[Living in Hope]

I don't have an allotment, I've got a 0.8 acre field, not touched, even by grazing animals for 35 years. So the relatively small area I've dug over this year (I got the field in April) has been hard won - I've found covering the area for 2 months before digging makes a huge differece - so do you need to dig now or can you wait until Jan?

[Yorkie]

I don't have an allotment, I've got a 0.8 acre field, not touched, even by grazing animals for 35 years. So the relatively small area I've dug over this year (I got the field in April) has been hard won - I've found covering the area for 2 months before digging makes a huge differece - so do you need to dig now or can you wait until Jan?

I always find the weather in the New Year wetter and harder to dig in than before the end of the year.  I'd make progress while the soil conditions suit.

[muckshifter]

I heartilly agree with Yorkie,I made a start yesterday and will carry on with it today.
Its a bit warm for it at the moment but I'm sweating away happy in the knowledge that the winter weather will break it down for me.
Happy digging. 

[Nikkithefoot]

Planning ahead I'd cover any area now that I was planning on using in the future, but as Yorkie says continue digging slowly while soil conditions allow. That way you get the best of both. Next Spring / Summer the covered ground will be much easier to dig as much of the vegetation should have died off and /or rotted due to its being covered, while the ground you dig now will be ready to plant up come spring.

[Weston grower]

With such a big area is ploughing an option. It may cost a couple of bob but think of how it will save your back and give you a great start for next year.

Regards, WG 

[stompy]

With such a big area is ploughing an option

That would be a good ideaa so long as they plough to a good depth.
In doing this it burys the seeds to a depth that they can't germinate from, as far as im aware this is how the big guys do it to supress weeds.

[Living in Hope]

Describing it as a field, perhaps doesn't convey what is looks like - about 20% is v. v. dense blackthorn (from which we will be harvesting huge quantities of sloes this weekend). I'm turning one corner into a veg plot, another into an orchard, a third will become a coppice area/pond and the last corner retain as a 'meadow' with bench and small copse of birch, rowan plus oak (a neighbour has a sapling they've grown from an acorn, and their garden is about 1m x 3m!) for chilling out.

So I'm only digging over about the size of an allottment for veg, plus planting holes for trees.

This winter the fruit trees will go in, next winter I'm planning to establish the hazel/cobnut area - with the aim of growing my own bean poles and hazelnuts (assumung different plants for different purposes) - any advice on hazels/cobnuts for fruit?

[Carollan]

wow livinginhope,is this your back garden?I would love a landsize that big.oozing jealousy here,thinking of all the amazing things you`ll be doing in the years ahead........you ought to have a web diary,lots of update photos of your progress. 

[Living in Hope]

We now have a small cottage and large, detached 'garden' 5 min down the road. I've dreamt of having such space since watching The Good Life as a teenager - everytime I go there I can't believe my luck.

I'll try and figure out how to post some pictures.

[teasmade!]

wow! that sounds fab 

enjoy all the digging as when you look back it will be worth it. don't plough as all will say seeds and roots will dig down deep and grow no matter what, plus triple in quantity i've seen that happen, they don't seem to suffer from drought and heatwaves!!

take plenty of pics so you can look back and when you start to grow things take more pics and enjoy the moments as some will be good and some will remind you of mistakes you made, always handy for the following year, trust me made many !!

can't wait for the pics