[missycat]

I've just spent most of the summer digging over a 2 15x1m beds, it's been back breaking and I have another 5 beds to go!!

I'm really intrigued by the idea of a no dig allotment and would love to try it out on one bed. Just a couple of questions though...

1)  My very sandy soil is heavily infested with marestail and couch grass (twitch) plus numerous other perennial weeds, would I need to dig these out? If not how do I stop them growing into the manure layer?

2)  I don't have a supply of well rotted manure only fresh...if I spread 2"(or will I need more) of manure over ground in October will it be ok for planting in the Spring? would probably try it for potatoes.

Thanks

[NASH]

Hi Missycat

My plot has a lot of Marestail and Couch, I weed killed where  I needed to  first ( if it wasn't already covered in black plastic from previous tenant ) then 4 weeks later I put manure where I needed it but only a foot wide strip say for Beans and peas, 2 foot wide for Onions and Swede, for potatos I started a foot wide then built up more manure as needed as they grew.

As for your manure why not rot it down over the winter then just put it where your potatoes are going the day you plant them, thats all I did, I just pulled off the plastic that was covering the area for my potatoes the same day as I planted them in manure and I had no weeds while they were growing as I kept adding more manure which stopped any small weeds that had started to grow.

I did not pre dig any weeds out, there either wern't any or I used weedkiller that was ready to sow on just 4 weeks later, then kept using lots of weed  matting in between and spaced everything well apart.

[NASH]

Nice work but it must be tricky to not constantly stub your toes on those bricks.

One also trips over them a fair bit but it does get easier !

[NASH]

I like any idea that saves me doing hard work.
I am using thick layers of newspaper as a weed supressant, and I hope it works as the manure I had last year contained lots of weed seeds.
You have done well, NASH. Enjoy all that lovely produce.

Thank you azubah I am still enjoying my produce and will do so for many more months I hope.

[NASH]

Winding down the plot a bit now, when I can afford I will change the plastic to Weed fabric the HD course type, I still have plenty of Carrots and monster Swede all the Brassicas are looking ok as I have dealt with the Caterpillars, I did take the nets off the Brassicas to see if the birds would remove some Caterpillars but all that happened  was the Pigeons removed a fair bit of Sprout leaves ! Both the Pigeons and Caterpillars liked the Sprouts most of all

[NASH]

And some more from today.

[NASH]

I also have to crack on with the last rough part of my plot and construct some compost bins and a shed over the winter.

[DD.]

Hi Nash, pretty good results for the effort put it. May I just comment on one thing touched on by others and that's the nutrients bit, particularly in regard to the spuds.

You say 200 lb from 10 rows, I'm assuming at, say, 18" spacing, that would give you about 10 per row, 100 in total. That's only a yield of 2 lb per plant. I would expect at least double this. It may pay to try & get them a bit further down next year.

As for the caterpillers & pigeons - nothing to do with no dig, but a lot of folk have learned this year never to take the netting off!

[NASH]

Hi DD

I realised after i posted it that i had 130lb from my 3 rows of maincrop ( 70lb from one row, Arran Victory ) so I probably had quite a bit more than i stated in the spud production.

[NASH]

These are the easiest vegetables I grow but can you freeze Beetroot ? I have quite a few of these left in the ground, how long can they be left ?

[Yorkie]

Yes you can freeze beetroot, see this article
http://www.allotment-garden.org/allotment_foods/Storing_the_Surplus_Freezing.php

[Salmo]

If you pull some earth up to them they should be fine. For added insurance if the frosts are really hard cover them with mulch, straw or anything to hand. Last year mine were under cut off asparagus tops.

[NigelB]

.... Still watching and learning from this thread, and have been so impressed I've splashed out some very hard-to-find money on 28Sq Metres of heavy-duty weed suppressing membrane for one half of my own small garden veg plot.
As I mentioned earlier, digging is not an option for me any more so I either get a system like this to work or I have to think about giving it up, what with the kids flying the nest as well...

 All I need to do now is to find someone with a car, a towbar and a trailer, and I'll set about trying to convince them it's actually a good idea that they fill it with old horse-poo. 
Should be a doddle. 
Anyways. Keep us updated Nash, I'll be following on sooner or later. More power to yer veggies. 

[NASH]

Hi Nigel,

Poo is the key to the way I have done things, the only thing I did not use it on was the Carrots for which I used potting compost into a 2" wide trench lined at the sides with plastic to keep the weeds out.

[NASH]

I think I need enviromesh for the Carrots as some had root fly.