Starting a No Dig allotment in such hot and dry weather

[Di BobParticipant]

Hello,

I have just got my new allotment which has been dormant since about September. The council strimmed it and now it looks like a cut hay field, esp. as we haven’t had rain for weeks. I’m starting to map out the beds, paths etc and need to dig out what look like the remains of brambles so I can try and make a couple of raised beds productive asap.

However, the ground is really dry. Is this a problem to lay cardboard straight on top of dry ground and cutback vegetation? Should the cardboard be wet? Should there be a layer of compost between the vegatation and the cardboard? It was not a nice green field or lawn underneath as a starting point 🙁

All suggestions and ideas welcome.
Many thanks,
Di

[charlesModerator]

Di you can use compost & cardboard in dry conditions but they will sit on top more than usually and it’s probably too dry for worms to feed on the compost. I would still go ahead and some compost on the weedy grounds is an option, then some compost on the cardboard to weight it down.
If the weeds are strong, dry cardboard makes a more impermeable layer. But then it’s difficult to grow veg!

[Di BobParticipant]

Thanks Charles. I’ll pray for rain as a starting point 🙂

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