jan 2003 09:58:31 -0000, "H"
wrote:



So, given that I can't spend all my spare time down there .. and the fact
that I don't have much spare time to start with, what's the best / quickest
way to clear it?

cover it in black polythene/carpet/cardboard and stand well back for a
year.

Don't want to use chemicals, btw. An advantage of the plot is that it should
be clean re chemicals and such nasties.

What about simply dumping a whole load of manure over the top?

that should feed the weeds nicely and probably introduce some new ones
:-)

What about rotavating it - if I can borrow a rotavator?

that will break up the roots of invasive weeds nicely and produce
ohh.. 50 weeds for each one you have now!

Any ideas?

see above. if you don't want to use glyphosate and don't want to spend
all your spare time diggibg everything carefully out by hand, the only
way to go is exclude all light for at least a year.

Oh ... and what is a 'rod'? The sec said they were '10 rod' allotments. How
big is that is real money?

Rod, Pole or Perch = 25 links = 5½ yards [about 5 metres]
Sq Pole = 30¼ sq yards [often simply referred to as a Pole or Perch in
land measurement]


hth
--
Derek Turner

The english summer consists of three fine days and a thunderstorm. - Charles II

On Thu, 16 Jan 2003 09:58:31 -0000, "H"
wrote:


Oh ... and what is a 'rod'? The sec said they were '10 rod' allotments. How
big is that is real money?

Rood = ¼ acre = 1,210 sq yards = 40 sq poles

--
Derek Turner

The english summer consists of three fine days and a thunderstorm. - Charles II

cover it in black polythene/carpet/cardboard and stand well back for a
year.

Not an option I'm afraid. I don't have a year to sit back and wait......

I could dig out the beds and lay everything else down to
polythene/carpet/cardboard I guess.

Best,

- h

If it is fenced, you might borrow a goat or two and let them do the
preliminary work. Good luck. Dwayne

"H" wrote in message
...
Am thinking about taking on an allotment this year. However, according to
the allotment secretary, it is well overgrown. It hasn't been used for at
least 3 years. No-one seems to want to tackle it ;-)

So, given that I can't spend all my spare time down there .. and the fact
that I don't have much spare time to start with, what's the best /
quickest
way to clear it?

Don't want to use chemicals, btw. An advantage of the plot is that it
should
be clean re chemicals and such nasties.

What about simply dumping a whole load of manure over the top?
What about rotavating it - if I can borrow a rotavator?

Any ideas?

Oh ... and what is a 'rod'? The sec said they were '10 rod' allotments.
How
big is that is real money?

Best,

- h

On Thu, 16 Jan 2003 11:33:15 +0000, Derek Turner
wrote:

On Thu, 16 Jan 2003 09:58:31 -0000, "H"
wrote:

So, given that I can't spend all my spare time down there .. and the fact
that I don't have much spare time to start with, what's the best / quickest
way to clear it?

cover it in black polythene/carpet/cardboard and stand well back for a
year.

Don't want to use chemicals, btw. An advantage of the plot is that it should
be clean re chemicals and such nasties.

What about simply dumping a whole load of manure over the top?

that should feed the weeds nicely and probably introduce some new ones
:-)


Better still, combine the two methods... dump a load of manure on it,
cover it in old carpets/black polythene and let the worms do the rest.
Later in the year you should be able to cut slits in the mulch ( the
carpet etc. ) and plant through it.
It'll limit what you can grow, but you ought to get a decent crop of
courgettes and beans at least.
By the end of the season you should be able to dig over the plot quite
easily - and removed the tap roots of the nastier weeds.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

On Thu, 16 Jan 2003 09:58:31 -0000, "H"
wrote:

Am thinking about taking on an allotment this year. However, according to
the allotment secretary, it is well overgrown. It hasn't been used for at
least 3 years. No-one seems to want to tackle it ;-)

So, given that I can't spend all my spare time down there .. and the fact
that I don't have much spare time to start with, what's the best / quickest
way to clear it?

Don't want to use chemicals, btw. An advantage of the plot is that it should
be clean re chemicals and such nasties.

What about simply dumping a whole load of manure over the top?
What about rotavating it - if I can borrow a rotavator?

Any ideas?

Oh ... and what is a 'rod'? The sec said they were '10 rod' allotments. How
big is that is real money?

Best,

- h


black polythene sheeting over the lot ??

In article , Derek Turner
writes
On Thu, 16 Jan 2003 09:58:31 -0000, "H"
wrote:


Don't want to use chemicals, btw. An advantage of the plot is that it should
be clean re chemicals and such nasties.

What about simply dumping a whole load of manure over the top?

that should feed the weeds nicely and probably introduce some new ones
:-)

Depends how deep. If it was at least 8 inches thick, it would smother
the annual weeds (much the equivalent of digging them in). You'd still
have problems with couch making its way to the top, but you might be
able to control that by next year remove the couch roots from the
relatively friable manure layer.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

In article , H
writes
cover it in black polythene/carpet/cardboard and stand well back for a
year.

Not an option I'm afraid. I don't have a year to sit back and wait......

I could dig out the beds and lay everything else down to
polythene/carpet/cardboard I guess.

You could cover everything and cut holes for plants and slits for seed
drills. I've never tried this, mind!
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

if you have lots of nettles, try putting a kilo of nettles in with ten
litres of water, and leeve it for two weeks, then use as a liquid feed in a
1 to 10 feed to water ratio, giving a nettle to eventaul water ratio of 1 to
100. By the way, if you do not use litres and kilos, then just have 1 part
of nettle to 10 parts of water BY WEIGHT , because 1 litre weihs a kilo

From: "H"
Organization: BT
Newsgroups: uk.rec.gardening
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 09:58:31 -0000
Subject: Overgrown allotment?

Am thinking about taking on an allotment this year. However, according to
the allotment secretary, it is well overgrown. It hasn't been used for at
least 3 years. No-one seems to want to tackle it ;-)

So, given that I can't spend all my spare time down there .. and the fact
that I don't have much spare time to start with, what's the best / quickest
way to clear it?

Don't want to use chemicals, btw. An advantage of the plot is that it should
be clean re chemicals and such nasties.

What about simply dumping a whole load of manure over the top?
What about rotavating it - if I can borrow a rotavator?

Any ideas?

Oh ... and what is a 'rod'? The sec said they were '10 rod' allotments. How
big is that is real money?

Best,

- h

"Helen wrote in message
Am thinking about taking on an allotment this year. However, according to
the allotment secretary, it is well overgrown. It hasn't been used for at
least 3 years. No-one seems to want to tackle it ;-)

Why not? Our main one hadn't been used for over 20 years and it's soooo
fertile now. So what's the problem with this plot? What did the previous
bloke garden like? Do some checking!


So, given that I can't spend all my spare time down there .. and the fact
that I don't have much spare time to start with, what's the best /
quickest
way to clear it?

Don't want to use chemicals, btw. An advantage of the plot is that it
should
be clean re chemicals and such nasties.

Assumption re "nasties" ? Use a strimmer to cut down all weeds now and then
spray everything with Glycosphate Weedkiller as soon as the weeds start to
regrow. This will kill all the grass including the couch and most of the
perennials unless you have Mares Tails. You may have to spray a second time.
The weedkiller works by contact with green bits only and is neutralised by
contact with soil, all traces will disappear in a few weeks as it breaks
down. Any large weeds ie. brambles, will need digging out.
Then Rotovate it all in with some mature (at least a year old) manure, not
too much as it should be reasonably fertile after a 3 year rest. If you
can't get old manure don't bother now just pile some up for next winters
use.
You will then have a clean tidy allotment ready for full use this season.
Then as you crop each bit dig it by hand so that by the end of the season
it's all hand dug, then when you realise it makes no difference to your crop
don't bother again. :-)


What about simply dumping a whole load of manure over the top?
What about rotavating it - if I can borrow a rotavator?

No! You probably won't get old manure and new stuff (straw showing) will do
a lot more harm than good especially in bulk. Rotovating will spread
perennial weeds if you don't kill them first.

Oh ... and what is a 'rod'? The sec said they were '10 rod' allotments.
How
big is that is real money?

See our site below.
--
Bob

www.pooleygreengrowers.org.uk/ about an Allotment site in
Runnymede fighting for it's existence.