To use a rotervater or not *Please advise*

[Nigelsmith]

Hi Colin ah thats not good news whats the issue/s ?

Nigel,

I don't have a lottie so am little use in your situation however I see you are considering horse muck. Before you buy have a look round this site has there has been some bad problems with infected muck, it can ruin your plot before you start.

Colin

[binley100]

Hi Nigel . I just echo what everyone else has said about covering and digging a bit at a time ....an onerous task but will pay off in the long run. The manure problem is down to aminopryalid weedkiller residue that a fair few people have had problems with

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ler_54557.html

[Potstubsdustbins]

Glad Binners can spell that word


Colin

[Helgalush]

Nigel, how about if you clear the surface stuff now, then lay cardboard down over it, weighed down with heavy objects (someone on here recently advised me to do this - Zazen I think it was), and just concentrate on making one small plot weed-free for now so that you can get some stuff in now and giving you the motivation to keep going. Then you can gradually start work on the next bit and the next bit and then the next bit. Before long you will have several beds in action and more to work with. I kind of see getting an allotment (she says not having started work on one at all) as a long term investment, but there's no reason why you cant start small and work upwards

[Nigelsmith]

I think your right we have bought lots of tarpaulin to cover half the plot to hopefully stop the weeds whilst we work on the other half (Yet to arrive) so hopefully a nice sunny day left to do this.

Clear a little dig a little plant a little << This was advise I was given earlier and echoed by your guys so I think thats the route I shall take thank you everyone for your advise and input and I'm sure I shall have plenty more questions soon (Totally allotment noob here)

Nigel

Nigel, how about if you clear the surface stuff now, then lay cardboard down over it, weighed down with heavy objects (someone on here recently advised me to do this - Zazen I think it was), and just concentrate on making one small plot weed-free for now so that you can get some stuff in now and giving you the motivation to keep going. Then in early spring you can gradually start work on the next bit and the next bit and then the next bit. Before long you will have several beds in action and more to work with. I kind of see getting an allotment (she says not having started work on one at all) as a long term investment, but there's no reason why you cant start small and work upwards

[binley100]

Glad Binners can spell that word


Colin

copy and paste Colin ......

[SarrissUK]

Hi Nigel and congrats on the lottie!

I got my plot just earlier this year and the scenario was exactly the same - the plot had been covered with brambles for a minimum of 12 years, that had been cut down and taken away.

This was in March so the ground was absolutely rock hard due to the dry spring so I was struggling with that, and then of course, there was the bramble roots. Every foot had a big knuckle of a bramble root. It was back breaking work, both physically and mentally. I'm afraid you'd need a monster of a rotavator to be able to deal with the 'knuckles' of the bramble roots.

I know the lady that manages the allotments here, so I gave her a ring to see if there was any chance of getting the plot ploughed, and she heard my prayers LOL A couple of weeks later, they'd been up there, ploughed the lot, and whilst it's still hard work to pull the roots out, it's by far easier, and it's not spread the weeds noticeably. That would be my advice - get it ploughed. Even if you have to pay to have it done, it'll be worth it, comparing to both the manual digging, or the rotavator (which I really don't think is feasible anyway, without seizing the motor or bending the blades lol).

Let us know how it goes Nigel, and best of luck

Tina

[binley100]

Nigel , invest in a mattock .......I've seen someone clear their plot in no time with one.

[zazen999]

Silverline GT52 Digging Hoe: Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

Brilliant.

I've had to prepare, lets see, 6 plots in the last 2 years; and we do not rotavate as it just causes untold issues further down the line. Yes, in the first wee while it looks good but it's the perennials that get chopped up that all then germinate down the line that you spend many more hours getting rid of than if you had hand dug them out at the start. It's not the brambles necessarily that will regenerate - it's the others that will be the problem.

[SarrissUK]

Nigel , invest in a mattock .......I've seen someone clear their plot in no time with one.

I agree.. someone came by with one and I tried it for five, ten minutes and it was exceptionally efficient. However, the RSI in my wrists made me put it down and not use it again. Darn keyboard over-usage over the years :/

[Nigelsmith]

So cmon guys spill whats a mattock ?

[SarrissUK]

Mattock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Excellent tool, just not for my wrists

[Nigelsmith]

Wow Iwould build muscles using that lol

Mattock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Excellent tool, just not for my wrists

[Two_Sheds]

I think your right we have bought lots of tarpaulin to cover half the plot to hopefully stop the weeds

I didn't find tarp very effective actually - cardboard or wet newspapers work better (and can be dug in afterwards). Tarp tends to shelter lots & lots of slugs, so pull it back frequently to pick them off

we do not rotavate as it just causes untold issues further down the line.

The new chap next to me had a plot full of couch grass: he rotavated it then planted spuds (having read that they "clear the ground" for you). He's now dug up all his spuds and the plot looks worse than when he started.
You've got to get all those little roots out, don't chop them up into new plants

My plot was full of bramble roots, big old things, broke one fork. I got them out by digging, levering and sawing, bit by bit. I got new plants springing up here and there for a couple of years, but this year they seem to be gone

[zazen999]

So cmon guys spill whats a mattock ?

The amazon link shows a really good one; a bit thicker than a traditional mattock but we can dig a trench in a matter of [literally] 30 seconds, whereas with a spade it takes much much longer. It got bramble roots out under our new composting area and we cleared it and had builders bags for composting up and running in 15 mins.