Kitchen Garden Forum

I am now the happy owner of an allotment (collected the key to the gate yesterday!). I'm really chuffed - I'm sharing a plot with a friend - its been grown this year but then neglected but it still has carrots, potatoes, parsnips, beetroot there to harvest, plus a cold frame, some cloche frames and canes up ready from runner beans. Its got in a bad state so we are being given it free til April when the rent year starts.

The downside? - a patch of mares tail - what do we do with it? Any advice would be great!

Dear Vicki, i am very pleased for you, this is quite a good time of the year to get an allotment, as it gives you time to clear the ground.
As for the mares tail the only real way forward is to spray with a weedkiller that is taken down into the roots, if you can bruise the stems by treading on them or other means, this will help the spray to do it's job better.
But if you don't want to spray you will have to dig and hoe it continually just to keep on top of it.
Hope you enjoy your allotment as much us us lot.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fool like an old fool.

Thanks OH!

I am so excited about it I think I might burst!

We are going to dig up the remaining crops today and start cutting back the weeds so we can see exactly what we are dealing with. You are right about it being a good time of year - at least we have a good chance of getting the plot prepared ready for the spring!

Congratulations.

Make sure you know all the site rules, written and unwritten.

Don't dig up the parsnips.

Good winter veg.

How did you get on then?

It was great thanks!
We managed to get a good patch cleared, and found a rake and a hoe under all the weeds! Cleared the cold frame which we found up there so that'll come in handy.
Also had a walk round the site to have a nosey at what other people have done.
Came back, threw the kids in the bath and had a lovely glass of red wine!
A perfect day

Dear Vicki, glad you had a good day yesterday.
I must say i'm so relieved that you didn't burst yesterday, i did watch the news just to check.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fool like an old fool.

Hi Vicki,

I have recently got an allotment too and have been trying to clear it without weedkiller but its a lot of work. You are very lucky to have all that stuff there already... ours is so overgrown its a nightmare. I don't think its been used for about 5 years! We have been putting in raised beds as we clear in the hopes that although it wastes a bit of the space it will be easier to maintain whilst still working. I am after advice on the four old plum trees that stand bang in the middle of my plot. They shade so much of the plot that I am wondering whether to chop 3 down and just keep the one. Someone said that they were no good as too old.. why would that be?