[stacy]

i have recently taken on a new allotment plot that is new, before it was a grass feild. the council have rotovated it but all the grass has been turned over in the soil. all the turf that was on top has now died off and can easly be picked off but the turf that has been rotovated under the soil is my concern.
can i just leve it to rot down? or do i need to dig it over and fork it out?   the plot has been turned over now for about a month and none of the grass has grown back up yet, and when i dig doen the lumps of turn look well on the way to rotting down.

anyones advice would be great.

[Yorkie]

If it's been turned over for a month, and you don't have lots of piano-wire like roots, then I'd leave it where it is.

If you do have lots of these roots, then you have couch grass and they will need to be removed - probably by digging as there doesn't appear to be any topgrowth for weedkiller to get to work onto.

Be aware that you may have wireworms (I think it is), which are a common pest for a few years after land has been used as grassland, and will attack potatoes in the main.

P.S. Welcome to the site

[stacy]

many thanks for that, no i dont have any shoots coming up it which sounds like good news.   this site look great wish i had found it ages ago! as i do quite alot of gardening at home already and an allotment seemed the next step for me (i'm a chef by trade and the thought of growing my own is great!)

[Jome]

looking forward to your recipes tips then stacy 

[Trillium]

Yes, we do hope you'll check out our cooking forum.

[GreenOwl]

Your site sounds good to me.  Mine was grassland until last March.

Can you put your location in your profile?  Where you are can affect future advice on planting dates etc.

Cheers
GreenOwl.

[dchubbuk]

i have had my plot for4 years and have moved my potato lot on rotation (had to get rid of mares tail first on this plot)have just picked some marispiper spuds and found a wire worm (have been searching all afternoon for a pic) in the potato as i all ways wash as soon as picking as you don't know if u have brought anything back and this time i did!!been on several sites and they have suggested linum grandiflotrum (flax seeds or linseeds as we know them)has anyone else heard of this as have some seedlings in a tray ready to be planted out i know the birds like the seeds and apparently the wireworms only stay just under the surface so the birds will eat the seeds and the wireworms will give ANYTHING a go as i have planted 25kilos of marispiper and don't want lose the whole crop please help !!!