We've been offered an allotment!!!

[HarrietJones]

only been waiting 18months too. Haven't been to see it yet but did pass it yesterday & commented to dh on it being abandoned. 300square metres of weeds is ours!

Going to have a quick look later but we have accepted already as they don't give you long & theyre only open until 12

oh. :(

maybe it is a chicken house - they won't go through a catflap, though, that's probably open in the day.

When I had my land, I used to do it patch by patch .
every time I cleared an area, i would surround it with flint stones (the next biggest grower in my land after the weeds!), and plant it, then just hoe it as i cleared each next piece.
After about 6 years, all of the area was usable.
(but that's because ididn't spend long on it, and it was an awkward bugger of a piece of land - full of stones and impossible to dig)

Hi Nearly. Great idea. Will do. It really is all brambles. They previous owner let is get ridiculously overgrown. DH has managed to clear some of them - he likes your idea too - especially me making jam

Mmm blackberry jam!

brambles come out easier by wrapping them round the fork tines. (can you tell most of my gardening experience is of digging and removing weeds? )

or burning.....

Weed suppressant fabric 2.99 for 20m inHome bargains

I'll let DH know. I'm only working in a supervisory and researcher capacity at the moment

We used to spray Gramoxone (Paraquat) on really bad patches of weeds/nettles, left two weeks in hot dry weather and then set fire to it. Goes like a rocket. They call it ploughless farming for good reason.

BE CAREFUL. DONT DO THIS NEAR BUILDINGS!

MoreBeta DH is keen (too keen).

I have put a couple of photos on my profile of our allotment. We have a lot of work to do!

Looks familiar!

MoreBeta is getting more and more cavelike with every post

if you can't dig it in, kill it with poison!

he's got a point, though - glyphosate is very good, but you have to use loads of it, and it means that your soil is out of action for a season.

essex - it looks like a proper wilderness

lovely soil, though, I bet, judging by the weeds that are growing there.
(not so good while you're clearing weeds, but greatwhen you're growing your veg! )

essex - looking at those pictures I would recommend a heavy duty strimmer and then if you dont want to use chemicals I would seriously consider a flame gun. They are widely used and discussed on organic gardening forums.

It really is a wilderness

DH is trying to hire a strimmer - he needs a petrol or battery powered one. I will suggest the flame gun and the fork technique for when he needs it. The stuff he has cut down is in a huge pile waiting for bonfire season. I'm not sure about using chemicals.

Apparently the soil is very good. I'm so looking forward to the planting and growing bit. I will actually do some work then!

Do any of you have any good website or book recommendations about managing allotments? I will look at Yaffle's blog.

www.growveg.com is great for planning

I bought a petrol strimmer for about £100 from Screwfix. I went for the Ryobi one with exchangeable heads (it came with a free hedge trimmer!)

Good luck - you'll have fun but it is hard work. I got mine 3 years ago and have loved it. I am blogging about it at lottienews.blogspot.com/ if fancy a look.

I also recommend the allotment site
they've got a forum that you can speak about stuff :)

Ooh thanks

Both those sites look great. Thanks from me too.

Harriet - that is all I am doing at the moment! Once it has been cleared I will take a more active role

Been twice today. Met a few allotment people, made a start on a plan. What's growing which site. Permanent beds at the allotment & which to rotate. Bit stuck until the strimmer is fixed though.

you can make a start without the strimmer!
Actually, long grasses should be easier to remove.

cordon off a small area and start forking.

We need to dig up the grass. So will be easier strimmed. Hoping for the rain to stop tomorrow so we can potter a bit tomorrow pm. Keeps pouring though.

DH is doing really well with cutting down the brambles. He has taken some more photos which I will put on here when he has put them on the computer.

Update- allotment strimmed, burned, shed fixed & moved. Raspberry patch dug out ready for the them to finish(autumn ones) and get chopped. Spares from home ready to go in too.First strawberry patch cleared so I can move some of my runners from home.
Turf is being used to build an asparagus bed.
Found 4 black currant bushes hidden in the raspberries so they will be moved too.