Anyone with an allotment?

I overwinter my plot with sections of green manure planting; some winter onions and maybe 8-10 inches deep manure/straw on the rest, there are stables nearby that drop off tons.... I’ve never gone deep with digging; I’ve done two rotations of potatoes now across the plot and that’s opened the soil up after years under grass.

Been away for a week and a half on holiday, literally got home from our flight and I headed straight to the plot.

Another plot holder we get on with, kindly watered it every other day, so it's all doing well but there is so much weeding to do after only a week, I think bind weed is going to be a constant battle this year.

Currently sat in the green house waiting out the rain, probably won't need to water today!

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Nice!

Quick visit to get some salad

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I spent 2 1/2 hours shelling these peas now blanched and frozen.
Sown last October - 'Douce Provence'
3.25 Kilos unshelled
1.14 Kilos (2.51 lbs) shelled

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What a crop!

There was this thought at the 2 hour mark ...

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I bet!

this thread has inspired me. i'm viewing a plot on saturday morning.

Do it, its great fun.

In other news I won a poly tunnel on ebay the other day. I then collected a poly tunnel "cover". Someone (me) read the advert wrong so now I am building a frame for the poly tunnel out of wood.

Any thoughts on a good size for some raised beds? I'm thinking I'll start my first one at 3m x 1.5m based on the 3 scaffold boards I've managed to scavenge.

Width only twice the length of your arm,
unless you are going to have stepping stones to allow you to harvest
from the middle.
My first three raised beds were (almost) 6ft by 6ft,
subsequent ones only 3ft wide.

Length isn't such a big deal but as stated above you need to be able to pick the fruit and veg comfortably at arms length.

I put netting over mine to keep butterfly's off. So there are other things to consider.

pompetamine,

Helped a mate build an awesome polytunnel basically copying this guy

https://youtu.be/Ez-pQiK7bpc

Not sure how a wooden frame would work ?
Good luck with it.
Certainly made a huge difference up in Lancashire to what he could grow.

Did it. A little paralysed with what to do next. I have some rough ideas - and would like to get some garlic and onions in over winter but have accepted that I essentially have a long 'prep' time now for next spring.

Plot is basically dried grass and some brambles which have been strimmed back. Have dug out the worst of them already. Should I just rotavate the whole thing, cover it in weed membrane and then uncover and clear out as I go? The logic being that by the time I get to spring next year I won't have uncovered a lot, so should be a-ok underneath - and I only have to manage the bits I choose as I uncover?

What would my other options be?

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Not too late for some late potatoes...

I’ve just taken a similar plot with one side a bit more cultivated than yours but still plenty of weeds and the other considerably more overgrown. My plan is to do no dig. Cover a part of the less weedy bit with cardboard and put a 3x1.5m raised bed on that. And fill with compost. Plan for the first bed is carrots and raddish. I’ll then repeat this raised bed process as I get more wood and compost.

My concern is that if I leave it and just go with raised beds, I'm still going to spend all summer managing the bits I'm not using as everything grows back/through. Is it worth dealing with in one fell swoop now?

You could get potatoes, squash, pumpkins in now which would give you some return from the plot this year by late September and get fair bit of ground cover in and start breaking the soil after grass. you could green manure that section or horse manure over winter. Otherwise you’re not going to be seeing much come out till june next year when your overwintered onions are coming out, which can be harder to keep interest up.

Chuck a load of cardboard under black plastic over half, will kill all the grass and leave it ready to plant next spring :)
On the rest, definitely do what @Tacheovale and @Alan_tbt suggest.
We're going to do likewise on the new half plot we have (very overgrown.) So putting in squash, kale, cabbage, leeks and a few other bits tomorrow.
Would do the whole raised bed thing next year when you're ahead.

In other news, went for the nuclear option to try and keep the deer out.
Six foot mesh screen around the whole plot.
So much work.
Better bloody well work...

thanks for all the advice. black plastic - pond liner?

edit: this.. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4M-X-30M-500G-BLACK-HEAVY-DUTY-POLYTHENE-PLASTIC-SHEETING-GARDEN-DIY-MATERIAL/252459581154?hash=item3ac7c37ee2:g:mNAAAOSwddNXgTUw

Would be pricey, local garden centre or Screwfix sell it.
https://www.screwfix.com/p/capital-valley-plastics-ltd-damp-proof-membrane-black-1000ga-4-x-25m/88322

thanks. google fu was poor.

Great work, how did you treat them over winter? Fleece?