Help! I Need Motivation FAST!

[GardnerJ]

Hi all
i haven't been on here for a while.
i have been out of action for 4 weeks, when i went down to my plot i was so upset to find it covered in grass :'(
Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
i am only digging the plot at the mo and i can only work half the plot as the other half is too bad >:(
I guess if it was covered i would be laughing but this is not the case.
i seriously thought as i stood looking at my plot wether to give up but i can't give up that easily can I?
thanks guys as always
Jemma xxx

[GardnerJ]

[Moggle]

Oh poor you, I hope you are feeling better now.

Could you not cover some of it up for a while?

There's plenty of time until the next growing season proper, just take your time.

[tim]

Poor Jemma - it'll soon be flooded with those tears, so you'd better cheer up or you'll have another problem on your hands!! = Tim

[Doris_Pinks]

I am sure we have all had that feeling at some point! Get to your local carpet shop and try and get some free carpet and cover the bits you won't have time to dig! Or you can do what a friend of mine did to his overgrown plot, cover it in cardboard, then a layer of manure, then a layer of straw, then carpet. Everyone at the site thought he was mad, but I have to say he has great looking soil! ;D

[Palustris]

We have been cultivating our veg plot for 9 seasons now, and every time we leave it for more than a few days it develops a fine covering of weeds, from grass to nettles to dandelions to buttercups to groundsel and annual poppies. I could go on. Look at it this way, if you returned and your plot was totally bare, it would mean that your soil was extremely poor and impoverished. That would be a lot more work than clearing out almost any set of weeds. Believe me I have done it. A healthy crop of weeds at least means there is some 'heart' to your soil.
Don't be tempted to rush at it, dig what you can, cover what you cannot and adopt a laissez-faire attitude. Above all ENJOY it, not suffer it.

[Mrs Ava]

Here here Eric.  Never thought of it like that.  I have mares tale sprouting through all over the shop, like little elves Christmas trees, then nettles creep in from the paths, and brambles are all around my apple trees and fruit bushes.  No matter about the weeds, tis your plot of land, there are no rules and regulations, you don't have to have a text book plot, does anyone!?! It is fun, a hobby, a challenge and a great way to get out there in the fresh air, so don't weep Jemma, before you know it, you will have weed free beds again, and before you know it, when you back is turned, the blighters will grow again, but isn't that all part of the fun.

[beastiefishboy]

hi emma,
im in the same boat.
i managed to clear my plot of the head high grasses and weeds and cleared almost all the brambles.
since then im digging when i can. havent done much but im just trying to get it dug over before the winter so the cold can work its magic on the soil.
thing is i have rampant nettles!
they grow soooo fast!!
how can i stop them? is there anythign we can spray on them to stop them coming back?
tis daunting enough without nasty nettles!!
thanks!

[Hugh_Jones]

I`ve been working my vegetable plot for 45 years, and, like Eric, I only have to leave a bit of bare soil for a few weeks for it to become covered with chickweed, buttercup, bittercress, the odd nettle and dock (requiring handweeding), annual grasses, columbines, birch seedlings, and all manner of other vegetation.

Think of it as free green manure.

[Sarah-b]

It can be very disheartening when you feel like you have lost control of the plot, but like Moggle says, there's plenty of digging time left to go.
Definitely try and cover some bits, then you can think "oh well, I can worry about that bit later, at least it's not getting any worse."#

Do you feel pressurised by other plot holders to have your whole plot cultivated? I know on my plot there are some very impressive plots, but there are others in a much worse state than mine, and plenty of empty ones, so I don't feel guilty or worried at all if I haven't got mine into a top condition yet.

Bite-sized chunks are the way forward!

Good luck and let us know what you decide.

Sarah.

[GardnerJ]

thank you all for your kind words
i have found a great company that sell 14 meter ground cover that says perfect for allotments! hooray i am just getting it priced at the mo so i hope it won't be too expensive? it is usually used to cover silage at farms!
if i could keep the whole plot covered and just peel it back when i need to dig it ahould eliminate the weeds a bit?
i have found a new found get up and go all thanks to your guys!
i will post pictures and news soon! watch this space! ::)

[windygale]

Hi Gardener,hope's this website helps Motivate you,
http://www.crocus.co.uk/alanshowto/rottedorganicmatter/
here's a couple of pics




keep up the battle
later
windy

[Pixie]

windy what a fab bit of work I hope to aspire to your level of plots by next spring. ;D

Jem please don't give up I know how much you wanted your lottie - I am in the same situation and it is going to take me forever to clear mine too (well at least until next year!) so we can work at this together! - you have my email for when your feeling down  - please dont feel that its not worth it because I know that you enjoy it.

Would the lads on your lottie site help you again? I think thats the nice thing about lotties - everyone mucks in and now that they have slowed down from the early autumn rush it could be worth asking for a bit of help to start, I can imagine anyone would want to see you struggle


What about a family member or a friend they might help you and you can then have a bit of a laugh - there are only three veg growers on our 16 lotties and I still have to meet them yet but my friend has offered to help me even though her lottie is miles away. We even had lunch sitting on the steps there on friday and had a bit of a laugh about the state of it!

Hope you feel more positive
Sam

[Justy]

I was in the same boat last year when I took on my lottie.  It was waist high in weeds and in huge mounds where it had been previously earthed up and left.  I got a local bloke to plough it and then started digging. I put 3 beds in edged with old wood and then left the rest as the ground go too hard. During the growing season I just strimmed the bits between the beds and the uncultivated bit.  This just left me with the beds to weed properly.  

It is hard to ignore the uncultivated bit but I will tackle that this year and put more beds in.  I didn't get as much yield as some of my neighbours using rows but I think it was much less work.

I think what I am trying to say is just do a bit at a time and it is not too daunting.

Good luck!