[dead eye dave]

Hi
I have just been given a good big bit of a field, approx 5m x 10m for growing veg. IT has been used for farming cattle for years, is covered in very deep hoof marks/ furrows, is quite wet (bottom of a hill in west central scotland, also quite cold...), and is absolutely covered in weeds/ grass.
I am wanting to prepare about half of the space (at first) for beds/ growing veg, but am already feeling a bit defeated by the grass/weeds whose roots go down into the earth about 6 inches  more. II tried raking and pulling for two days but with little major difference.  am not madly organic, therefore tried using glysophate one week ago, covered an area in blackout fabric etc, but nothing has changed.
Looking for advice to get rid of the grass/ weeds as much as possible, then some advice re preparing the ground....am thinking of digging/ cultivating, but with so many weeds, it might be a bad idea...so might just build some beds on top of the weeds, using cardboard as a barrier....
any ideas and advice welcome before I become defeated....
D

[Lardman]

Have you checked here ?

http://www.allotment-garden.org/articles/new-allotment.php If you're just starting its very helpful.

Im personally a big fan of digging... Dig a bit, weed a bit, burn the resulting weeds - repeat.

Get yourself a spade and a fork and long weekend.   

[Rangerkris]

Have you checked here ?

http://www.allotment-garden.org/articles/new-allotment.php If you're just starting its very helpful.

Im personally a big fan of digging... Dig a bit, weed a bit, burn the resulting weeds - repeat.

Get yourself a spade and a fork and long weekend.   

Or 10 long weekends

[pairofacres]

tried using glysophate one week ago, covered an area in blackout fabric etc, but nothing has changed.

Glyphosate gets transported down into the weed's roots as the plant grows. At this time of year, particularly in the colder north, the weeds won't be far off dormant, so Glyphosate will work very, very slowly - typically taking a month or more during the colder months. Covering with plastic will further slow the growth, actually reducing the weed killer's effects.

Personally, I'd split the plot in 3. Cover one end in plastic, douse the middle bit in glyphosate and leave open, then dig the last third by hand to start growing on as soon as possible. That'd give you a less daunting patch to start with, and the other bits dying back as you work towards them.

[Goosegirl]

I agree with pairofacres - so much all at once can be daunting and if you cover/spray and then just focus on digging over one area ready for this year, you will feel you have accomplished something and can plant it up. Rome wasn't built in a day and there's still plenty of time for this year's produce to go in.

[dead eye dave]

Thanks for the replies

Splitting the polt into three makes sense to me, but am stillnot sure about just digging the first bit, the grass goes deep into the earth and am not sure what I am meant to do with it as it will just grow back if I do that
I know I am being naive here, but exactly what am I meant to do with grass/weeds so entrenched into the deep soil? Will the glysophate work evetually so I neednt worry?

(thought this was going to be easy....ha!!)

[pairofacres]

Scrape off what grass you can from the top and pile to one side to rot down into loam. Dig the cleared ground with a fork and pull out as much weed as possible. If you think there's still a lot of weed going to re-emerge, leave it for a week or two to start appearing then soak the new growth in glyphosate. Keep repeating until a few weeks before you plan on first planting.

No matter how well you prepare though, you'll always get weed regrowth. Just keep hoeing it off and it'll eventually get starved of nutrients and die.

[Goosegirl]

Sounds like you might have couch grass there too. Its roots don't go hugely deep and it's quite satisfying to pull them out. Don't leave any tips behind as they will regrow. You will find that there is always some regrowth but it will be easier to dig out. Don't compost it - burn it!

[dead eye dave]

Great, thats exactly the help i have been needing, firm answers that you cant get from reading books...thank you very much
I was hoping to start the digging tomorrow but the snow has been falling for about four hours now and there is about four inches on the ground.....this was never going to be easy or straight-forward........its nearly april and i feel we are in for another extended cold spell...at least my tomatoes and other seeds are on the way....
thanks again
will update later once the snow goes (this may be a few weeks....)

[noshed]

Make sure you buy the generic glyphosate rather than Roundup or similar, it is much cheaper. You'll obviously have to wait until the snow goes to catch the grass when it is growing well to absorb the glyphosate but it will work.
And as soon as you clear a bit you'll be able to sow a few things. You could get some runner beans this year, cabbages and salad stuff, so don't worry. Get some chicken manure pellets or growmore to use until your compost heaps get going.
As soon as you divide your plot up you'll be able to see a bit of progress and it won't seem so daunting.