- This topic has 2 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 11 months ago by .
-
Posts
-
I have just taken on a new allotment plot and I wondered if some of you could look over my plan and see if I’ve made any glaring errors!
Unfortunately the plot has been rotavated and had tractors drive over it in the last few months. Couch and nettles are already coming up and a quick test with a fork found some bindweed and there are bramble stems in places. There are bits of broken up plastic and general detritus everywhere! Fun and games, but at least I’ve got some land!!! There is no water on site but plenty of free unrotted manure. My plot is quite small I guess, 25ft by 40ft.
As the soil has been hacked around already, I’m going to tackle as much of the couch – only 2 smallish areas – by digging over then leaving until the first frost hits, then continuing with the rest of the plan:
2/5 of the plot, pick off debris, cover with 3″ of unrotted manure and a plastic sheet. (Partly so that I can tackle the plot in stages and partly to tackle the weeds and fertility issues. I’m hoping to leave it for 1 year only, and have a couple of slug culls during that time!)
1/5 will have shed, water tanks and compost (gotta get that unrotted manure on its way ASAP!) so I was going to clear that – probably by digging as it won’t be used for planting, then weed proof membrane, sharp sand and slabs, gaps for the compost to rest on the ground though.
The last 2/5 I wanted to try to get started growing on asap so I was going to try weeding it as well as possible by digging, (once only in already rotavated soil, not my first choice but may be the best option at this point) lay it out in beds and spread as much of the unrotted manure over the top as i can for the winter and spring, starting planting with some later large crops, courgettes, squash etc for the first summer.
I don’t know what to do with the paths really, the surrounding paths have couch in as well so I’ll have to dig it out or put a barrier in round the edge of my plot. I think Charles leaves his paths bare but as I’m starting with such a weedy plot I’m thinking I should mulch them in some way, at least to start with.
Any comments would be hugely appreciated.xxYou have thought it through well, its your plan and although everyone would do some things differently, I would stick with it and also ignore other allotmenteers comments about no dig!
As for paths, that is correct, they need mulching – check my photos of Homeacres garden through the months – This Month, Archives -where you can see all the cardboard mulch in paths, which has saved me so much weeding and helped to almost eliminate couch grass (as well as my trowel for the beds where I did not use cardboard).
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.