[Bluesycat]

Hi, I have a large lawned garden & am planning to turn a lot of it into an allotment area.
Can anyone advise me to the best way of how to prepare the land for veggies? Obviously I'll have to lift all the grass & dig it all over...will I need a rotivator? & will I need to add more soil? Will I need to add any nutrients?
Am starting from scratch so any advice will be much appreciated.
Thanks

[richyrich7]

Hiya Bluesycat welcome to the forum,

if you can lift the grass up in turves you can dig them in nicely just dig a trench at one end of your plot, move the soil to the other end  :roll:  and then   back to the trench end, slice the grass off the next bit, turn it upside down into that trench you just dug, now dig the bit that you have just removed the grass from and turn it into the trench, you should end up with a new trench and then just keep going sliceing grass off into the trench and so on

[Aunt Sally]

Hi Bluesycat

I've moved this post to the Grow Your Own forum as it is the best place for it.  Why not pop up to the Welcome forum and introduce yourself  

[SnooziSuzi]

Hi Bluesycat!  welcome to the forum,  I can't add to what Ritchy said, but it's nice to have another northerner on the forum!

 

[Bluesycat]

Hiya Bluesycat welcome to the forum,

if you can lift the grass up in turves you can dig them in nicely just dig a trench at one end of your plot, move the soil to the other end  :roll:  and then   back to the trench end, slice the grass off the next bit, turn it upside down into that trench you just dug, now dig the bit that you have just removed the grass from and turn it into the trench, you should end up with a new trench and then just keep going sliceing grass off into the trench and so on

Thanks for your reply, but will digging the grass in not have it coming through, I mean will digging it in kill it off, or will I be forever pulling it up/
 :?

[noshed]

It shouldn't but the other alternative is to slice the turf off and stack it, grass down. Eventually it will rot down.
The soil will need a bit of a dig anyway I would have thought and I believe you're not supposed to plant spuds because of some sort of lurg risk but that will have to be confirmed.

[paintedlady]

It depends on the grass type - if you have a typical lawn, then turning the sod upside down and burying it will kill off the grass through lack of sunlight and will even compost itself into soil.  Couch grass (sends tough runners underground and invades beds - just pulling up the long leaves never works) is a bit more difficult to eradicate this way and may well regrow, as I have discovered to my own cost!

[WG.]

Wireworm could be a problem so you might want to avoid tatties for a few years.  Take the chance to lime heavily

[Trillium]

To add to the above, you'd first need to take a very close look at the area you intend to turn over. Are there a lot of long-rooted weeds? They'd need to be fully dug out first because slicing off half the root will only encourage a multitude of new shoots. Same for couch, bindweed, etc. If you don't recognize these names, get a source book or knowledgeable neighbour to point them out.
Is the area close to tree roots? A septic waste system? A neighbour's tree roots? Have rocks or large stones?
Getting a soil test done, either from a good kit or some gov't source, is a good idea to learn if any nutrients are lacking or in excess (eg lime).
Regardless, the soil will always need organic enhancement (if you're organic) such as manure, leafmold, etc to keep up the yearly depletion by any crops you grow, so you'll want to source and obtain those asap.
Remember, this is a start, not an instant solution to growing mega crops your first year.