A LITTLE ADVICE PLEASE!!

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apes1978

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A LITTLE ADVICE PLEASE!!
« on: July 17, 2006, 11:11 »
Hi, i just took on an allotment, very overgrown with grass and weeds!

Fortunately i managed to get the help of two men to strim it all down and rotavate the ground, (as my other half would rather chop off his own hands then help!) but the ground was so hard it did not make much difference, but at least the jungle was gone!

I have started by making a small bed to start off with and have been trying to turn the earth over and take out roots and bits of grass out, which is hard work in this lovely weather we are having, and i thought that i would cover the rest of the ground with these weed prevention sheets.

I have a couple of questions:

how long should i leave these sheets on the ground?
what is the next step after they come up?
 
If anyone can help, i would appreciate it, as i only have my mum to help and she is more of a plant and flower gardner than vegetable.

Cheers

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noshed

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A LITTLE ADVICE PLEASE!!
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2006, 13:06 »
I would carry on as you're doing. You'll be able to plant some beans if you're quick and salad stuff as well.
You use the weed prevention stuff to keep out the light until you've time to dig the ground - cardboard and/or black plastic works. You may need to weigh it down with a few bricks (raid skips).
The main thing is to take it gently and do a bit at a time - start planning out how you'd like it to be next year (change your mind  three times) and mark out where the paths are going etc (use string and sticks).
Get composting as well!
Good luck - there's loads of people on here who can give you good advice, so you're not alone. (I've had my plot since January so I'm an expert...)
Self-sufficient in rasberries and bindweed. Slug pellets can be handy.

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Fafafifi

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A LITTLE ADVICE PLEASE!!
« Reply #2 on: July 17, 2006, 19:58 »
I've done the same as what you are describing this year - and for the same reason of having a dis-interested husband!

I bought a load of damp proof membrane off ebay to cover the plot with, though I found out later I could have just got it free from the council so might be worth asking your site secretary if they have any lying around you could use.  For me this was the best thing I could have done because it meant I didn't have to worry about the weeds taking over again or spend all my time up the allotment just weeding!

I have just been digging the ground and taking out all the roots I can see - it takes time but the plot is now only covered in about a quarter of black plastic.  

Keep digging!

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Ian_P

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A LITTLE ADVICE PLEASE!!
« Reply #3 on: July 17, 2006, 21:48 »
Hi
I did the same last year and I just left the black polythene down and turned back about a metre at a time, cleared it then moved on. I got through it all by autumn and now this year it is all cultivated and cropping.

I still get lots of weeds but now they are manageable

have fun its worth it  :D
Ian

Feeding the mini-beasts of Hampshire

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apes1978

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A LITTLE ADVICE PLEASE!!
« Reply #4 on: July 18, 2006, 12:22 »
Hi, thanks for your help!  

I went down there last night and did a bit more digging and turning over of the ground, there is so much twitch to take out, i think ill be twitching by the end of it! and before i knew it the time was 9.30pm! (time flies when your having fun  :D ).

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Oliver

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Rotavation
« Reply #5 on: July 19, 2006, 08:28 »
Quote from: "apes1978"
twitch

I suppose' twitch' is the same as 'couch' a dreadful grass? The railway, apparently, used to sow it on embankments as it spread very well and stopped the soil washing away. Railway workers, who had allotments spread the seed to the plots on their boots. We reap the results!

It is always a worry when new allotment holders think getting a man in to rotavate the plot saves time and helps things along. Well, sometimes it does, but if you cut a couch root up into little bits every little bit makes a new couch plant. The only answer, I am afraid, is to remove the roots by hand. The same applies to bindweed. So, now that the ground has been loosened by the rotavator, twitching is the only way forward - just keep at it and eventually you will win.  Take it steadily. We have all been there. Good luck.
By the way - don't put bindweed or twitch on the compost heap! We burn what little we get now.
Keep the plot cultivated, that's the best way to ensure its future.



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