This topic contains 7 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by charles 5 years ago.
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First, clear away any debris, broken glass, bricks, bicycle frames, scrap plastic etc.
Survey the covering vegetation. Mark out any thing of value-fruit bushes, raspberry canes just emerging. Ask your neighbour if there might be asparagus.
Try and establish whether you have just
a)annual weeds and grasses, or
b)whether its really neglected, with nettles/docks/small trees,couch grass, ground elder, bindweed, marestail.(potatoes,carrots,
Initially find (four) areas which could be described as a)
these could be hoed or mown, covered in cardboard then compost and planted. This would be a start for this season. Four areas ideally. 1 each for (according to your requirements)
leaves(salads, spinach,chard etc)
roots (potatoes,carrots, onions,turnips,radish etc
legumes(beans,peas, perhaps sweet corn
fruit (courgettes, melons,tomatoes, cucumbers etc
Once these are established ,but not necessarily yet planted because of frost , you can look to gradually reclaim areas identified as ” b).”
If you have time , you could mow these early to restrict them seeding, and keep them in check.
Cover with cardboard and compost as before. You may not get 100% control in year 1,but by excluding light, green plants cannot thrive, and will, eventually, die.Large , woody roots need to be removed(BY DIGGING-!!)
Good Luck, please post progress reports and photos.
Cleansweep
This will enable you to increase the size of the productive patches progressively, and create the basis of a rotationHi Eleanor,
I was similarly new to vegetable growing when I was granted my plot 2 years ago. It was considered the unlettable plot at the allotment. Choked with weeds, couch grass and brambles. I cleared the brambles, no need to clear the weeds, but by all means cut down anything tall or woody. I then covered the plot with approx 5cm (2″) of compost. I covered the compost with mypex woven ground fabric and pegged it down (nb if you use this type of product, don’t cut the material as it will fray over tine and the strands go everywhere, use a cheap blowtorch to cut it instead). Cardboard is a decent alternative, but in my case the area was rather large (approx 2 plots, 500m2) so I opted for fabric. I followed Charles advice of leaving this for a full year (couch grass and bindweed take a year, longer than most). I then lifted the fabric, positioned and filled a wooden frame with a mix of well rotted horse manure walked over to firm it down, and then a finer compost layer on top. Ready to plant straight into. I then moved the frame to make up the next bed and so on. You can have permanent wooden sides to the beds if you like, but they’ll provide an unwelcome habitat for slugs and woodlice, plus be an extra cost. And the beds don’t actually need sides. My paths were left bare, the original compost laid down was more than enough. I admit I was sceptical how effective this would all be, but it worked almost like magic. In my first year of growing I had very few weeds, and I just pick or hoe off any I see when they are tiny.
You can plant through the cardboard or fabric in places if you want to start growing earlier, or if you have less invasive weeds than I had. I’d also recommend any of Charles’ excellent books, maybe start with ‘ How to create a new Vegetable Garden’. His videos, on this website or his You Tube channel are also very helpful.
Good luck with it all!PS Just seen Cleansweeps advice, we must have written at the same time. As ever he provides wonderful thorough detailed adivce, much better than mine!
Paul your allotment is testament to the quality of your advice.
Cleansweep your advice is thorough but I don’t agree with your “four areas” categorisation. My work goes against traditional rotation, not that it’s invalid but it makes too many assumptions.
Or you could justify in your piece why you say that. It’s not something I consider in planning a plot.“Cleansweep your advice is thorough but I don’t agree with your “four areas” categorisation. My work goes against traditional rotation, not that it’s invalid but it makes too many assumptions.
Or you could justify in your piece why you say that. It’s not something I consider in planning a plot.”
Apologies, Charles & elenorwalsh
My thoughts were to encourage the new gardener to get on, get some areas productive, to reward the initial enthusiasm, and to provide planting space for a variety of crops initially, that could be expanded. I agree that rotation is less of a priority, described elsewhere as ‘fine tuning’, that is my approach.
CleansweepThanks for clarifying Cleansweep, great intentions.
My concern always is to keep it simple.
Mention of the four categories links most readers back to complexities of 4 year rotation.
I urge everyone to take nothing for granted and understand reasons why they say or do things.
Thanks for all your comments.Thanks for clarifying Cleansweep, great intentions.
My concern always is to keep it simple.
Mention of the four categories links most readers back to complexities of 4 year rotation.
I urge everyone to take nothing for granted and understand reasons why they say or do things.
Thanks for all your comments.
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