[ex-cavator]

Although myself & son have had our two plots since Christmas, this will be the first weekend we can really get stuck in, due to the weather we've had, and the fact that drainage is poor, they've been completely waterlogged.
Both plots have been cutivated before, I guess up to a year or so ago. One has the remnants of a number of raised beds, though the boards have been taken. We weeded most of them a few weeks back, there's a nice fine tilth over a membrane at the base, & the annual weeds / grasses came out easily, but the membranes are rotted / torn, and theres only an inch or two at the most of soil on top - they're not really raised anymore, I guess the previous owner just didn't keep them topped up.
The other plot doesn't have raised beds, is much more heavily overgrown with annual weeds, and digging over proved impossible with the heavy, waterlogged soil.
So, I'm guessing raised beds s the way to go. We know that there's no way we'll get both up & running this year, or at least for a few months, so we'll concentrate on the better one for now.
Question is, what's the best way to tackle it? We're going to reinstate the frames on at least some of the raised beds. But as there's so little depth of soil in them, should we put all of that into, say, half the number of beds to increase the depth (will leave us even shorter in the others) - but at least it will get us started with somewhere to plant.
Also, we've just managed to procure a large pile of manure. Is it too late to apply it to the new beds and, if not, shall we dig it in straight away, or just dress the surface?
As the raised beds are no longer raised, should we skim the paths inbetween and place the soil on the beds to help raise them, or take fresh soil from elsewhere. perhaps off the other plot?
Finally, what's best to do with the other plot,or should we just leave it for now?  Should we weed some of it (when we can) or cover it, should we manure it, and what's best to plant in it in the early stages (if anything).
I apologise for so many questions, but, time is tight & we just want to do the right thing. Many thanks in anticipation.

[gillie]

Hi,

A few thoughts on this:

I would get rid of the torn membrane - which is obviously not doing any good, dig over the not-raised beds and start shifting some soil from the paths onto them.  You might want to skim the soil off one bed to get at the membrane and put it on the neighbouring one, working your way round..The beds should end up slightly raised and in the future you might want to put boards round them, but there is no need to hurry to do this.  The beds can be gradually raised over the next few years.

Plan what you are going to grow in the beds and put the manure where it will do most good.  NOT on the carrot bed, but perhaps in trenches for peas and beans, or on the potatoes or wherever else other people on this site recommend.

If you leave the other plot totally uncultivated or worse start pinching its soil, I guess there will be grumbling, even if you have the best intentions, so I think you should do something with it.  If you can I would cover at least part of it with a weed suppressant fabric or cardboard and then plant something through it.  Again there are plenty of suggestions on this site.  I think I would go for courgettes, squash, pumpkin types which don't need to be started just yet to give you a breathing space and should appreciate damp soil.  Sweet corn is another crop which you can leave until a bit later and then plant through a membrane, or maybe winter cabbages and brussels sprouts.  Do you have somewhere to raise seedlings?

Gillie

Gillie

[ex-cavator]

Gillie,

Many thanks, that's some great advice. I've been churning various options over in my mind as to what was best to do, and hadn't come up with a great deal at all. That, at least, has given me some clear objectives. I have spent the past couple of months eyeing up skips for suitable timber for the raised beds, with very little success - I was beginning to think I'd have to buy some gravel boards, when I'd rather spend my hard-earned cash on other stuff for the allotments. I hadn't considered that the boards can wait until later  As for covering the other plot and planting through it - brilliant 

As for raising seeds, I've just been treated to a little plastic greenhouse as a 'thank you' for some work I did for a family member (hopefully I can repay in fresh veggies later), at the moment that's in my conservatory, but can move outside at any time, but I'm still trying to decide what seeds to start off with - a lot of it depends, of course, on how much of my plot I can get usable in time - I don't want to grow loads of seed that then go to waste because I've got insufficient ground prepared. So I've got to work out what'll grow best in the ground I've got. And your advice re: the waterlogged plot has already been very useful in that respect.

I'm sure I'll have loads more questions, but at least now I can make a positive start. Thanks again