History 2007 - Clearing The Plot

I took over the plot in March 2007. It hadn't been used for a year or two and had a fair bit of couch grass. I was fairly sensible and cleared the plot by hand digging and removing as many of the white roots as possible. I'm glad I put the work in, while you could use a rotavator making the plot look good for a week or two all those chopped up couch grass roots soon begin to grow resulting in a far bigger problem down the road.

There are a few ways to clear a plot.

1. Strim/cut any unwanted growth down to ground level and cover the whole plot in black plastic for at least a year. Not an ideal option as most people with a new plot want to get growing so, read on! (A note on black polythene: a lot of people don't like it but I've found it's a great tool, keeping unwanted growth away from the plot, after all, I want to be growing veg not constantly battling weeds. It also warms the ground in Spring and keeps the rain off so I can dig even if the weather has been wet).
2. Second and best option, strim and begin to hand dig, cleaning roots as you go. Keep weed infested, un-dug areas covered in weighted down black polythene; this will help you psychologically as the plot will look neater and the task won't look so big! Set your goals, perhaps aiming to get half the plot in cultivation the first year, the second year will be easier as the plastic will have killed everything underneath.
3.  For those really wanting to rotavate then you MUST get rid of the weeds fully. Either cover for a long time as in step one or, use a biodegradable weed-killer. While I might use weed-killer on the edge of my plot against stubborn bind weed, brambles or couch grass creeping in, I don't use it on the growing area itself - but that's my choice. (I suppose livestock might help clear ground too, pigs and chickens may be an option if your allotment regulations allow).

Originally I set out my plot into 12 beds measuring 4' wide by 12' long. The idea of having narrow beds is to be able to sow, plant, weed and harvest without having to step on to the soil and compacting it. In between the beds I left 1' paths and a 2' path down the middle separating six beds either side.

I managed to clear all my (half) plot by the summer, digging then planting the crops as required. First the early potatoes and onions sets went in, more digging and main crop potatoes, more digging and I was ready for the brassicas, beans and finally summer squashes. It was now I began to learn what needed to be planted when! My first year in 2007 wasn't too bad, I got lucky and had some decent crops, I was amazed! The pictures on this page are from March, June and July 2007.