[peanut97]

Hi there, this is my second attempt at posting this!
We have took on a completley overgrown allotment and have started to clear it. So far we have prepared 4 beds and intend on managing these before moving on to the next bit.

The weed roots are seeming forever to get out and I need to know if you have to get every little bit of root out before you plant or if you can just remove the emerging weeds.

We intend on planting early potatoes and onion sets first.  We don't really know what we are doing but I have picked up loads of tips from here!

A silly question but a concern, how do you tell the weeds from the plants? I don't want to pull up my plants thinking they are weeds, maybe it is obvious?

Thanks anyway, Just for info, I am a 30 year old from Norfolk, married with 4 boys. :-)

[muntjac]

ok . spend a week digging it over with a fork and then taking out what you find .perenial roots arer usually thicker except in the case of twitch/couch. so take out what you can . dig a trench across the plot and  put your spuds in on top of a compost or manure bed if you have some then rake the soil back and mound it up . keep an eye on weeds comeing through . the potato will only grow through the top of the  mound and wil all look alike .now rake the other part level and plant the onion sets 6 inch apart in rows 12 inch aprt . hoe down the rows and carefully between the onions you will see a long thin green spike come out from the onion set .hoe ou everything else ........ hope this helps and welcome once again    

[shaun]

ok . spend a week digging it over with a fork and then taking out what you find .perenial roots arer usually thicker except in the case of twitch/couch. so take out what you can . dig a trench across the plot and put your spuds in on top of a compost or manure bed if you have some then rake the soil back and mound it up . keep an eye on weeds comeing through . the potato will only grow through the top of the mound and wil all look alike .now rake the other part level and plant the onion sets 6 inch apart in rows 12 inch aprt . hoe down the rows and carefully between the onions you will see a long thin green spike come out from the onion set .hoe ou everything else ........ hope this helps and welcome once again    

[richyrich7]

Any thing you don't want is a weed    but look for the most obvious first, like soft fruit canes or bushes, usually planted in rows or rhubarb poking up, if your unsure ask a fellow allotment holder or take a pic and post it on here.
Are you going organic ? if not spray the lot off with roundup, otherwise you need to get all perennials roots out.

[richyrich7]

Thats weird both Muntjac and Shauns reply are the same word perfect in fact.

Are you the same bloke ? or are you just so alike your answers are getting the same  

[shaun]

i tend to leave the string line up after sowing until they come up parsnips a definite cus they take a couple of weeks at least also wall flowers as they are slow to germinate

[muntjac]

daft * quoting me lol

[richyrich7]

Must have slipped off his saddle and landed on his cross bar    

[peanut97]

Its like my posts are jinxed or something, I bet this will have disappeared soon, why does it say moved on the post topic? I am getting paranoid, lol!

[muntjac]

ok thats easy peanut you originally posted this in the welcome forum as its a garden topic  we moved it to the grow your own section   its magiccccccc    :o

[ziggywigs]

I put sticks in at the end of the rows so i know where to look and also count the number of onions or tatties that i've put in so i can count  them when they come through.

The good news is once you know what they look like you know for ever more!  It's just the first year that it's all a mystery.

Here's a pic of Tattie Shaws.  I find onions easier to spot as the sets are at the bottom.

[peanut97]

Oh, me getting it wrong then! Thanks for the advice, I think this is the fastest forum I have ever been on, and such a friendly lot too!

[Aunt Sally]

I've PM'd you peanuts