3 Year wait for an Allotment & my plot look's like THIS! BEGINNERS Guide To DISASTROUS Gardening
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- čas přidán 18. 06. 2024
- I just got my first allotment after being on the waiting list for 3 years! Join me to see what a mess it is & how i've gone about attempting to start my gardening career as a complete beginner!
There will be alot of mistakes but this DIY project will be worth it!
Nettles are usually a sign of high nitrogen in the soil. Make yourself a compost heap, exactly like the neighbours out of pallets. that way you can make use of the brushcutter work and have a place for any green waste from the site in future. Charles Dowding channel if your not following already is worth following for compost tips and what you should be planting in the UK and when.
Make a rough plan of your site layout, figure out what you want to grow and more importantly what you will use at home. No point growing crops that you won't use or can't pam off to family. Include some flowers that will attract pollinators or encourage predators of bugs like aphids. You won't get all that done this year but it gives you something to do at home when you can't get to the allotment and will save you alot of hassle later.
Even do the site has water I would look at adding extra water storage strategically around the allotment site, you do not want to be lugging water around on a hot day. Old drums with the top cut off which allow you to dip a watering can into the water work well. Keep an eye on Lidl, they sell a really good water pump powered by powertool batteries. Then you should be able to pump directly from the water trough to your beds or top up the water drums with ease. If you plan on having a greenhouse later you can always harvest rain off it. Plants like rainwater the best.
I would dig by hand using a fork because you can will just chop up the weed roots with a rotavator which can lead to more weeds growing from the chopped roots. Just mark out your growing beds and turn the soil over with a fork, you do not have to dig the entire plot.
This is very valuable advice, please keep sharing these tips!
the fact that you plants already on the plot is great, better than than rubbish. Observe carefully before cutting and you can learn a lot about what the soil and what growing conditions you have. I can see lots of nettles growing, which is a sign of great fertility. Enjoy and make sure you will have the time to go there regularly, at the very least every week if not more often during the growing season.
Very true, could always have been worse! It’s luckily on my road, so will be going there a couple of days a week hopefully! Also planning to potentially make a small sand pit on the side for my daughter, so she can also have some fun whilst out with me!
Congratulations on the new allotment, we have a three year waiting list here as well. I am supposed to be going in with a friend when she finally reaches the top of the list. While you’re sorting out the weeds, work out which part of your plot gets most sun and at which times of the day so you can plan what plants are best in each area. No reason you can’t set up a few raised beds (if you’re allowed them) and do the no dig method and plant out some quick growing crops to keep you motivated this year and then you can plan bigger for next year. Good luck 👍🏻
Very good advice, i’m abit OCD about having a blank canvas but you’re absolutely right i should get atleast something in the ground!
My wife and I waited 2 years and got our plot the first week of June. Petrol strimmed the plot 3 times to get the weeds and grass down. Then covered the whole lot with weed sheeting , we are now working from the back of the plot uncovering as we go., keeping the weed sheet down has stopped anything growing back which makes life a lot easier We have managed to get four beds up and running so far and have a good few plants growing. It all takes time dont try to do to much. Enjoy it though.
Would you mind sharing what weed sheeting you have used? I’ve read up on multiple different types and am very confused!
I would not rotavate. If you have weeds that grow from root fragments, you will make many plants. E.g. Couch grass, bindweed etc
Keep up the good work. 👍
Well done so far. Don't worry about trying to get it all cut at once. Just work on getting one section right first. Don't bite off more than you can cope with at once. Getting one area perfect will motivate you to do the next section. Mine was the same 3 weeks ago and I did a small section at a time
Very sound advice, just had my 2nd baby so will be back on the allotment in a week or so to finish up the rest!
Took me a week to clear my full size seeded grass plot with a hand sickle. I too had high hopes for my good garden strimmer, but no.
If you're reading this and are about to clear a plot, garden strimmer are for BLADED grass of a certain length.
If you have long tubular grass - nope. If you have woody or fiberous weeds - nope again. If its long then you have to strim from the top down, there is no hacking it at the base. If the grass has been left long and has been blown over or trampled then you'll have a dense carpet of layed grass that will be wet at the base and full of slugs, I had to manually do all of that.
Frogs also like long grass so cut it long on the first go, they are nippy and generally get out of your way beforehand. You also don't know what's under there (stones etc) so cut high then go in two weeks later to finesse. The grass will look dead, it isn't.
You'll find that some of it will be couch grass and invasive grasses that'll invade your beds, but you can handle those when you can see what you're dealing with 😊
Don’t rotovate spreads the weeds and damages the soil. Cover it and do no dig beds
I always come out in a hot sweat whenever new gardeners talk about rotovating and want to scream, "NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Couldn't agree more. The hard work of proper clearing will make life much easier in the future
Enjoy your first allotment plot and dont be surprised when you find treasures that could be useful for you when you eventually grow your crops trust the process and take your time you will see the diffrence of your hard work and dont dispose of your stinging nettles chop them in a bucket add water and let them sit a few weeks thats home made fertiliser but you have to dilute it so get a cup add to a watering can add water and use it
Thank you very much for the advice! The nettles will be reused for sure :)
You can buy pre- mixed fuel .
Just signed for my plot today and I am so excited!!! My plot size is 3.5 rods and is covered in thick grass. Not sure where to start!
Congrats on the plot! You’re lucky if its just grass, mine has been all sorts!
Mate ditch that fuel, chainsaw oil is for oiling the chain, it'll galze up the cylinder and carb, get some 2 stroke oil, suggest you also get a can of carb cleaner spray, take the air filter off the strimmer and give the carb a real good spray, then run some clean fuel with the proper 2 stroke oil mix, that should clean it out! Pile up all your strimmage into one big pile, turn it every 2 weeks 3 times, you'll need a lot of compost to get going and that pile should get hot enough to lill most of the weed seeds, good luck!
Thats amazing advice mate!
No dig methods are good
Good luck on your journey 👍 I noticed you put the choke on, pulled the cord but it didnt look like you locker the throttle in the open position to start it, put it on run, choke on, pull the throttle in fully and press the button next to it to lock it open, then pull the cord, the brushcutter will then stay running, just knock the choke off.
Thanks for the tip , will try to do that next time, still learning how to use it!
@@TheAllotmentNoob new sub here mate, l look forward to watching the transformation of your plot
No no no don’t rotavate you’ll just chop up the roots and then even more will grow 😮
So i’ve heard! I’ll be scraping that plan
Guess we are in for a ride 👏🏽
Nice job 👍🏽
Excellent start! I don't have an allotment, but I think I might like one in future - so I'll be following your progress with interest!
Thanks very much for the encouragement!
Use the nettles for fertiliser :)
Thats a great tip!
@@TheAllotmentNoob I'm full of them I own a compost worm company so I have quite a lot of knowledge on fertilisers and how to replace the chemicals from shops 😉
Keep it cut..your allotment neighbours will like you
And use the arisings to make a lasagna bed with cardboard ...and shop compost ...plant some kales for winter..lovely that there isso little litter
I hope the baby and mother are well
Good luck on your journey. Hopefully, you'll enjoy it.
Just one negative, it's difficult to hear you sometimes when you're not looking at the camera.
Thanks for the tip, i’ve ordered a mic which should help with the audio!
Hard pays off…
Bar oil in a 2t strimmer now blown up
Do not run that in anything other than in a bar oil tank
@@smallenginerestoration9329 sorry could you expand? Not sure what you mean!
@@TheAllotmentNoob chainsaw oil dose not go in a 2 stroke tool . Chainsaw oil is to keep the bar lubricated on a Chainsaw u need to get 2 stroke oil for the stimmer sthil oil is good not bar oil . It will blow up with bar oil in it so toxic to a 2 stroke
@@TheAllotmentNoob bar oil has gum in it so it sticks to the bar . Bar oil for chainsaw 2 stoke for your stimmer
Perfect - that makes sense now, ill get some 2 stroke oil today :)
😂😂👍
It’s been a bad year, stick with it, it will pay off.
Thanks for the motivation!