What have I let myself in for?!

Hawthorne · « **on:** May 14, 2008, 17:36 »

I picked up the key and signed the tenancy agreement today, so I'm now an official allotmenteer - which I celebrated, of course, with some hard graft.

This is the new allotment (the mowed bit at the front!)

And the progress after an hour spent digging

At that point, I decided that, while my aim of being chemical free is all very well, I'm never going to get anywhere without calling in the big guns, so I've doused the whole lot in glyphosate. I know I'll still have to dig it, but at least some of it won't be trying to start growing again at the same time.

Well, I could do with the exercise

fibilou · « **Reply #1 on:** May 14, 2008, 17:43 »

Blimey, you are really lucky with that ! Ours was shoulder high in brambles and we've managed to clear it just with armpower and a strimmer !

Wildeone · « **Reply #2 on:** May 14, 2008, 17:45 »

I always thought i would be 100% organic then i notice loads of black and green aphids on my clemitis and a bottle of bug killer found its way into my shopping basket within minutes :!:

fibilou · « **Reply #3 on:** May 14, 2008, 17:45 »

We only do organic because we blanch at the price of the chemicals ! We did buy some growmore the other day though.

Ruby Red · « **Reply #4 on:** May 14, 2008, 18:40 »

Wow it looks really nice and new. Is it just a field divided up ?How lovely to be the first.

Hawthorne · « **Reply #5 on:** May 14, 2008, 21:01 »

I'm so relieved to hear that I'm not alone! I'm sure I'll get there in the end.

For Ruby Red, the area was apparently allotments a few decades ago, but then wasn't wanted. Our local council have recently seen a rise in the numbers of people wanting them, and have made 20 more for us.

peapod · « **Reply #6 on:** May 14, 2008, 21:10 »

I know its hard, but Ive seen worse :-)

good luck, and (shhh I dont blame you for the roundup, be organic next year

)

Lee1978 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 14, 2008, 23:13 »

Looks like you are going to be busy for the next few weeks, i'd be tempted to dose it again in two weeks

woodburner · « **Reply #8 on:** May 14, 2008, 23:24 »

In my experience brambles are actually easier to clear than short grass. Long grass is somewhere in between, as are all other weed infestations. Short grass is by far the worst stuff to clear in my book, even out ranking ground elder! Unless I was in a hurry I'd use cardboard and other mulches but if it was the only place I could grow veggies this season, I'd definitely have used glyphosate!!! (And I am REALLY anti chemicals!

)

franmeerkat · « **Reply #9 on:** May 15, 2008, 11:57 »

What a lovely site! Good luck with all the digging - I know how it feels...Are those chalet thingies the huts? They look enormous!