[Jazsnap]

Hi,

Can anyone please advise on the best method of clearing an overgrown plot in an organic manner? I really don't want to use herbicides, such as roundup, but am unsure of the quickest way to do it.

Many thanks,
Jason

[fatcat1955]

A garden fork/spade and plenty of elbow grease.

[mumofstig]

Hard work is the order of the day then.

Strim all the top growth off and then dig all the weeds out, doing a bit at a time.

[DD.]

Are we saying that there's no easy way!

[mumofstig]

It certainly looks that way 

[Jamrock]

I can confirm, after recently hand clearing and digging my 70sq m plot, that you have some hard but very satisfying work ahead

You will need to set an area aside for composting and/or burning the plant matter you don't want

[Jazsnap]

Thanks for the info, we definitely have some hard work ahead of us, I just hope we don't have frost over the Christmas break. Merry Christmas.

Jason

[allotmentann]

You can cover over any area you are not working on until you get round to clearing it, which does help to kill off the weeds. I have cleared all of my full sized plot by hand and it is really not so bad. Just take a small section at a time and do it thoroughly. To be honest I don't think it takes any longer than trying to clear a plot with glyphosate (which I don't think would work at this time of the year anyway). It usually requires several applications of glyphosate to kill the tougher perennial weeds, thorough digging will have them pretty much gone the first time. Then use as much mulch as you can, which will help  to prevent more weeds and improve your soil too.

[missmoneypenny]

There's no easy way. When I got mine 4 years ago I only cultivated 1/3 the 1st year. I didn't use chemicals. The toughest was the couch grass. Covering with sheeting won't kill everything particularly quickly, the weeds can take 2 years or more to die. You have to take it slowly and get out a s much root as possible. The only consolation is if the soil hasn't been cultivated for a while it should be nice and fertile when you get started.

[bobr1960]

What about considering building some raised beds? It will need to be still cleared of the top growth before you build but might be worth considering?

[mumofstig]

Of course only IMO - but unless you have very poor soil, or a bad back, I don't really think there are any advantages in raised beds......................

[DD.]

You just beat me too it!

That sounds like making even more work, when there may be no need to do so.

Raised beds are not a pre-requisite in growing on a plot. I've managed for 40 years without one.

[ThePragmatist]

Hi,

I got my allotment last year about this time and it was a totally new plot covered in weeds.

In the spring the weeds will shoot up in a most demoralising manner. I tried splitting up the work into small sections and tackling it a bit at a time, that definitely helps the mental battle.

Clearing a section then planting it helped keep me cheerful and made me feel like I was making progress. At this time of year, you can clear a section and put in garlic (as long as it isn't too frosty).

I built 2 compost heaps from pallets. As soon as that was done, the plot felt much more like an allotment and it gave the space some structure so it didn't look like a barren wasteland. If I was placing them again though I would probably put them in the middle of the plot rather than at one end.

I also used weed control membrane to try to slow down the weeds. I discovered that the thin membrane is not enough by itself to block out the light, you need to cover it with a mulch to keep out the light. Another plotholder gave me a large sheet of plywood which is very effective at killing off the weeds. Depriving the weeds of light should help with the later sections but it does take time to work, the primary benefit is that it stops the problem getting worse.

I have found that turning over the soil with a fork and removing all the weeds by hand is the only thing that really clears the ground of the difficult weeds.

To help gauge the amount of work you will have, you could see how much you can clear in an hour working at a steady pace. Divide the total area of your plot by the amount you cleared in the hour to get a rough idea of how many hours you will need to put aside to getting things as you would wish it. 

Despite being pretty busy elsewhere and pretty lazy at the allotment, I managed to grow all sorts of things in my first year so you should definitely have some encouragement come harvest time.

The only shortcut in the process that I know of is to bribe your friends with beer and/or the promise of some nice veg at some unspecified time in the future. Then get them to do the work for you.

Good luck! Let us know how you get on.

[bobr1960]

You just beat me too it!

That sounds like making even more work, when there may be no need to do so.

Raised beds are not a pre-requisite in growing on a plot. I've managed for 40 years without one.

Hey we were asked for our oppinions so that what I have given that. Good luck with your beds though 40 years is a very long time.

[Yorkie]

Perennial weeds will just grow back up through the raised beds, in my experience 

Jaz, if you click the Grow Your Own link underneath the main banner at the top of the page, you'll scroll down to an article about clearing a plot.