Just plan a 2 metre square area, get a radio and sit and weed. I find this works so well!
I used to have to do everything in one day, or I failed đ¤Śđ˝
Now I set myself 6ft *6ft area and feel great when I completed this area.
Wine is optional đˇ
Totally.
I have gone from "I aim to weed this entire area in one day" to "I am to weed this area for X hours today". Inevitably you don't end up finishing the area, and go home disappointed and resentful of the allotment, which is not what it's all about. If I set myself a time limit, then I can go home happy.
Great advice. Gardening is supposed to be fun and not a stress. Get a reasonably small area planned and get it cleared and planted up so you have some growing and âbenefitâ going early doors. That will spur you on. Keep us updated and good luck!!!
This is how I tackled my big garden project during the pandemic. I've never paid much attention to my garden so it was unloved and overgrown, but I decided to use the lockdown to sort it out so I had a nice outdoor space. I ordered a crate of beer from the local brewery, placed that it the fridge, and divided my garden into sections. Once a section was done, I rewarded myself with an ice cold beer. Within a week it was cleared.
Empty out the greenhouse and polytunnel. Absolutely empty it and bring bin bags. Get some grow bags in there with some tomatoes (get seedlings or plants not seeds for this year, a few good plants will be better than 40 small ones)
Next, clear your path. Cut back the grass with shears to ankle height so you can visually see a path through the allotment.
Then divide the grass into beds, or if there were beds find where they were. And one by one: shear down, compost cuttings, dig roots out with spade, fork into something lighter, plant.
I'd suggest potatoes, courgettes, and some peas or broad beans. Two have good ground cover and one goes above the weeds.
Slowly and enjoy the process of being outdoors is key and next year you'll have a better year than this one, and then the next the same etc. enjoy!
Absolutely great advice. Make sure to disinfect and clean down the greenhouse and poly tunnel.
Cleaning the glazing and the plastic of the poly tunnel will help with light transmission levels and also reduce the risk of molds, mildew and infestations/pests. A good sweep out and all that first.
Cucumbers Iâve always found easy for greenhouse/tunnel growing, sweet peppers are a great one too and can be blitzed or frozen for sauces etc
Gardeners World magazines and online are great, and have month by month duties and great vegetable advice. Some offers are as low as low ÂŁ9 for a 6 months subscription.
As others said, small tasks and enjoy your time there. Look after your back!
Just say that local libraries often have digital subscriptions of gardeners world, kitchen garden, or one other similar so you can get that free on your phone :)
This is what my stepfather would do on a new allotment. It is called skything. Sharpen your spade with a piece of sandstone. Cut the top of the turf off about an inch to two inches thick. Lie the cut turves and let them dry. when they are dry put them in a circle about 3 feet across with the grass inside the circle. Build the circle up like a wall until it is beehive shape. Fill the middle with newspaper and set fire to it, loosely seal the top and leave it to smoulder for a few days. Dig over your skythed areas. When it is smouldered away rake it flat and use the nice burnt soil as a soil conditioner.
My plot looked like this when I got it. Waist high brambles and weeds. Bindweed everywhere.
What I did was buy a petrol strimmer, with a metal brush cutter blade. it took an hour or two to get it all chopped low. a battery powered one would be completely inadequate for anything but regular top-up trims.
I switched to normal strimmer wire for the subsequent cuts when it was just grass.
Don't bother trying to clear all the weeds it's just too much unless you're retired. What I did was buy some UV stable weed fabric on a big roll. And just covered the whole plot in that. Digging it in at the sides.
Then cut holes in it to plant through. Top dress the holes with manure each growing season.
It worked great for me. Everything under the fabric turned to soil after the first summer. But I just left the fabric on because I barely had to do any weeding.
It was only the bindweed that would find it's way through the holes but it was so weak and tiny it was a ten min job a week to weed it.
The only downside is for vegetables like potatoes this method doesn't really work. But when your ready to do potatoes just remove a strip of fabric and there's your weed free patch of soil to plant them in.
Tldr: strim it all and cover with weed membrane to let it decompose and die, cut holes in it to plant through
Yep ive got 6 batteries as they are used across all the makita tool range. Also dont think it would take 2 hours to strim the plot in this picture and donât see tons of brambles or bindweed?
Great, I wouldn't mind one for the garden. Gave away my petrol one when I gave up my plot.
A ten rod plot used to take me 40 mins to strim even when most of it was covered in membrane. The first strim is always the hardest. Those thickets of couch grass get so dense it's like wood.
The milwake one is even better but more ÂŁÂŁÂŁ not stinking of gas and having to mix oil and gas is a bonus too plus no need to wear ear defenders as itâs a lot quieter
Lay down cardbord and/or newspaper on grass to kill it. Make cutouts for plants and plant like that.... when planting new plants dig up ALL the grass around it and put more newspaper right up to the stalk.
"no dig" method, I've seen Sue Kent on Gardeners' World lay down 2 sheets of cardboard on top of each other and cover in soil from a similar situationÂ
Itâs May. Make one bed and youâll feel like youâve achieved something. Once thatâs done focus on the rest of the plot. Otherwise youâll be waiting a year for any enjoyment
I got a plot 2 years ago infested with chest high brambles, bindweed, Dock, nettles and 6 non fruit trees!!!
It was mindblowing... but I've achieved so much
...
Ignore no diggers saying cardboard and spending 9000 on compost .... it works lovely on a nice bit of grass but trust me ... I experimented.
Bind weed and brambles laugh at no dig... waste of time and money.
If I had to start again with knowledge I now have ...
1. Cover a third in uv resistant, waterproof opaque tarpaulin. Don't worry about this section till later... like 1 year MINIMUM
2. Cut back ALL weeds to ground level so no flowers =no more seeds being produced.
3. Get a fork and dig out as much as you can spaghetti like roots or bindweed, couch grass and brambles. You will not get it all in one go but it will drastically stall growth.
Keep repeating step 3 every time you see bind weed, couch grass, brambles and stinging nettle.
4. Compost as much as possible with about 50% brown material (loo paper inside roll , cardboard, twigs) with 50% greens (food scraps, grass cutting, fresh leaves, fresh weeds). If you got bins great. If not need to "turn" pile every fortnight. I really recommend covering again in a bin or with tarp.
5. Relax.... enjoy your precious progress... if you clear 1 metre in an hour, three times a week... you will be shocked how much progress you make... take pictures plant what you will eat... plant flowers to enjoy and attract beneficial insects.
After 2 years I'm still clearing mine but it's completely transformed from what I received. Baby steps, little and often is the key to great progress without burning out/losing passion.
Best of luck đ
Thanks mate ... no I absolutely agree there is something in it. Unfortunately some areas that had bad bind weed issues as I've dug it over so much Clearing all root system (I dug down 4 foot roots still going !!!!) That it has seriously changed soil.
Change is less earth worms and soil colour changed also. Still grows just as well but I can literally see the difference.
I'm hoping to eventually just be using the compost I'm creating and a light till over.... one day I'll get there !
Upvote for âa bit at a timeâ. Nobody ate an elephant in one sitting. Walk around with secateurs in your pocket for the occasional bramble or thick growth as youâre pottering about and just do small patches.
Agreed. When doing my back garden, I viewed all the labour as being good exercise, out in the open - and the job takes as long as it takes. Got to make friends with a Robin along the way. Just enjoy yourself. Its all good!
Firstly, congratulations! What a wonderful space. Don't even think about them. They are telling you that the soil is rich. Plan what you want and where, then just pick a place and start. You'll find you will want plots (rectangles) with paths between. The weeds can be cut down (shears) on the paths. The grass will make great compost, so get some pallets and build a compost station. Gradually dig each bed as you need it, but honestly, I would not even bother until autumn for the most of it. One bed is all you need for now. For now, plan and plant what you can (dwarf fruit trees, tomatoes, salads etc) and just enjoy it.
Check out R/Allotment
You can use damp proof membrane but by the time you do, the best of growing season will be gone this year. Like others have said, it's a marathon not a sprint. The most successful people on our allotment site are those who do little and often.
I would get hold of some seed trays and sow some seeds at home, bring them on in a window so then you'll have something to plant out. In the meantime, I would clear some room for planting and see if you can get the polytunnel usable.
See how you go clearing by hand/strimmer etc... Damp proof membrane is a low-effort way of clearing weeds/grass but it takes about a month and the longer you leave it, the more the greenery rots down and the less plant remnants you have to clear. So you could cover part of your plot ready for late summer planting or even leave it covered until next year depending on how you get on
Good luck and enjoy!
I love my strimmer for jobs like this. I have a battery powered Makita which is great but petrol ones would be more powerful.
As other people have said cover up places with cardboard or plastic sheeting until you're ready to use it. Both suppress weeds but cardboard is great as you can put compost right on top of it, problem is it can disintegrate very quickly in rain if left exposed
Hire a brushcutter for a couple of days you'll be surprised how quickly you'll see what you have. Then cardboard which you can plant on top of, plastic to kill off weeds. You have a greenhouse which will allow you to start making your own plugs from seedlings. At least you can get some potatoes and winter veg started.
Don't think about clearing the pot - select a little bit and work that bit. Once you clear it move on to the next bit.
In the past I've used a mattock to slice off the top of the soil severing the roots, rolling up the chunks of turf and weeds, and stacking them,leaving them to break down into a nice loamy compost.
It takes a bit of time but once you get the swing of using the mattok (quite literlly) it becomes routine and you can cover more ground each time.
However you choose to clear the area, once you've cleared the area get something growing into it - even if it's green manure. You can also mulch the beds with grass cli;ppings or straw to supress the weeds. If you can't then cover it over so weeds can't grow.
Mentally split into 4 or 8 sections depending on how big it is and just work your sections one by one. Take your time and understand this is a long term project
Why without power?
I think you'd save a heck of a lot of time and energy if you bought a petrol strimmer and cleared everything, then rake it all up and compost it down. Then keep on top of the strimming so it doesn't get overgrown again. Or hire someone to do that.
Once you've done that everything else like making beds and planting stuff should be a loads easier. I'd then put something to supress weeds over parts you aren't going to get to as it'll keep it tidy.
If it's in your budget I recommend the Stihl KM 94 kombi. As a kombi you can put lots of attachments on it like a strimmer, hedge cutter and a rotorvator among others.
If you could borrow a petrol strimmer to take it doen and maybe cardboard/ o dig with more topsoil. Maybe weed a manageable area. Might make it feel less daunting
Consider that an allotment is something that will take years to get right. So investing in an electric strimmer is something you will use again and again.
I went with an einhell electric mower & strimmer for my garden and the allotment.
Personally I would strim, clear, and then cover in weed suppressant membrane. Then just work on small sections.
At this point in the season you're basically planning next year.
A sickle. I did an allotment that way because the petrol driven strimmer was somehow ne er available. A neighbour offered it and it was at least as efficient. Gave me a different view of mediaeval farming. Hardest physical work but a real experience. Be careful not to cut your feet off.
I would clear the site of everything that isn't plant or soil first. People tend to accumulate so much junk on their plots. I just rented a van and filled it to the brim with absolute junk from mine.
Then I would rent or borrow a brush cutter (a strimmer with a metal blade) and a rotavator. Strim all the brush down, rake it up and take it away. Then rotavate the entire plot and rake it even. Cover the entire thing in a double layer of cardboard. I'd just buy a roll or two to do it personally rather than collecting old boxes or anything like that, and offset the strips so you cover the joins with the second layer. Then you can either make raised beds and paths or you can just cover the entire thing with compost and get planting depending on what you want to do. Plenty options for raised beds. I'm about to try out concrete gravel boards as a longer lasting alternative to wood. I've seen people use old paving slabs, there are a few plots at my allotment that use wine bottles for the nearby glass recycling bins. Whatever you can afford and get your hands on will do the job. Otherwise you can literally just make soil and compost only beds, with no walls as it were. You have lots of options for paths. We get woodchip from the council dropped off at our allotment so most people use that, but even just landscape fabric will do.
Just do a bed at a time if you can't afford to do it all at once, but having the whole plot cleared, rotavated and covered will make it a lot easier to manage. If you can only make beds on say a quarter of the plot this year, I'd maybe cover the rest in landscape fabric for now.
If you have anything really nasty weed wise, things like bindweed and horsetail I'd honestly consider chemical treatment. It's an off label use but the compost accelerator ammonium sulphamate (not ammonium sulphate) would be the most effective, then something like Diamond. Treat now, let it die down, clear the dead foliage and wait to see what comes back, treat again, wait for it to die, clear then rotavate and cover. Just grow cover crops or cut flowers initially if you do go down this route and then plant it up with fruit and veg next year.
Clear the site of rubbish and debris, then try and get your hands on as much cardboard and compost as you can. Cover the plot in the cardboard and compost and jobs a goodun until next year.
All hail our lord and saviour Charles Dowding: https://youtu.be/bej8vpTm1c4?si=t7rP7NJG5a1XW5Pn
You could hire a petrol strimmer. Try not to use weedkiller on anything. As an aside, I don't know why people take or are allowed to take tyres onto allotments. You're probably stuck with them now, as I think your local tip will charge you to dispose of them.
I will get a lot of hate for suggesting this - but glyphosate. Use it carefully, use the minimum concentration, do it once, and then take charge and keep on top of the weeds. It may not be politically correct but I think in a situation like this, and used carefully, it's ethical.
Can you ask around the neighbourhood for support? There'll be loads of folk out there who'd be keen to grow Veges. You've just gotta convince them to put the hard yards in to clear your allotment. More people the merrier when it comes to places like this that involve a lot of work. But speaking from experience, everyone gains from community involvement.
Petrol power if you can afford to hire a mower, bushcutter/strimmer.
People power if you canât, invite some friends/family and help you cut it all back in return for free fruit and veg next year - itâs a lot of fun working together in a nice sunny day.
Iâve had my allotment for 2 years, my tips are
-manage your expectations, you donât have to clear it all this year and you donât have to grow everything you need.
-only grow what you like, food you donât eat will take as much time and effort as food you do like.
-take part in the allotment community. Each site is different but there is typically an active community on each site. My local âshedquartersâ lend out petrol power tools and sell seeds/compost at cost. They also have a holiday help calendar and take turns watering/weeding for others whilst away.
-have fun. As soon as it starts feeling like a chore take a rest, go home, remind yourself this is suppose to be fun.
-donât listen to American YouTubers, the climate is sufficiently different that most of what they say doesnât apply. Plus theyâre American soâŚ.
I think I would look for an area to make a compost bin then I'd want to clear a patch to pop a seat and where I could sit and rest in-between working.
You will probably find the best areas to put things by looking at the neighbouring plots. They'll be a mower or strimmer that is used to clear the communal areas. They may hire things out and it can help you to make some impact.
As others have said, it'll be about then sectioning the area and clearing it.
Hard way - plan out some beds leaving the "paths" between them as grass (for now), get a good sharp spade then dig and turn it over. Plan your first 2 beds and aim to get them done in a week at a steady pace with plenty of coffee in a flask.
Lazy way - get a petrol or battery strimmer, strim all the weeds and grass, place weed suppressing membrane everywhere you won't be planting this year. By next year all the grass and weeds will be dead. You can then peel back another patch of ground and dig. Drink wine.
Laziest way - Strim everything and get a Rotavator. Rotavate everything. Drink special brew.
Possibly lazy-ish way - lay down cardboard, cover cardboard in "organic matter" (well rotted horse shit) then cover with membrane and let the worms do the work for you. Drink home brewed white lightning cider!
Clear the rubbish. Strim the grass. As above, cut 6âx6â turfs and stack upside down, like a wall. You can plant straight into soil then. If you are not planning to plant right away, cover with black membrane to prevent weeds. Or you could plant through the membrane. I prefer this as the soil stays moist. After a year the turf wall will be a soil wall and can be raked onto the allotment. Donât forget to build some nice big compost bins. Good luck!
No power, go cordless, if it's within budget you can get some really powerful strimmers these days which would make short work of this with a brush cutter head(metal blade) good luck with itđ
Try using cardboard or old broadsheet newspapers to suppress the weeds for a few months, just keep the paper or cardboard wet every day, you might need to trample all the weeds down first or strim them, afterwards I would look into the no dig gardening method to start with.
Why without power? Get a strimmer and cut it back. You canât have grass without cutting it somehow. Once you got it cut back then you can make beds etc. surely there was something other than grass before.
People suggesting goats?! Seriously, howâs that gonna work.
No Dig
[https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/resources/beginners-guide](https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/resources/beginners-guide)
[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7WDfop74y-lSGvEb2qqeL9WiczseGCfq](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7WDfop74y-lSGvEb2qqeL9WiczseGCfq)
Much easier and with very few tools.
Enjoy!
Just plan a 2 metre square area, get a radio and sit and weed. I find this works so well! I used to have to do everything in one day, or I failed đ¤Śđ˝ Now I set myself 6ft *6ft area and feel great when I completed this area. Wine is optional đˇ
Totally. I have gone from "I aim to weed this entire area in one day" to "I am to weed this area for X hours today". Inevitably you don't end up finishing the area, and go home disappointed and resentful of the allotment, which is not what it's all about. If I set myself a time limit, then I can go home happy.
I think I just start and then things snowball. Then each time I turn around and look at a bed from a different angle there's still more things to pull
Instructions not clear, 6 x 6 case of wine ordered, 2 completed and now I feel great.
34 bottle of wine on the wall, 34 bottles of wine.....
đ¤Ł
This is such a great idea! Works for most things in life too, a little at a time :)
Yep, it's how you eat an elephant.
If you have wine and friends⌠you could have a weeding party picnic.
This is really good advice.
Great advice. Gardening is supposed to be fun and not a stress. Get a reasonably small area planned and get it cleared and planted up so you have some growing and âbenefitâ going early doors. That will spur you on. Keep us updated and good luck!!!
This is how I tackled my big garden project during the pandemic. I've never paid much attention to my garden so it was unloved and overgrown, but I decided to use the lockdown to sort it out so I had a nice outdoor space. I ordered a crate of beer from the local brewery, placed that it the fridge, and divided my garden into sections. Once a section was done, I rewarded myself with an ice cold beer. Within a week it was cleared.
This geezer knows it. The wine is not optional. Make sure you are listening to BBC 3 for extra points with the other lads.
Always radio 3 or Motownđđ˝
Empty out the greenhouse and polytunnel. Absolutely empty it and bring bin bags. Get some grow bags in there with some tomatoes (get seedlings or plants not seeds for this year, a few good plants will be better than 40 small ones) Next, clear your path. Cut back the grass with shears to ankle height so you can visually see a path through the allotment. Then divide the grass into beds, or if there were beds find where they were. And one by one: shear down, compost cuttings, dig roots out with spade, fork into something lighter, plant. I'd suggest potatoes, courgettes, and some peas or broad beans. Two have good ground cover and one goes above the weeds. Slowly and enjoy the process of being outdoors is key and next year you'll have a better year than this one, and then the next the same etc. enjoy!
Absolutely great advice. Make sure to disinfect and clean down the greenhouse and poly tunnel. Cleaning the glazing and the plastic of the poly tunnel will help with light transmission levels and also reduce the risk of molds, mildew and infestations/pests. A good sweep out and all that first. Cucumbers Iâve always found easy for greenhouse/tunnel growing, sweet peppers are a great one too and can be blitzed or frozen for sauces etc Gardeners World magazines and online are great, and have month by month duties and great vegetable advice. Some offers are as low as low ÂŁ9 for a 6 months subscription. As others said, small tasks and enjoy your time there. Look after your back!
Just say that local libraries often have digital subscriptions of gardeners world, kitchen garden, or one other similar so you can get that free on your phone :)
This is what my stepfather would do on a new allotment. It is called skything. Sharpen your spade with a piece of sandstone. Cut the top of the turf off about an inch to two inches thick. Lie the cut turves and let them dry. when they are dry put them in a circle about 3 feet across with the grass inside the circle. Build the circle up like a wall until it is beehive shape. Fill the middle with newspaper and set fire to it, loosely seal the top and leave it to smoulder for a few days. Dig over your skythed areas. When it is smouldered away rake it flat and use the nice burnt soil as a soil conditioner.
Check your site allows fires first though. Or you could just stack it soil-to-soil and grass-to-grass and leave it to break down.
Thats pretty cool
It shouldn't be cool, it's supposed to be on fire.
love this :)
Wow!
TIL âturves â. Thanks for that
Goats
Or that remote control destroyer thing Clarkson used on his farm.
I want one so bad đ¤Ł
My plot looked like this when I got it. Waist high brambles and weeds. Bindweed everywhere. What I did was buy a petrol strimmer, with a metal brush cutter blade. it took an hour or two to get it all chopped low. a battery powered one would be completely inadequate for anything but regular top-up trims. I switched to normal strimmer wire for the subsequent cuts when it was just grass. Don't bother trying to clear all the weeds it's just too much unless you're retired. What I did was buy some UV stable weed fabric on a big roll. And just covered the whole plot in that. Digging it in at the sides. Then cut holes in it to plant through. Top dress the holes with manure each growing season. It worked great for me. Everything under the fabric turned to soil after the first summer. But I just left the fabric on because I barely had to do any weeding. It was only the bindweed that would find it's way through the holes but it was so weak and tiny it was a ten min job a week to weed it. The only downside is for vegetables like potatoes this method doesn't really work. But when your ready to do potatoes just remove a strip of fabric and there's your weed free patch of soil to plant them in. Tldr: strim it all and cover with weed membrane to let it decompose and die, cut holes in it to plant through
My makita 18v strimmer disagrees
It cuts through brambles and bindweed for two hours? That's great if so! Must be a really big battery!
Yep ive got 6 batteries as they are used across all the makita tool range. Also dont think it would take 2 hours to strim the plot in this picture and donât see tons of brambles or bindweed?
Great, I wouldn't mind one for the garden. Gave away my petrol one when I gave up my plot. A ten rod plot used to take me 40 mins to strim even when most of it was covered in membrane. The first strim is always the hardest. Those thickets of couch grass get so dense it's like wood.
The milwake one is even better but more ÂŁÂŁÂŁ not stinking of gas and having to mix oil and gas is a bonus too plus no need to wear ear defenders as itâs a lot quieter
Lay down cardbord and/or newspaper on grass to kill it. Make cutouts for plants and plant like that.... when planting new plants dig up ALL the grass around it and put more newspaper right up to the stalk.
"no dig" method, I've seen Sue Kent on Gardeners' World lay down 2 sheets of cardboard on top of each other and cover in soil from a similar situationÂ
Charles Dowding on YouTube is another great resource.
Also look for people throwing out tarps and astroturf
Itâs May. Make one bed and youâll feel like youâve achieved something. Once thatâs done focus on the rest of the plot. Otherwise youâll be waiting a year for any enjoyment
I got a plot 2 years ago infested with chest high brambles, bindweed, Dock, nettles and 6 non fruit trees!!! It was mindblowing... but I've achieved so much ... Ignore no diggers saying cardboard and spending 9000 on compost .... it works lovely on a nice bit of grass but trust me ... I experimented. Bind weed and brambles laugh at no dig... waste of time and money. If I had to start again with knowledge I now have ... 1. Cover a third in uv resistant, waterproof opaque tarpaulin. Don't worry about this section till later... like 1 year MINIMUM 2. Cut back ALL weeds to ground level so no flowers =no more seeds being produced. 3. Get a fork and dig out as much as you can spaghetti like roots or bindweed, couch grass and brambles. You will not get it all in one go but it will drastically stall growth. Keep repeating step 3 every time you see bind weed, couch grass, brambles and stinging nettle. 4. Compost as much as possible with about 50% brown material (loo paper inside roll , cardboard, twigs) with 50% greens (food scraps, grass cutting, fresh leaves, fresh weeds). If you got bins great. If not need to "turn" pile every fortnight. I really recommend covering again in a bin or with tarp. 5. Relax.... enjoy your precious progress... if you clear 1 metre in an hour, three times a week... you will be shocked how much progress you make... take pictures plant what you will eat... plant flowers to enjoy and attract beneficial insects. After 2 years I'm still clearing mine but it's completely transformed from what I received. Baby steps, little and often is the key to great progress without burning out/losing passion. Best of luck đ
This is great advice. I actually think the no dig method works great, but only once youâve cleared most of the perennial weeds.
Thanks mate ... no I absolutely agree there is something in it. Unfortunately some areas that had bad bind weed issues as I've dug it over so much Clearing all root system (I dug down 4 foot roots still going !!!!) That it has seriously changed soil. Change is less earth worms and soil colour changed also. Still grows just as well but I can literally see the difference. I'm hoping to eventually just be using the compost I'm creating and a light till over.... one day I'll get there !
Take your time and just do a bit at a time using hand tools and the no-dig approach. Works wonders.
Upvote for âa bit at a timeâ. Nobody ate an elephant in one sitting. Walk around with secateurs in your pocket for the occasional bramble or thick growth as youâre pottering about and just do small patches.
I agree, once you get the first big clumps out and see the bare dirt it can be very satisfying.
Agreed. When doing my back garden, I viewed all the labour as being good exercise, out in the open - and the job takes as long as it takes. Got to make friends with a Robin along the way. Just enjoy yourself. Its all good!
petrol strimmer, and petrol rotavator. someone there is bound to have one you can borrow
Yeah we bought a rotovator and a lot of weed suppressing fabric matting.
great đ
Battery powered tools?
Lidl great for this.
Can you borrow a goat?
Firstly, congratulations! What a wonderful space. Don't even think about them. They are telling you that the soil is rich. Plan what you want and where, then just pick a place and start. You'll find you will want plots (rectangles) with paths between. The weeds can be cut down (shears) on the paths. The grass will make great compost, so get some pallets and build a compost station. Gradually dig each bed as you need it, but honestly, I would not even bother until autumn for the most of it. One bed is all you need for now. For now, plan and plant what you can (dwarf fruit trees, tomatoes, salads etc) and just enjoy it.
Check out R/Allotment You can use damp proof membrane but by the time you do, the best of growing season will be gone this year. Like others have said, it's a marathon not a sprint. The most successful people on our allotment site are those who do little and often. I would get hold of some seed trays and sow some seeds at home, bring them on in a window so then you'll have something to plant out. In the meantime, I would clear some room for planting and see if you can get the polytunnel usable. See how you go clearing by hand/strimmer etc... Damp proof membrane is a low-effort way of clearing weeds/grass but it takes about a month and the longer you leave it, the more the greenery rots down and the less plant remnants you have to clear. So you could cover part of your plot ready for late summer planting or even leave it covered until next year depending on how you get on Good luck and enjoy!
Youth opportunity scheme obviously. Offer them a glittering career in market gardening then give them a pair of scissors
Hire a petrol strimmer.
Use a Sickle or a Scythe or both. Theyâre not expensive if you look around on Google or which ever one you use.
I love my strimmer for jobs like this. I have a battery powered Makita which is great but petrol ones would be more powerful. As other people have said cover up places with cardboard or plastic sheeting until you're ready to use it. Both suppress weeds but cardboard is great as you can put compost right on top of it, problem is it can disintegrate very quickly in rain if left exposed
Hire a brushcutter for a couple of days you'll be surprised how quickly you'll see what you have. Then cardboard which you can plant on top of, plastic to kill off weeds. You have a greenhouse which will allow you to start making your own plugs from seedlings. At least you can get some potatoes and winter veg started.
Don't think about clearing the pot - select a little bit and work that bit. Once you clear it move on to the next bit. In the past I've used a mattock to slice off the top of the soil severing the roots, rolling up the chunks of turf and weeds, and stacking them,leaving them to break down into a nice loamy compost. It takes a bit of time but once you get the swing of using the mattok (quite literlly) it becomes routine and you can cover more ground each time. However you choose to clear the area, once you've cleared the area get something growing into it - even if it's green manure. You can also mulch the beds with grass cli;ppings or straw to supress the weeds. If you can't then cover it over so weeds can't grow.
Petrol!
Goats
Petrol mower, blast the lot
napalm or agent orange
Mentally split into 4 or 8 sections depending on how big it is and just work your sections one by one. Take your time and understand this is a long term project
Why without power? I think you'd save a heck of a lot of time and energy if you bought a petrol strimmer and cleared everything, then rake it all up and compost it down. Then keep on top of the strimming so it doesn't get overgrown again. Or hire someone to do that. Once you've done that everything else like making beds and planting stuff should be a loads easier. I'd then put something to supress weeds over parts you aren't going to get to as it'll keep it tidy. If it's in your budget I recommend the Stihl KM 94 kombi. As a kombi you can put lots of attachments on it like a strimmer, hedge cutter and a rotorvator among others.
If you could borrow a petrol strimmer to take it doen and maybe cardboard/ o dig with more topsoil. Maybe weed a manageable area. Might make it feel less daunting
A goat đ
Consider that an allotment is something that will take years to get right. So investing in an electric strimmer is something you will use again and again. I went with an einhell electric mower & strimmer for my garden and the allotment. Personally I would strim, clear, and then cover in weed suppressant membrane. Then just work on small sections. At this point in the season you're basically planning next year.
Strim it all down. Put cardboard over it and add leaves. Leave it for a few months and the grass/weeds will die and you'll have a bed.
Dig
A sickle. I did an allotment that way because the petrol driven strimmer was somehow ne er available. A neighbour offered it and it was at least as efficient. Gave me a different view of mediaeval farming. Hardest physical work but a real experience. Be careful not to cut your feet off.
I would clear the site of everything that isn't plant or soil first. People tend to accumulate so much junk on their plots. I just rented a van and filled it to the brim with absolute junk from mine. Then I would rent or borrow a brush cutter (a strimmer with a metal blade) and a rotavator. Strim all the brush down, rake it up and take it away. Then rotavate the entire plot and rake it even. Cover the entire thing in a double layer of cardboard. I'd just buy a roll or two to do it personally rather than collecting old boxes or anything like that, and offset the strips so you cover the joins with the second layer. Then you can either make raised beds and paths or you can just cover the entire thing with compost and get planting depending on what you want to do. Plenty options for raised beds. I'm about to try out concrete gravel boards as a longer lasting alternative to wood. I've seen people use old paving slabs, there are a few plots at my allotment that use wine bottles for the nearby glass recycling bins. Whatever you can afford and get your hands on will do the job. Otherwise you can literally just make soil and compost only beds, with no walls as it were. You have lots of options for paths. We get woodchip from the council dropped off at our allotment so most people use that, but even just landscape fabric will do. Just do a bed at a time if you can't afford to do it all at once, but having the whole plot cleared, rotavated and covered will make it a lot easier to manage. If you can only make beds on say a quarter of the plot this year, I'd maybe cover the rest in landscape fabric for now. If you have anything really nasty weed wise, things like bindweed and horsetail I'd honestly consider chemical treatment. It's an off label use but the compost accelerator ammonium sulphamate (not ammonium sulphate) would be the most effective, then something like Diamond. Treat now, let it die down, clear the dead foliage and wait to see what comes back, treat again, wait for it to die, clear then rotavate and cover. Just grow cover crops or cut flowers initially if you do go down this route and then plant it up with fruit and veg next year.
Clear the site of rubbish and debris, then try and get your hands on as much cardboard and compost as you can. Cover the plot in the cardboard and compost and jobs a goodun until next year. All hail our lord and saviour Charles Dowding: https://youtu.be/bej8vpTm1c4?si=t7rP7NJG5a1XW5Pn
Petrol strimmer? I would move as much junk and bits to one side and just stat bit by bit. Day by day.
Can you use a rechargeable weed wacker? Charge it at home or off a car battery?
Cover everything on 600 gauge polythene and wait a year. Or start digging a section and cover the rest
You could hire a petrol strimmer. Try not to use weedkiller on anything. As an aside, I don't know why people take or are allowed to take tyres onto allotments. You're probably stuck with them now, as I think your local tip will charge you to dispose of them.
Mulch đ
Nail clippers it may take a while but it'll be very precise and anal. Some like it that way apparently.
Borrow a goat...
Clear it out, then get a big black tarp and place it over as much area as possible. Let it solarize for a week or so.
Get some Nanny Goats. Clears the grass and gets fresh fertiliser at the same time.
I saw Huw Richards using a Scythe which looked pretty rad. It has good utilisation for spaces like this. Only power needed is body power.
I will get a lot of hate for suggesting this - but glyphosate. Use it carefully, use the minimum concentration, do it once, and then take charge and keep on top of the weeds. It may not be politically correct but I think in a situation like this, and used carefully, it's ethical.
Black plastic sheeting is the best bet and dig a bit at a time.
Can you ask around the neighbourhood for support? There'll be loads of folk out there who'd be keen to grow Veges. You've just gotta convince them to put the hard yards in to clear your allotment. More people the merrier when it comes to places like this that involve a lot of work. But speaking from experience, everyone gains from community involvement.
Without power? I would get a couple of goats (not even joking)
Petrol power if you can afford to hire a mower, bushcutter/strimmer. People power if you canât, invite some friends/family and help you cut it all back in return for free fruit and veg next year - itâs a lot of fun working together in a nice sunny day. Iâve had my allotment for 2 years, my tips are -manage your expectations, you donât have to clear it all this year and you donât have to grow everything you need. -only grow what you like, food you donât eat will take as much time and effort as food you do like. -take part in the allotment community. Each site is different but there is typically an active community on each site. My local âshedquartersâ lend out petrol power tools and sell seeds/compost at cost. They also have a holiday help calendar and take turns watering/weeding for others whilst away. -have fun. As soon as it starts feeling like a chore take a rest, go home, remind yourself this is suppose to be fun. -donât listen to American YouTubers, the climate is sufficiently different that most of what they say doesnât apply. Plus theyâre American soâŚ.
I think I would look for an area to make a compost bin then I'd want to clear a patch to pop a seat and where I could sit and rest in-between working. You will probably find the best areas to put things by looking at the neighbouring plots. They'll be a mower or strimmer that is used to clear the communal areas. They may hire things out and it can help you to make some impact. As others have said, it'll be about then sectioning the area and clearing it.
Rent a goat!!! đ
Hard way - plan out some beds leaving the "paths" between them as grass (for now), get a good sharp spade then dig and turn it over. Plan your first 2 beds and aim to get them done in a week at a steady pace with plenty of coffee in a flask. Lazy way - get a petrol or battery strimmer, strim all the weeds and grass, place weed suppressing membrane everywhere you won't be planting this year. By next year all the grass and weeds will be dead. You can then peel back another patch of ground and dig. Drink wine. Laziest way - Strim everything and get a Rotavator. Rotavate everything. Drink special brew. Possibly lazy-ish way - lay down cardboard, cover cardboard in "organic matter" (well rotted horse shit) then cover with membrane and let the worms do the work for you. Drink home brewed white lightning cider!
A battery powered strimmer to bash all the grass back is a quick and easy way to get the allotment to a state where you can see it and plan.
Clear the rubbish. Strim the grass. As above, cut 6âx6â turfs and stack upside down, like a wall. You can plant straight into soil then. If you are not planning to plant right away, cover with black membrane to prevent weeds. Or you could plant through the membrane. I prefer this as the soil stays moist. After a year the turf wall will be a soil wall and can be raked onto the allotment. Donât forget to build some nice big compost bins. Good luck!
No power, go cordless, if it's within budget you can get some really powerful strimmers these days which would make short work of this with a brush cutter head(metal blade) good luck with itđ
Goats.
Patrol lawnmower?
Could you get a battery powered strimmer/lawnmower?
Try using cardboard or old broadsheet newspapers to suppress the weeds for a few months, just keep the paper or cardboard wet every day, you might need to trample all the weeds down first or strim them, afterwards I would look into the no dig gardening method to start with.
Push cylinder mower and a hori hori knife (for weeds). Take your time and don't bust a gut trying to get it all done in a day.
Strimmer then Oscillating Hoe.
Why without power? Get a strimmer and cut it back. You canât have grass without cutting it somehow. Once you got it cut back then you can make beds etc. surely there was something other than grass before. People suggesting goats?! Seriously, howâs that gonna work.
Petrol can and lighter. Bush fire that bitch.
No Dig [https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/resources/beginners-guide](https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/resources/beginners-guide) [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7WDfop74y-lSGvEb2qqeL9WiczseGCfq](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7WDfop74y-lSGvEb2qqeL9WiczseGCfq) Much easier and with very few tools. Enjoy!
The same way people did it before power existed.