Read here for Part 2 of our series of blog posts on Allotment Gardening.
Click here to read Part 1 – Allotment Gardening – the Best Food.
So you’ve received your allotment from the Local Council, perhaps even built a tiny shed. You might also have a garden chair to sit on whilst smoking your cigar.
Easy tiger, hold on! The hard work’s just about to start.
Unless you’re incredibly lucky, the gardening allotment you’ve been given will be overgrown with a vast variety of weeds.... a mini jungle that you must clear before you can even think of planting anything else. It’s by no means a conspiracy against you….the last tenant of the plot would’ve left by end-summer; so by the time you get possession, the weeds will have had plenty of time to lay their claim on your patch.
The key question is – what are you going you do about it and where do you start?
Okay, here’s what to do.
1. Do a little weed-survey first. Find out what kinds of weeds are growing. (Note: Having weeds is not bad news; it just means that the soil is fertile.) If you find weeds like buttercups, docks, daisy and nettles, your soil would be acidic in nature. If the conditions are damp, there would probably be a predominance of docks.
2. Now don’t even think of running a rotavator over the plot to get rid of the weeds. You’d be in big trouble just within a few weeks if you do. Perennial weeds can grow back from just a root fragment, and they’d soon be back sapping the soil nutrition.
Another option is using chemicals. You’ll have to spray the plot with a good weed-killer, wait for them to die out, and then use a rotavator to clear it up. Then again, using chemicals on the soil may not be a palatable idea for you. In that case, you can use organic methods like covering the plot with thick tarpaulins, plastic or carpets to hold back the growth. But unless you can maintain the cover for a year or so, this method is no good for killing the weeds. Having a rough carpet laid over your allotment also looks….hmmmm….well, shabby. Your neighbours will frown and might even encourage their dogs to...well...you get the picture.
The best method, then, would be to first use a spade to take off the surface grass and short rooted weeds. Also, clear off any large solid objects, like rocks and wire. It's time consuming but worth it because the end produce is far superior and also 'organic'.
4. For the deep rooted perennial weeds, you have to use a different approach. Use a rake or rotavator to break up the surface of the soil. Decide how much you can dig in a couple of weeks, and cover the remaining area with mulch. Then remove the grass and weed roots from the exposed area. You’ll have to repeat the process until the whole plot is cleared up.
5. As you clear one patch after another, keep preparing the ground according to your overall plan. If you find stray weeds growing back (as they invariably will), just hoe them away.
Now you’re almost done. So what else is there to do? Just click here for your chance to win a year’s supply of plants for free!
Part 3 will be with you next week. Until then…happy gardening and stay dry.
