first day on new allotment..

[Andy Hamilton]

M3 is right be very wary of cooch grass and bindweed especially. I did the exavct same on my old allotment and never really got rid of the cooch.

I am trying out the tightly paced turnips to get rid of patch of cooch on my present alltoment. Not sure if it work yet as I say a bit strand of grass peaking out between the yesterday.

[grahoom]

yeah just done some reseach... couch grass,, yup thats the stuff i've been cutting down!!!!

looks like my works gonna be cut put for me!

lots of hemlock up there, which is pretty easy to get rid of.. interesting to see in such a large amount.

[Millymollymandy]

Look on the bright side Grahoom. It's a veg plot so will be dug over every year, so as time goes by you will begin to eradicate the bad weeds. It is much easier than doing so in a flower bed where the nasties get entwined with the nice plants' roots!

[grahoom]

yea good point m3.. and after all its all a learning experience for me, and to be honest i am just glad of the chance to get out there and do some digging... sad isn't it, but i actually enjoy digging. its perfect anti-dote to my daytime job!!!!

[Millymollymandy]

Weeeeelllll, I kinda know what you mean . My passion is weeding, by hand, on me knees - it's amazing how many lovely little self-seeded plants you find in amongst the weeds! That's in the flower beds, not the veg patch - hoe hoe hoe!

[Han&Matt]

Hello everyone,
We're newbies (not sure I can refer to my chap as a Margot but am happy to take the label!) and I have just logged on and read this thread about new overgrown allotments - that is exactly what we have! To us it is an idyllic get-away from the city centre (Birmingham) - though in truth it is half an acre covered in ground elder and brambles... We chose to dig, and we will be digging for the next few years I reckon!
Still, under the roots there is the most amazing soil - cultivated for over 150 years...
Look forward to sharing the tales along the way!
Han&Matt

[ina]

Hello, the two of you, and welcome! Glad you've decided to join us. Plenty of overgrown allotments and gardens amongst our members (including my own... )

[Ranter]

I'm so happy right now, as a good friend is moving into the area & very keen on my idea of sharing an allotment (I can't manage one on my own). Think we've got another friend roped in too.
Not likely to be planting 'til next Spring, but I can wait. Just.

[grahoom]

been away for a bit, was in scotland - the isle of raasay, and then had a lot of catching up so avoided forums! - loads of stuff gone on here since then!

anyhow, the allotment is taking shape, a friend of mine is also helping, and we are planning on growing a lot of herbs etc.

i am enjoying the digging a great deal!!

[Millymollymandy]

i am enjoying the digging a great deal!!

Gawd blimey, what is it with you blokes?

[Chickpea]

I like digging, too, very therapeutic, and I'm not a bloke. We got our allotment a couple of moths ago and we carpeted half of it, and dug the other half by hand, pulling out weed roots as we went (also rocks, bricks, loads of broken glass, old soup tins, bakelite light switches, bones and all kinds of other stuff. It was more like archaeology than gardening).

That way you get a bit of ground to plant stuff in pretty quickly, and in the spring you can dig the stuff that's been under carpet. You're not trying to dig it all at once. But I couldn't have stood carpeting it all then walking away from my brand new allotment for 9 months.

[grahoom]

I am still preparing the allotment, it was so over grown, but i like doing it, keeps me fit.

me and a friend are planning on focusing on growing herbs and wild flowers and plants that are native to Britian.

my main reasoning is that it will be good for the environment, and also that with herbs i think i could grow enough to be self suffiecient with my herb intake (also use them for house hold cleaning etc).

also plan on building a pond.

so doubt i will have anything to show for it until next year