[barry newton]

My wife and I have just took on a allotment And we are both new to this we have a plot that is covered by tall trees so does not get much sun but the weed seem to do well, we want to grow things but unsure how to get rid of weeds do we cover up plots then rotav ate them or rotavate them then cover them and can anyone tell me the best way of killing weeds with out harming plants which we hope to sow next year.
any help would be very much appreciated  by us 

[Baldy]

Hi Barry

Take a look at
http://www.allotment-garden.org/allotment/clearing-new-allotment-plot.php

In general I'd say that if you can dig out the weeds that's the best thing to do - and do it a manageable piece at a time.
Use weed suppressant, cardboard etc to keep weeds under control.  A glyphosate weedkiller like roundup could also be used if you are happy to go that route.
If you simply rotivate without dealing with weeds first you will likely find that you make the weed problem worse.
Now is a great time to get an allotment - you can plan what you want to do with it - how you want to lay your beds out and look at the seed catalogues...

As you clear areas you could consider planting green manure - different types of green manure help suppress weeds and can be dug in to the ground to improve the organic matter.

You'll find lots of advice on this forum and if you use the search box you should find lots more advice about new plots and howto clear them.

Good luck with it - and remember to enjoy it ;-)

Pip pip,
Balders

p.s. If you add your general location to your profile it will help people give advice that's more specific to your geographical area.

[cadalot]

I would second what Baldy says and add keep a diary and photographs of your progress.

[3759allen]

dig to start with, rotivating tends to spread the weeds imo.

if you can't use the ground in the near future then cover with cardboard.

if suited to the type of crop your growing then mulch will suppress the weeds and feed the soil when it works into the soil.

just a little note. the first year seems like weed hell, but it will get better every year if you keep at it.

[Christine]

Hi Barry, glad to meet you.

You are lucky in getting your allotment this late in the year in some ways. There is no pressure to grow stuff because we are at the end of the growing season. That goes with the weeds as well. 

In general with what the others - don't rotovate. If you have docks and dandelions and nettles you are just cutting up the roots and giving yourself more weeds in the future. Invest in a couple of good spades and both of you dig gently starting at the farthest end from the point of entry. You'll see what you have done that way. Also you may well find that there are lots of other things in the soil of your plot - as I have found with the one I am clearing. You don't want to be cutting up plastic bags or wrecking the rotovator on buried metal or house bricks. It's so much easier to do a proper job

As you go plant a green manure. Field beans are good at this time of the year (you can buy them online in decent quantities). That way you have control of the weeds growing again. And as you dig the green manure in you will have done the soil good and will catch anything that you missed the first time through.

That's the cheapest way I know of dealing with an allotment that needs a thorough weeding. And the spades will be required in the future so should do you good service for many years. 

[Headgardener22]

One thing I would add to the above is PLAN. If your allotment has lots of trees, then maybe you don't want to plant in the whole allotment in which case you could divide it into beds and only dig those areas. I've put in weed suppressant paths in between the beds and it saves having grass growing all over the place.

Also, whilst you've lots of time before you can plant for next year, you don't necessarily have to dig all the ground. For example, where you plan to plant potatoes. Cutting out a square of grass and planting a potato in the bottom works quite well and gives you more time to address other parts of the plot (you may not get quite as many potatoes but you will have to dig it over for the following year when you harvest them).

[Tenhens]

Do you know the 'history' of the plot , why was it given up , what was grown.  How tall are the trees? Can they be removed.  We have a veg patch at the bottom of our garden which is dominated by an apple tree and a huge sycamore, which is on the south/west corner,  the resulting shade has not helped with produce.

Any questions you may have, am sure that plenty will surface, have a look through these pages and if you can't find what you are looking for, post the question and somebody will be able to help.