We've been offered an allotment! :)

[andysays]

...Allotments seem to be a little bit communism

Liked especially for this

 

[tim]

Allotments seem to be a little bit communism .

Kulak!

 

[mr steev]

Remember to find out whether your local allotment association has a rotorvator that they rent out. It can make the initial breaking up of compacted soil a lot easier, although it's almost as knackering using one as actually digging!

I'd be a bit wary of using a rotavator tbh. Depending on what weeds you have. If you have something like bind weed, cutting it up into peices will make the problem worse.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I'd be a bit wary of using a rotavator tbh. Depending on what weeds you have. If you have something like bind weed, cutting it up into peices will make the problem worse.

It does generally help to wait until the old carpet/tarpaulin has done its' work! Plus, as my dad found, if you get an allotment on a popular site, bindweed isn't as much of a problem, as the previous occupant will have done their best to liquidate it.

 

[mr steev]

Plus, as my dad found, if you get an allotment on a popular site, bindweed isn't as much of a problem, as the previous occupant will have done their best to liquidate it.

I'm not sure that's true. Our allotment is very popular but bindweed is rife. Even if the beds are kept relatively weed free it will lurk under the paths and tracks. Once that get's rotavated it will spread it all over the plot.
Personally, I'm a fan of a good forking (ooerrr) and if the conditions are right and the roots come out easy, I find it quite satisfying

 

[mrsfran]

Yes, our allotment is very popular and there's still bindweed everywhere. I'm in the process of digging and forking it all out on my plot but it still keeps popping up. If I rotivated it would be a nightmare.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I'm not sure that's true. Our allotment is very popular but bindweed is rife. Even if the beds are kept relatively weed free it will lurk under the paths and tracks. Once that get's rotavated it will spread it all over the plot.
Personally, I'm a fan of a good forking (ooerrr) and if the conditions are right and the roots come out easy, I find it quite satisfying

The allotment my dad had in Folkestone was bindweed-free, pretty much because the allotmenteers dug out the paths and re-turfed them once a year, and you lost half your allotment if "the committee" found any bindweed on it. They were a right bunch of fascists, there.

 

[chilango]

Update: plot all hacked and cleared, rotorvated, levelled and covered. Probably just dig a small plot out and plant a big of garlic to get us going, whilst winter works it's magic with the covered bits.

 

[davesgcr]

Still got time to get in some purple sprouting broccoli plants if you can source them , maybe leeks.

A good starter crop are potatoes - plant next March - great for clearing "rough" soil. Best of luck - you will get so much enjoyment and fresh food out of it. Just picked courgettes for tonights dinner.

 

[innit]

Bump! We've just accepted an allotment at a very popular site after 8 years on the waiting list

It's very overgrown but sounds like it's only been untended for 6 months or so, so I'm hopeful we can start to bring it under control piece by piece with relative ease. I've seen much worse.

I'm very keen to devote a lot of space to fruit which is expensive or hard to find and hope that that should make for a lower maintenance plot. In terms of veg, I fancy purple sprouting and some unusual squashes.

We both work and have a toddler so heaven knows how we'll find time to do it justice but I'm determined to give it a go

All pointers welcome

 

[mrsfran]

Yay! Congratulations innit Am on my phone at the moment but will be back with toddler-friendly pointers

 

[innit]

We've been up every weekend working on clearing the weeds and I can now see the scale of the work we have to do I think the woman from the allotment association was a bit optimistic about how recently it's been worked, I suspect the old plot holder (who wasn't well and has since sadly died ) was really just popping up to see his friends.

I've just uncovered a very poorly looking retaining wall which probably needs replacing...

I started out with high minded ideals about not using weedkiller but think we may be doomed to failure unless we use systemic on the bindweed and then rotavate - all thoughts welcome.