Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Thomas Chappell on November 20, 2020, 14:28

Title: Level ground or not?
Post by: Thomas Chappell on November 20, 2020, 14:28: Hi everyone ☺️
I've just gotten my first allotment and my plan is to tarpaulin the entire thing to kill everything. But it has small hills and ditches in, so my question is should I level the ground first or cover it over and let everything die off and then level it? Thank you &#128522;
Title: Re: Level ground or not?
Post by: New shoot on November 20, 2020, 15:17: Hi Thomas and welcome :)

If you can level off the worst of it, the tarpaulin will lie flatter and exclude light more effectively. It will also be harder for the wind to get under it and start lifting it.

Do you know what weeds you have? If it mainly grass, covering for the winter will kill a lot of it. Dandelions, bindweed and the like do need digging out, but the soil should be that much easier to work come spring :)
Title: Re: Level ground or not?
Post by: Thomas Chappell on November 20, 2020, 15:44: Thank you for the swift reply 😃
Yeah that's what I was thinking tbh, but just wanted to some advice from people far more experienced than my self haha.

Yeah it's mostly grass, there are some bigger weeds in there but I've already started digging those out anyway.
Title: Re: Level ground or not?
Post by: Yorkie on November 21, 2020, 09:51: Welcome to the site and congrats on your new lotty :lol:
Title: Re: Level ground or not?
Post by: mrs bouquet on November 21, 2020, 14:23: Hallo and welcome. Sounds like you are going to be busy ! Mrs Bouquet
Title: Re: Level ground or not?
Post by: Thomas Chappell on November 21, 2020, 20:37: Thank you everyone. Happy to be here ☺️
Title: Re: Level ground or not?
Post by: Aunt Sally on November 21, 2020, 23:13: Welcome, Thomas.

Let us know how you’re getting on :)