First Time Allotment

[Nat]

Hi Everyone,

I joined this forum ages ago and thought i should really pop up and say hi !!!

This year we took on a full allotment quite late on, not much time for any real preperation ....i think next year we will just have to give up 1/2, It's terribly hard work, and i just can't seem to get on top of all the grass coming through, by the time i have got to one end i have to start again at the other end, which is about waist height, looks like i have more or less lost 4-6 rows of potatoes as they diddnt get enough light, as much grass as i dig out more grows back Arghhhhhh .......

4 rows of carrots later and i have about 15-20 carrots ...lol i'm doing something wrong here ???

On a lighter note...onions are going totally mad !!!!!! and beetroot is actually growing.....courgetts nothing but male flowers,and no peas ...(weird i have some growing in the garden and they are going really well )

What i really need to ask is will it get easier? and any tips for removing this grass ??

We always were growing veggies in the garden when i was a kid and i just wanted to provide the same for my children, but i just don't remember it being such trouble !!!!

Nat

[cotton54321]

one thing to remember is just to tackle a small piece of the plot at a time and see it as a long term project. Cover the rest in black plastic / weed supressant or something similar and you will be getting rid of the weeds at the same time.
This way you can keep on top of one piece until you feel ready to take on another bit.
You can also plant potatoes through black matting so you keep the weeds under control.
I hope you can find a good way to keep going!

Mel

[Shortie]

Hi Nat and welcome

I completely agree with cotton. I don't yet have an allotment but it makes sense to this for a number of reasons (probably pleanty more than these..)

a) The area you are left with (the one that's cleared and ideally a small area you will clear next) is managable which it sounds that you are feeling yours isn't. This is a big fear of mine when I get my lottie (when hell freezes over at this rate... sorry, the lottie guy said Chrimbo. My mistake ) When it's managable you'll keep motivated and as you clear and plant an area, you can move onto the next
b)While the cover is down it will start killing off the weeds under it. Okay, you'll still have the seeds that will germinate but then it should be easier as your 'already done' areas are being weeded and the more weeding done, slowly the less they will appear.
c) Okay, this is just me probably, but if the weeds are 'hidden' then you probably will feel your lottie is tidier and will feel more relaxed and enjoy it more

Anyway, this is my waffling thoughts. Others will probably have other ideas far better than mine as I don't really understand lotties yet, not owning one and all

I dion't know what the waiting list is like on yours but if you gave it up and wished you hadn't, could you easily get it back? You may wish you'd stuck it out, that's all

Let us know how you get on won't you?

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Nat! Try and stick at it. Eventually you will get on top of the weeds and it will just be a quick nip around with the hoe when you go to the allotment. Like Shortie said if you give up half of your plot it might not be easy to get another half if you find you need it.
As for the grass if there are no vegetables growing where the grass is I would spray it with Glyphosate. This will kill it off and the roots as well. Or strim it down and cover it with weed suppressing membrane. It will get easier - honest!!

[Peter]

Ways to avoid defeat.

Nat, couple of suggestions I hope you will find of help, from someone who has now done five sperate plots to end up with two full size neighbouring plots.

Use a weed-proof cover and grow some squash through holes cut in it.
Depending on what material you get and how much it cost you, you could grow more closely set crops. I would personaly use some old carpet, some prefer not to, but if you use woven plastic make sure it's the right sort. Whatever you use, only leave it in situ for the crop's lifetime.

For future reference I believe you can grow potatoes with this technique.

It the area is smooth enough a regular mowing will reduce and sap the strength of some perrennial weeds as well as giving you a crash-out area for a large G & T.

Finally I would really strongly advise some strategic weedkiller use, if you are comfortable with it. (Glyphosate aka Tumbleweed or Roundup)
If you do some or all of the unused area you will see a near immediate clearance, but be patient, for two reasons.
One, let it all go brown, then really dried out and bleached before scraping or burning off, if it hasn't had time to permeate the roots you'll have wasted your money.
Two, quite a few things will grow back again or appear as new plants, I found bindweed would appear where it had just been grass before.
So leave long enough, clear all the dead stuff, leave long enough and repeat the complete process once, then over to your trusty fork.

Remember, it is a one-off clearance usage we are talking about here, not every week/month/year.

Weeds will always fight back, you have to establish dominance first so you can keep on top of them.

Once you have crops in the ground that area cannot be weeded thoroughly any more, so it is imperative to get rid of as much weed as you can before growing.

Above all do not give in.

Funny I've just previewed all this and on the refreshed page has come Lesley's advice, echoing mine, have a G&T on me Lesley.

[Lesley Jay]

Absolutely spot on advice Peter. (About clearing the weeds not the G&T!!)

[nick the grief]

Hi Nat,

Welcome to the vine. Can't add much to what the others have said apart from confirming you can grow spud under black plastic (I don't think the weed suppressant membrane is dark enough to risk spuds.

What you do is cover it all with cardboard, cover with well rotted muck then push your spuds in the muck then cover over with the black plastic. When the shoots start to lift the plastic CAREFULLY cut the plastic to allow the tops thru (a small x cut) then the cardboard smothers the weeds & eventually rots down, the worms will take the muck into the soil for you & hey presto you have a clear patch that you can grow other stuff on.

Just remember the old saying "1 years seeds 7 years weeds" meaning that as you dig you'll disturb dormant weed seeds that have fell over the years & this will start to grow at a quicker rate than the stuff you plant. To get round this you creat what is called a stale seed bed.

This means you dig the area & prepare like normal then leave it for a week or two & then how off our dig out all the bts that are green, these are weeds, then you can sow your seed & it won't have to compete as much.

As one of the old boys on our site said, "The best mulch is the gardeners Shadow" so tho more time you can get down & hoe stuff off & pick out weeds the better it will be.

[Nat]

Thanks for all of your advice !!!! All is not lost ...lol the potatoes have grown... just died on top, and WOW i have courgetts growing....im easily impressed, i do however think i'll have to give up 1/2 the allotment, its just to much for me to cope with, it's way to long.

I have attacked the weeds with round up...i did it double strength, as it diddnt touch anything last time we used it.... they are still green(weeds), maybe it'll work this time though *scratches head*

Just wondering if there are any allotment holders from round peterborough (whittlesey) way on here ???

Nat

[Shortie]

Nat, if I was nearby I'd jump at the chance to share. As you may or maynot have already read, I'm on a waiting list for one, but I'm in London

[nick the grief]

Seems a shame to give half up that does Nat,

How about if you put the other half to Soft fruit so that it's permenant planting? You could cover it with Teram (groundcover sheeting) then plant Raspberries (they'll be good for 15 years, Goosgogs, Currants, & maybe even Apples & Pears. Then you gould put a Greenhouse up to cover a bit more & maybe even some Permenant Coldframes for hardening off stuff.

[bramble]

Hi Nat, I agree with Nick, I think in a year or two you'll be kicking yourself for giving half of your plot up. I too garden among the weeds but would'nt paqrt with any of the space I have. Like nick says, put in something that does'nt neede much maintanance and in a year or two you'll get time to do it as you please.
Good luck. Bramble.

[NOG]

DO NOT give up the other half.....Each season it gets easier and more productive.

My first season was rubbish...I went from growing loads in the garden to nothing at the allotment. I planted 6 kilo of Potatoes and got out about 61/2 kilo.....the next year was better and the next better.

Also decde on a job to do...weed one bed, strim the grass, plant one crop...go up the plot do it and come home. You will feel satisfied that you have achieved something and won't go up and work your self in to the ground.

[jeannine]

Hi: calling all keen allotmenteers! I'm writing a feature on new allotments for GYO and I want to feature 3 case studies from people who can remember what it was like starting out. Ideally it would be nice if you could email me hi res pictures I could use in the mag, 1 of the person/people and 1 of the allotment. Apart from the pics, all it would involve is me conducting a 5 minute phone interview. If anyone is free before 5.30 today, or between 9 and 5.30 tomorrow, and you want to share your gardening tips, please email me on [email protected]
thanks for your help!

[Levi]

We also are in our first year, we started turning it over last September, just digging one square metre at a time and removing every single piece of root we could find, mostly couch grass. This summer all we have are annual weeds which submit to the mighty hoe, hoe, hoe.

[Daddy Pig]

Don't give it up

I agree - even though I'm in my first season, I've resigned myself to taking probably 3 years to get all the allotment into full cultivation (+ a nice sitting/picnic spot for my family when they come to visit/laugh/give encouragement as I toil away)... But I can see that I will soon begin to be pushed for space, once I get a fruit cage, polytunnel etc - fortunately I don't need a greenhouse as have one at home. So I'd never give up space.
I am in fact already harbouring covetous intentions towards the semi-abandoned plot next to mine...
There's loads of low-maintenance stuff you could do, as previous posters have suggested - and planting loads of rhubarb seems to be a favourite in my neck of the woods.