New allotment

[Mrs Dobby]

Maybe you should change your avatar to match

No way Nick, you wouldnt want to see me naked! Mind you, the piccy Mr D took of me raking the paths (in the Newbie seeking advice / possibility of an allotment thread) is now his fave, something to do with a bit of cleavage showing methinks!

[Benacre]

Sounds a bit like my plot. we have a waiting list for cultivated plots but realisticly a cultivated plot is well used so their is no chance of it becoming free.
Only un cultivated plots come up as these are the ones people get fed up with doing and give them up.
has anyone else come across this and what is your worst tenant

[Mrs Dobby]

There you go Nick, I've managed to put Mr D's fave piccy of me as my Avatar, can't wait to see his face when he notices! lol!

[nick the grief]

It good to see you're enjoying digging, must be awkward with those two bald headed midgets down your shirt

[Mrs Dobby]

Hahaha!

You're only jealous cos yours dont fill that panto dress of yours Nick!

[Peter]

Brambles are not too bad, but you started the wrong way.

You have to make sure you do not cut them down to ground, leave enough of each rooted whip to use as a pulling handle when forking them out. This way you can see where each clump of whips is coming from and take out a reusable boundary hedge addition with each forking. I bet having strimmed you are having fun finding where some of the root "clumps" are and even more fun trying to get them out of the ground.

However, don't worry, they don't like being dug over and are not very good at growing from root fragments.

Now bindweed or couch, there's a different story. But the black plastic might have done you some favours in that direction. No fragile white spagetti like roots that vanish into the depths?

The only bits of sound advice that seem to be missing are;

Take it steady, set out a sensible amount to clear and dig, according to the planned length of visit. No point working your little cotton socks off to find at sowing time you've got a clear plot and cannot sow seeds 'cos youve done your back.

Don't adjust the visit length to try and get a bit more done.

Take care of your back, try an american style spade, especially for shoveling manure and forked soil out of duble dug trenches. Stretch frequently, do something else for at least ten minutes of each hour and dig for ten minute slots, then stretch.

Weedkiller won't work till stuff is actively growing so you are doing what is possible now. But weedkiller might be useful if you are growing squash or any othe stuff that cannot go out till June, that gives April to June to use that on say a 20'x10' bed for squash.

Finally , from the dug picture I would risk a Merry Tiller type rotovator on it. Take out spit one, lower rotovator (single pair of tines fitted) into trench and rotovate the second spit, add manure, repeat to incorporate the dung. Merry Tiller 'cos the slow (relatively) rotating tines are as thick as mattocks and tougher than pickaxes.

Good to see a new plot holder not afraid of the real hard work, keep it up and good luck.

[dexterdoglancashire]

It good to see you're enjoying digging, must be awkward with those two bald headed midgets down your shirt

Big belly laughs! Good job OH isn't home yet! He thinks we are all mad anyway! Dexterdog
PS got to go and find a tissue I'm crying I'm laughing that much!
PPS I'm only jealous!

[dexterdoglancashire]

On a serious note, I really appreciate your advice Peter. Having just got my lottie compete with weeds, I'm not too sure what is what. Will print off your advice and take it down to the lottie with me this weekend (weather permitting! - mind you 3 hours of rain last saturday didn't stop me!).
I've got it covered in black plastic at the mo till the weather gets better then I can get digging. Dexterdog

[seasprout]

erm....

There you go Nick, I've managed to put Mr D's fave piccy of me as my Avatar, can't wait to see his face when he notices! lol!

Why am i now thinking of 'right said fred'..?

[BristolBirds]

Hi, Thankyou very much for your helpful advice. The strimmer was to strim the grass and not the brambles(The petol strimmer would not of been any use at all on the brambles as they were huge, really thick canes) The Brambles were cut low to the ground with loppers. We are still diggin the plot removing as much of the root as possible, the ground is so thick with bramble root in some places you cant get the spade in the ground! Any way we are double digging our way through slowy, and have a rotavator on order for this weekend.
Good advice - take care of your back.....there is nothing worse than not being able to garden today bacause you went flat out at it yesterday.
I work on keeping my back supple with yoga, I dont want to end up with one of those gardeners hunch backs! We have pulled back more black plastic as we found that the ground we had left uncovered had become very wet with all this rain, it was so much easier to dig. So hopefully when I go to the allotment Saturday the weather would of taken its toll on the soil.
Thanks again to you all, for your excellent advice.

[madderbat]

Hello Bristolbirds
Don't worry if some of the bramle roots remain - think of it as a crop and keep some for the fruit - think blackberry and apple pies, crumbles, jam, and wine!
enjoy