[Ron123]

Hello,
I have recently been given an allotment plot. I was advised to skim off the turf and turn over the soil. I have since been scoffed at my some of the older boys for doing things wrong.
I was hoping someone could give me a little advice on what to do to get planting soon! Maybe rotivate?
I have attached images
Regards
Ron

[John]

Traditionally you take off the turf, dig a trench and put the turf in the bottom of the trench. Then use the soil from the next to fill the first and so on.
Be careful of rotavating if there are perennial weeds like docks as you'll just propagate them from the root cuttings and have dozens where there was one.

[Ron123]

Traditionally you take off the turf, dig a trench and put the turf in the bottom of the trench. Then use the soil from the next to fill the first and so on.
Be careful of rotavating if there are perennial weeds like docks as you'll just propagate them from the root cuttings and have dozens where there was one.

Thabk you so much for your advice. If I did down a spade depth and turn the grass soil side up would this also do a similar thing and then I can break up the top layer of soil?

[John]

More or less. Another method is to strip the turf and stack it face down in a pile. Dig the soil and leave the turf pile to rot down into a useful loam for next year.
Lots of roads to go to the same place!

[Alank]

As said by John do not rotovate as not only the roots will propagate new weeds when you chop up the roots but any dormant seeds will also give you a nice new crop of docks etc.
Years ago I took on eight vacant plots in one block and converted them from rough paddock land to allotments for myself and family. Tha ground that had been rotovated had terrible weed problems the ground that had been put into raised beds was fantastic by comparison.
If I were to do it again (I hope I never have to) i would plan it all out and opt for raised beds with decent paths between and preferably no dig

[snowdrops]

Another method is to cover with thick brown cardboard to exclude light, cover this with well rotted mulch, can be manure or compost, then plant in to that, trowel any weeds out that sneak through. It’s a method called no dig, google it,  wish I’d done it years ago when I first got a plot.

[OakR]

It always seems a bit dauting so do it bit by bit, on specific areas as opposed to trying the whole thing.

I would decide which areas you wanted to do first, and if you can cover the others with tarpaulin or weed membrane and leave them be. Roll those areas back when you are ready to tackle them.

For the areas you tackle, as mentioned above no dig is the least back breaking and allows you to plant almost straight away, but you do need a fair bit of compost...also if you have  bindweed and and couch grass it will still come through for a few years probably, but it will be weaker and easier to dig out.Remember to have a good layer of cardboard and wet it first , google it and you will find videos.

I personally before I knew about no dig, dug out tbe bind weed and couch grass over a few years - it was very hard work but I have virtually none now on the plot in most areas.

[Aidy]

Welcome to the world of gardening...
Ask a question and get 10 different answers from 10 different people 

Both dig and non dig methods work and there is good advise on both above, my only thought is to see what weeds lurk beneath the surface.

For us no dig is a no go, far too much mares tail, not one person so far has been succesful with this method on our site.

If you are fit enough the dig method will keep you fit and as much as I hate this time of year(dig dig dig) its only a few weeks and the end result is very satisfying. The main thing is it is your plot, not theirs and the only person that needs pleasing is you, let them laugh and stick two fingers up when their backs are turned.

[snowdrops]

Welcome to the world of gardening...
Ask a question and get 10 different answers from 10 different people 

Both dig and non dig methods work and there is good advise on both above, my only thought is to see what weeds lurk beneath the surface.

For us no dig is a no go, far too much mares tail, not one person so far has been succesful with this method on our site.

If you are fit enough the dig method will keep you fit and as much as I hate this time of year(dig dig dig) its only a few weeks and the end result is very satisfying. The main thing is it is your plot, not theirs and the only person that needs pleasing is you, let them laugh and stick two fingers up when their backs are turned.

Andy, my plot has mares tail & I'm finding that no dig is really helping as one of the reasons I think is I have more time with less general weeding to do I can go round the plot once a week & trowel out any mares tail that has reared it’s head up, plus I remember reading to allow it to grow to 7-10cms before pulling it until it snaps as it will have expanded lots of energy into that growth & this eventually weakens it. Seems to be working for me at least. I accept I’ll never be rid of it & that acceptance helps as well.
But as you say each to their own.

[al78]

As new plots go, that is in a decent state, so it won't take a massive amount of physical effort to get it into a state of cultivation. Have a think what you would like to grow. You can start many seeds indoors now which will give you a good six weeks of time to attend to the plot before they need to be planted out. Potatoes can be planted in another 3-4 weeks, so allocate a space for them if you wish to grow some. I suggest marking out beds for different crop families and permanent crops (e.g. fruit bushes) and clear one bed at a time, get some weed fabric and cover the rest of the plot, we are now at the time of year when weeds become actively germinating and growing. Allocate an hour or two each visit and systematically work your way along one allocated bed. With a couple of hours steady work (go at a comfortable pace so you don't strain yourself, it's not a race) and based on the photos you likely could clear several square meters per visit. That is one bed cleared of weeds/grass in two or three sessions (by the time you have done that you can put the potatoes in). When you are ready to work on bed number two, peel back the weed fabric and start digging.

I would recommend not leaving grass paths between the beds. The grass and weeds will encroach into the beds and it will provide shelter for slugs. I have had some success laying down a double layer of weed fabric half a meter wide for a path and pegging it down.

[coldandwindy]

How exciting! Don't be daunted - do it a bit at a time-
--and if it was me I would literally do it a bit at a time....
You will want a rotation system, so you don't grow most things in the same place year on year. Have a look at different versions of those and decide which suits you. Every 4 years is commonest I think. Decide where permanent things will go - shed? soft fruit? Once you've decided divide the remaining plot into the number of areas as you want years in your rotation (eg 4) and start with one of them this year. Cover the rest in BREATHABLE black plastic or let the grass grow & mow it regularly to kill weeds. Use whichever of the methods above you fancy to grow potatoes in your quarter plot this year. Next year re-use that plot for the next section in your rotation & uncover the next quarter for potatoes. 

[Subversive_plot]

Hello,
I have recently been given an allotment plot. I was advised to skim off the turf and turn over the soil. I have since been scoffed at my some of the older boys for doing things wrong.
I was hoping someone could give me a little advice on what to do to get planting soon! Maybe rotivate?
I have attached images
Regards
Ron

Don't let the scoffing discourage you. Some people puff themselves up by deflating others!

Do listen to advice from the "older boys", and consider that some of that advice may be quite good.  BUT... don't be afraid to try something new or different (IMO, part of the fun of doing your own gardening). 

I grew vegetables from the time that I was 6 years old until I was about 30. For various reasons, I had to stop after that, and didn't start up again until last year, when I was 62 years old!  The 'old timers' back when I was 30 wouldn't recognize some of the methods in common use today, or at least would consider some of the methods experimental (example, no-dig gardening). We learn by trying new things. As John said "Lots of roads to go to the same place!"

[Ema]

Very nice looking plot you’ve got there.

I found wearing a big pair of headphones a great way of stopping the old farts giving you there 2ps worth when I had an allotment (and a life unlike them).

My first year I dug off the turf and put a layer of compost on top of this which made a good bed. I also experimented with no dig. I found using as much weed suppressant membrane or cardboard as I could get hold of a great way of keeping on top of the areas I wasn’t digging or hadn’t yet planted up.

[snowdrops]

Very nice looking plot you’ve got there.

I found wearing a big pair of headphones a great way of stopping the old farts giving you there 2ps worth when I had an allotment (and a life unlike them).

My first year I dug off the turf and put a layer of compost on top of this which made a good bed. I also experimented with no dig. I found using as much weed suppressant membrane or cardboard as I could get hold of a great way of keeping on top of the areas I wasn’t digging or hadn’t yet planted up.

Aha the old headphones ploy, I  used that with a woman 2 plots down from me that used to issue a nonstop diatribe of consciousness whenever she saw me on my plot, I never knew whether it was directed at me in all truth. But I just used to shout & say I was listening to my music, in truth they weren’t plugged into anything lol