Putting the beds to bed for winter

[Tori]

Have made a start on clearing the allotment and digging over the beds ready for next year. Shall i cover them up with tarpaulin when im done? Or just leave them and hope there arent to many weeds?
or????

[Pumpkin Becki]

Well, there are a few options.

1) If you're on heavy/ clay soil which is hard to dig and ends up in big clods, leave the beds uncovered until we've had a few really hard frosts. This will make the clods easier to break up, and you could then move onto covering the beds - probably cardboard would be better, as this will rot down intime for spring planting, whilst also preventing nutrient loss. Or

2) Sew a green manure now, something like winter tares, or a special winter mix. This will stop nutrients being leached away by winter rain as they get taken into the plants instead. Then, about a month before you want to sew/plant, cut down the top growth and add it to your compost bin, and dig in the roots which will have helped improve your soil structure.

Either way you'll be doing your soil lots of good.

[Bigmallly]

Am sure I read somewhere that you can cover them with leaves then dig them in next year but I may be wrong.

[jayjay giant]

I sow my empty beds with grass around the end of september and then put the chickens on them over winter. That way they are weed free and ready manured for early spring. Then the birds move on to the summer beds and then onto the winter beds.
It seems to be working well so far.
Before i had the birds though i used to cover the beds in plastic but always ended up with slugs !
Good luck and keep us informed.
jayjay

[Snadger]

Glad to see that the winter brown desert scenario appears to be dieing out! Not at our flaming Allotment Association site though!

I'm not going to say owt else until I've taken a blood pressure tablet!

[Tori]

It is my first year and there is a bed full of onions, garlic,leeks and another with overwintering brassicas and one with broad beans!

[Two_Sheds]

Shall i cover them up with tarpaulin when im done?

I did that for a stubborn weedy patch I've got. It tends to shelter lots of slugs and snails (which is good, if you check and destroy). I also got a frog living under mine. Apparently he was vegetarian though

If you browse through some older threads you will see discussion of green manures (bit late for this year) and covering with cardboard/newspaper mulches (which rots down and improves the soil).

[Snadger]

......................... I also got a frog living under mine. Apparently he was vegetarian though

................

Don't know what the worlds coming to when even the frogs are going veggie!

[gojiberry]

My association is the same snadger other than a few spring greens all the lotties are a brown desert. I am trying to convert a few but it is hard work. There are a few who we won't see now till spring, they will then come down plant the whole lottie up and that will be the whole planting for the year. Still at least the lotties are being used even if not to their full potential.

Ian

[Matt.]

I tried cardboard last year but it didn't rot down. Also weeds grew through it which wasn't what I expected. This year I might try damp newspaper but I'll probably do nothing! A lot easier to collect if I do bother...

[SarzWix]

My favourite covering is cardboard topped with manure/compost. Second best is cardboard covered in straw, but really, any covering is better than none. I really hate leaving them with no covering at all, means a lot of weeding in springtime.

[Tori]

Great thanks for the advice! I think I will do cardboard with manure on top - I have an easy supply of cardboard from work and manure is sometimes delivered to the allotment.

[OAKLEY WAY]

Our `lottie` has a very sandy soil and the weeds grow at an execeptionally fast rate.
`She who must be taken notice of` [who actually obtained the `lottie`] works hard removing the weeds from the productive sections and then with my little help covers them up with tarpaulin or builders` heavy duty pvc [grey or black]. We did this last season and it proved invaluable. There is nothing more rewarding than in late February removing the covers to reveal `clean` soil, ready for early planting
Additionally, before digging out the weeds and covering up the sectors , we throw in a few handfulls of chicken manure -smells awful but the result of its` effect is worth it.
PS. I only went along to do the heavy work [3 years ago] to help the wife,but am totally involved with allotment work.It is so good for a healthy lifestyle.

[OllieMartin]

Well, there are a few options.
1) If you're [...]
2) Sew a [...]
Either way you'll be doing your soil lots of good.

Caught you at it again haven't I Numbers!

[Pumpkin Becki]

Caught you at it again haven't I Numbers!

HeeHeeHee (in the style of Mutley)