New allotment....advice please

[sionapdale]

I've just got an allotment after a 4 year wait. The ground has noit been tilled for some time and is covered in bindweed.

I would like some advice on where to start.

What would you do first?

We will be starting tomorrow.



Cheers
Sion

[Finedon.Dandy]

BINDWEED - EEEEKKK!!!

I hope someone will advise how to get it out as you need to get every peice out. My hubby didnt believe me when he dug our strawberry bed and it keeps comming through even with my meticulous weeding twice a week. Potatoes are good to "clean" a plot apparently - dont know why though.

Good luck, keep us informed how you get on.

[dinky_doo]

take your time
what we did was to strim it all first. then we sprayed it with roundup, and we covered up the bit we wernt gonna use and just planted out on what we cleared
its a walk not a race
good luck in your new plot

[Vmax]

We had bind weed, I would never put weed killer down, just remove as much as you can by hand and keep pulling it up as it re-appears you will win eventually, took us 2 yrs to completely remove it!! Good luck.

[bwfc07]

Congratulations on your new plot.......
Its going 2 be hard work i can tell you that Hire/borrow a petrol strimmer take everything to the ground use some good weed killer and then cover what ever beds/patch your not going to use with some black weed barrier (membrane)
And what ever beds u fancy digging over to use dig DEEP and get a back strap ...........nothing worse than morning back ache stopping you

Good luck !!!
TheGrosvenorStPlot

[KellsSimon]

I've tried 'roundup' on my Bindweed in the flower beds, to no avail, it just doesn't kill enough of the root system, but when you are digging over the ground those same roots do pull up so easy, i think this is the only surefire way to be rid it in less than 2 years but it is also organic, and gets the ground ready for what ever you want next.
Do make sure the ground is nice and loose ground though before you start pulling, as any little snapped off shoots or millimeters of root will grow again!