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I'm contemplating rotavating my allotment, but have heard differing views on whether it is a good idea or not!
I do seem to have a fair bit of couch grass, and over winter we had black plastic over some of it.
Our allotment is beginning to get me down, as we've only had it about 8 months and it doesn't seem to be getting any tidier. HELP!!!!!

Hello Charlie,

Another thread talks about planting turnip seeds to conquer couch grass. Not sure if it is just a matter of scattering the seeds around where the grass is growing, or whether a proper planting out is needed. Otherwise, I fear there is nothing for it but to dig it up.

But, hey; an allotment, like any other growing area, is a process. It develops over a period of years. Don't rush it. And this time of year makes everything look untidy.

tightly pack turnip seeds over the roots is suposed to get rid of couch, trying out for the first time this year myself.

Also sink in bits of wood around the areas you have rid of couch so that it does not spread again.

We have a rotavator but never use it - because we have the dreaded bindweed in the veg patch. I've been digging out a fair bit but I think it will never all go as I can't be bothered to go down 2 - 3 feet! Also have couch grass (or some sort of creeping grass) but that is nowhere near the same problem of bindweed.

My new big problem is - wild raspberries which I STUPIDLY transplanted into the veg patch. Now I am trying desperately to dig out the extremely invasive roots.

Cheers for those ideas. I might try the turnip seed idea.

Allotment wise, we are getting grief from the council who we rent it off, cos we haven't made it immaculate in the time we have had it!!
All the books i read tell me to take it slowly, guess they don't read the same books!!!

G'day Charlie,

I have used a rotary hoe for many years, but trying to get away from the consuming of petrol, last year I double dug.

I think that they are good to break the soil initally though, but the couch is a problem. I have used an old kero "flame thrower" to good effect. You may want to consider a chook tractor, the chooks love it, but I don't know how that would go on an allotment.

Nev

Hi Charlie,may I suggest that you cover the whole of your allotment plot in sheets of black plastic to stop the weeds growing,like I have,and then do what I've done but in a different way,done by laying down a walk way of unwanted wooden pallets of the same type if you can on top of your plastic sheets,leaving enough room for lots of 5 rows of 10 upside down 6 pint cut plastic milk containers on their carry beams made from other broken down unwanted wooden pallets,which will fit in-between them like I have done,but mine are raised up.
This way you will only need a sharp knife to cut your containers,and it will look tidy all the year round,if you want to know more about the way I do things please visit my website,I'm sure it won't be a waste of your time,especially if someone has a back problem and can't dig like me,but loves gardening. John. JRP.

Wombat wrote:G'day Charlie,

I have used a rotary hoe for many years, but trying to get away from the consuming of petrol, last year I double dug.

I think that they are good to break the soil initally though, but the couch is a problem. I have used an old kero "flame thrower" to good effect. You may want to consider a chook tractor, the chooks love it, but I don't know how that would go on an allotment.

Nev

Nev, is it right that you are only recommended to double dig every three years or more.

the rotory hoe is a good way to get in and break the soil ready for planting. you would need to spend a bit of time getting rid of the runners.
i usually get rid of as many runners as possible, plant veges and pick out any couch as i see it.
it taken me about four years to get rid of the couch out of my garden but it has been producing vegetables through that time.

Tigerhair wrote:

Wombat wrote:G'day Charlie,

I have used a rotary hoe for many years, but trying to get away from the consuming of petrol, last year I double dug.

I think that they are good to break the soil initally though, but the couch is a problem. I have used an old kero "flame thrower" to good effect. You may want to consider a chook tractor, the chooks love it, but I don't know how that would go on an allotment.

Nev

Nev, is it right that you are only recommended to double dig every three years or more.

Depends on which side of the cultivation debate you are on M3, I plan to do it every couple of years but I suspect, as with so many things, it depends on your individual soil type and circumstances. I think these days the prevailing wisdon with cultivation is "less is more" - so to speak!

Nev

Grr, if I never double dig again it'll be too soon - we have a layer of flint maybe six inches down. Less is more, as Nev says, but even in no-dig systems a layer of compacted soil can develop as a sum total of all forces acting on the soil, especially where worm numbers are low. It's worth checking every couple of years by digging a test hole to see what the soil looks like in cross-section.

Don't know how it's going to go here yet, but I'd certainly hope not to have to double dig any more frequently that once per four-year rotation... probably straight after brassicas since they need to be planted firmly.

I have light sandy soil and after stomping over it all last summer and then single digging it this year, I don't think it will ever be necessary to double dig it again, other than going down deep trying to get out rocks, bindweed or wild raspberry roots!

I must admit, I've never properly double dug... (Is that correct grammar? Looks a bit funny... )

I think if you have stuff like tatties in the rotation, they do the deeper ground work for you. And, of course, worms are important; so lots of compost helps. I might have got quite deep when trying to retrieve roots of the usual nasties like couch and nettles - but not intentionally. Too much like hard work, but I suppose it depends on your type of soil.

ina wrote:I think if you have stuff like tatties in the rotation, they do the deeper ground work for you.

In my experience the spuds grow above the one one you plant so you have to dig down a fair way to plant them anyway . So you may as well keep going and do the lot!

Nev