[Thompson24]

Hi guys

I have just been offered my first allotment (well infact its four together lol) its really massive and hugely overgrown!.  Its never been used for 17 years and is head height with nettles, brambles and other weeks.

I was speaking to the committee secretary who said there is no way other than to dig everything out, however another guy said cut it down then set fire to the roots etc.  Another fella said to use weed killer and another said cut it down and put chickens on it lol.

Now im totally lost, just priced round up at the garden cetre and the biggest i can find it is 5lts and I think i would need a creat full of the stuff for the size of the gardens. 

Please could someone offer some advice?

[Christine]

Everyone is right in their own way.

The guy who said cut it down was starting at a sensible point. Once you cut down the overgrowth you can make it into one pile in an out of the way corner to dry out a bit before you have a bonfire.

This allows you to see the ground. At this point the committee secretary has good advice in seeing what you can dig out before you go any further. You need to take out the bramble roots and the nettles to stop them coming back. Burning these roots would be a good idea too as that would stop them returning ever.

At this point you could consider some weedkiller but only for small areas - cost is a great deterrent with regard to a general blitz with it.

If you can get hold of some chickens after you have had the bonfire they would certainly do an excellent job of weed clearing and fertilising. If you use them one patch at a time you can then dig seriously and start to prepare a growing area.

So as you see - taking everyone's advice in the right order could be of great help to you. But you never get the right advice in the right order when you ask four different opinions.    That's gardeners for you!

[Yorkie]

Hi Thompson24 and welcome to the forums

I've moved this thread into Grow Your Own, where you may get more replies.

Firstly, have a read of this article from the Information pages of the site, on clearing an allotment.

I'd suggest the following things:

I wouldn't try to burn off that height of top growth, so firstly I'd cut it down to no higher than about 6-12".  You can then burn or otherwise dispose of that top growth.

Roundup will only work on plants with leaves on in active growth - it won't really do much against brambles or other woody plants.

You will definitely need to dig at some point, and I doubt that burning will permanently get rid of the roots as suggested by one guy.

I know that chickens will clear a plot of certain weeds, but you'd need to have a safe environment for them and I doubt that would be possible with the plots in the condition you describe.

I personally would get the top growth down as far as possible, weedkiller the leafy growth of nettles and other ground level weeds, make sure you cover up what you are not going to dig out soon - or you'll get disheartened with regrowth of weeds, and take a bit at a time.  NB Not carpet as a cover.

Realistically, if you have 4 full size plots, you're unlikely to reach all of them this season - and it might even be worth you not even attempting the further ones till you've got some progress on the earlier ones.

Good luck and continue asking questions!

[AndyRVTR]

IMO I guess it really depends on how soon you want to use the land.... If you want to use it this season then the quickest way would be to strim the weeds down with a half-decent brushcutter, rake up the mess into a nice big pile somewhere and then burn it once dry.
Burning what is left with a gas torch will clear the ground and then you are ready for digging and weeding straightaway. (lots of it too)  
If you are looking longer term... Roundup will do the trick... it would probably take 2 applications and then left to do it's dirty work.
It is unforgiving and will kill everything in sight (eventually), one litre of 3000 Ultra concentrate will cover over 3000sq metres and it costs around £20 on ebay.
Good luck  

[oldbean]

It will depend what you are going to grow how much work you need to do. Vegetables - loads of work, fruit trees - not too much work.

4 plots sounds massive. It would be worth thinking of alternatives to  weedkilling. If you want chemical loading in veges, just buy them at the supermarket. It also harms the micro-organisms in the soil. Try and avoid burning. There is a huge amount of nutrient locked up in all that growth. Why burn it then buy in nutrient? It can be piled and covered and will decompose.

I might see a farmer with a flail mower to bash down the growth. Very quick. Then cover the ground with that weed suppressing sheet. Nature then gets to work and deals with the bits that will give you a big fight otherwise. It would be far easier to pick on a small, easy to handle section for this year and wait till later in the year when all the growth has died off and attack it then when you have time, rather than now when you could be getting something growing.

You need not do it all at once. Once the growth has been cut down with a major machine, you can stop it getting out of control with repeat cuttings. Personally, I'd keep it down with a scythe. Low cost, quiet, pleasant work and not at all slow. Have a look at the videos here http://www.scytheconnection.com/adp/video/index.html.

If you insist on burning use an old washing machine drum

[Teabag]

i had the same problem last year,what i did was to brushcutter the brambles then burnt the cuttings ,i dug out the roots and the dug an rotovated an area at a time.Hard work but you will get the in the end.good luck

[BazTheGardener]

You could cut it down then erect a fence and stick a couple of pigs on.
The rest of the lotty holders might not like it but they do a damn good job of clearing an area.      

Then pork chops a couple of months later.

Probably not practical.
But wish I could do it would save a lot of digging.


Best of luck 

[Rangerkris]

Im going to go with your going to have to dig it over in the long run so start in the corner and work out from there.   I used a slasher and loppers on my plot when i got it and its started to look ok now. 

[paintedlady]

All good points from everyone.  On my site, I've seen really bad plots ploughed over by a local farmer (for a fee of course) - naturally the perennial weeds and brambles are still there, but the ground has been disturbed, making it easier to dig & pick out the really bad roots and then you can get a rotavator in (it might be worth investing in one if you are going to use so much ground, but someone on the site might "rent" one out for you to try?)  I would certainly recommend covering up those area with black plastic sheeting that you cannot attend to - it always saddens me to see so much effort going into an initial dig and clearance of a plot, only to find the new tenants give up when the weeds spring back with a vengeance (and they will, because it is in their nature to survive) because they could never get round to it all.  Even when the roots have been dug out, remember that the soil will be teeming with billions of seeds which spring to life when the soil is disturbed and bring them up to the surface

[Trebor]

First question why are you starting with 4 plots? This sounds like way too much space unless you are planning a farm or have a very enthusiastic team of helpers!

I have one plot, which is 10mx30m, which to me is massive and will provide more than enough veg for the family. This was in the same state as yours and it has taken me about 4 months to get it in shape. I started by clearing any top growth that was going to go to seed – not much point turning the ground over if seed is going to land in it as you clear another part. Then I covered some sections with carpet – again people don’t recommend this I think because of the foam backing that makes a mess of the soil. I used carpet that had no foam backing and it worked just fine, but I wouldn’t leave it there longer than necessary. I then worked around each section and turned it by hand, picking out the weeds and roots as I go. The main problem now is annual weeds that I hoe off and the veg should soon spread out giving these a harder time. It was much easier to do this in winter when the weeds are not active –starting now you will have more difficulty keeping land clear unless you cover it. As a final point I didn’t use any weed killer, just a spade and fork, so this route is possible if you don’t mind the work.

Good luck.

[Yorkie]

Many good points.

One thing about carpet - foam backing is not really the reason it is not recommended.

As carpet breaks down, it releases toxins from the chemicals used to dye / glue / manufacture / use it.  The fibres themselves do not always break down in the soil, polluting it further.

If it does not break down, weeds will grow through it, making it impossible to lift, or they will grow on top of it so it becomes underneath the top of the soil over time.

And it is an absolute nightmare to dispose of afterwards, whether by you or someone else who inherits the plot.

Please avoid carpet 

[Trebor]

Blimey – worrying points on the carpet use! I am glad I got most of it off the ground now, but a bit worried about what it may have left behind. I know what you mean about removing it – I take a small piece off the site each week, but is still a pain to move.

[Yorkie]

I wouldn't worry too much Trebor, over time anything which may have leached into the soil will dissipate.  It just needed mentioning as one of the reasons why carpet is often forbidden on sites (including mine) rather than anything to lose sleep over 

[Elcie]

I never see the point of covering over the whole plot and leaving it for a year.  If you are not willing to put in some hard work then there is a whole waiting list behind you, one of whom will be willing to do it!

From my point of you, taking on such a large number of plots is probably a mistake as it can be daunting with one.  Having said that, if you enjoy allotments then you very quickly run out of space so having all of that space will be a benefit to a dedicated allotmenteer in the future!

I would suggest covering it over and digging it up bit by bit.  Planting on it as you go.  That way you have something to motivate you to go to the plot other than digging it over.  After all, we get plots to grow thing on them!

Good luck and take some pictures if you can and let us know which approach you are going to take.