Advice needed on vegatable plot?

Question

I have a area of ground about 5m by 20m I set it aside a few years ago for growing veg but never seem to have the time to get started. What I'd like to know is, will I have to pluck out the weeds or can I get away with just turning over the ground, if so is perhap hiring a rotavator the best solution.
Will the weeds not re-grow if the ground just turned? Is using weed killer on a veg plot adviseable ?
Thanks in advance

Andy

Answer 1

Don't use weedkiller as this will carry on working when you put the veg in. All perenniel weeds have to be removed, annual ones can be turned in, but personally I like to remove all. The weeds will grow again if they have light, air and moisture and will then take moisture from the veg when they grow. You can use a rotavator but will probably spend more time in the long run removing the weeds which have regrown. Good luck and I hope you finally get your veggie plot going - it is extremely rewarding and therapeutic. (I used to teach City & Guilds gardening). I have a small plot in my garden and just love seeing it all grow and harvesting the organic veg.

Answer 2

That's a good size for a vegetable plot.



Take off the top weeds with a fork and plant what you want to begin. A hoe may not be strong enough. A mattock is quite handy for grubbing out grass and weeds - better than a fork in some ways.



Plant spuds for starters as they are weed resistant and help break up the soil.



All the rest of the plot cover up with whatever you can find. Old carpet is ideal as it does not blow away. Plastic sheeting, old plastic bags, straw, newspaper, cardboard etc etc will all do. You need to weight them to keep them there. This looks a bit ugly but it gives the weeds a reason to die down until you are ready to go on. It takes a good few weeks.



When you want to continure planting, roll back your carpet, or whatever and hoe off any scrappy little weeds that are still showing.



This works pretty well.



Don't use poisonous weedkillers they stay in the soil and have environmental effects.



One of the best things about your own vegetable plot is you can have great tasting organic food for pennies!

Answer 3

I had excellent luck this year with the following strategy: In the spring, the weeds were up before most of my perrenials (which you don't have to worry about since its a veggie patch), so I used weed killer (round-up or wipe out work great) and made sure not to get any on the perrenials that I like. I still needed to weed once in a while, but boy was it ever way less than previous years. FYI I also did this in the areas of my garden where I plant tomatoes, chili peppers, and swiss chard. They all turned out beautifully. The killer only kills green plants -- it will not kill anything planted in the soil at a later time. Happy gardening!

Answer 4

You can use a weed killer onj your vegetable plot. It is just a matter of selecting the right one. However, that will not eliminate the need to weed your garden. Nothing can do that. Where you have a garden you will always have weeds. You can try the heavy mulch no tillage syste- lay down a 2-3 inch layer of mulch (compost would be ideal) over top of existing soil and plant through that. The theory is that by not tilling the soil you do not break the weed seeds ot their dormancy and they do not germinate. Key to this system is that you do not walok on the beds themselves but on pathways between the beds to prevent soil compaction.

Answer 5

Weeds are a pain, if only everything else grew like they do! I'm afraid they won't just go away if you dig the soil up. I would advise against weed killer as it will harm most other things too. If you really want the best results, prepare to get dirty and rub on plenty of elbow grease and make sure you pull out all the roots!

Good luck.

PS: A good session of weeding is actually very relaxing and therapeutic.

Answer 6

The bad news is as the saying goes: One year of seed is seven years of weeds.



You are going to have to pluck out many weeds but cheer up - over time (If you catch them before they seed) they do become less and less.



I would turn over the ground with a rotavator right now (the weeds will form compost) and again in 6 weeks, just before you start the vegetables.

Answer 7

when we started our we rented a rototiller and tilled up the ground weeds, grass and all. we went over the area five times to make sure the soil was nice and loose. i did have to get some larger chunks of grass that wouldn't break up. after the 3rd and 4th time we tilled we added a 20 pound bag of manure to the soil. do not use any weed killers, or any other chemical it might get into the food and you will ingest it when you eat it. if you are worried about weeds after use straw in between your rows of plants as a mulch. you can also use grass clippings after mowing the grass. these will help keep the weeds down. with the grass clippings when you are done with the garden for the year can be tilled in the dirt for compost.

Answer 8

Sorry mate, if only it was that easy! You've gotta get the roots out, and i properly out, or they will just keep growing and growing. They will never ever completely go, but don't weed killer- it can sometimes affect your veg bad! I got so annoyed about weeds in my plot that i got a buddy (who's a pyro-technical expert) to blow up my plot, and then i had a massive bonfire on it. and the bloody things still came back!



Good Luck!

Answer 9

Weeding is unavoidable with veggie growing - unfortunately! I seem to remember that using a rotivator is not a good way to prepare soil, as it cuts up the eed roots into lots of pieces, which then grow into many weeds. Personally, I do all the weeding by hand.

If you need to use weedkiller, use one with glyphosate, as they say that the chemical used does not stay active in the ground afterwards.

Answer 10

I would'nt use a weed killer. It could do with double digging as the land has'nt been cultivated for so long but as your plot is quite large, i'd say a rotavator, the trouble is, if you use a rotavator, the weeds will be chopped up and spread into the soil, so you need to clear the sight of as much weed as possible. It's gonna be a big job for you but it'll be worth it if you do it thoroughly.

Answer 11

Don't use weed killer.



use a rotivator by all means but you will always have to keep the plot weeded wahtever you do.



Apply compost and rotivate ininto the soil now (winter) then the ground will be ready for sowing / planting in the spring.

Answer 12

Get rid of the weeds without using weedkiller.Hoeing at regular intervals is the best way.This will stop them getting established.Pull out as many roots as possible.Once you have done this,turn in plenty of manure/composted material then you will be ready to plant out in the spring. Good luck and enjoy your delicious home grown veg.

Answer 13

Digging it out in stages is the most effective way. Burn the weeds.

A quick way is to lay opaque heavy material ontop for instance layers of cardboard ,then weed suppressant material and then cover it with a lot of compost and plant in that but it can get pricey for larger areas.

Brambles and nettles will grow through and round cardboard.

Answer 14

You need to apply a pre-emergent herbicide. That will kill any weed seeds that are on your plot. Then hire the rotavator (tiller in the US) to prep the soil. Pre-emergent will only harm the seeds that are on the plot at the time of application, it will not have any effect on the seeds planted afterwards.

Answer 15

You can turn the ground over, but like my vegetable patch you still need to weed it from time to time, I have a problem with stinging nettles.

Answer 16

i'm a former instructor and taught readers' theatre for the duration of advisory. we could study Sherlock Holmes mysteries, then we could dissect them interior here way which became the commencing place for our growing to be our very own memories: First, we brainstormed heroes/heroines and indexed them. 2nd, we brainstormed villains and indexed them. Thirdly, we brainstormed sufferers and indexed them. Fourth, characters in a narrative desire to bypass someplace, do something, or get something, yet there are some stumbling blocks in the way or people who attempt to steer away from them, so we could brainstorm those. 5th, we brainstormed settings. we could start up by using my asking the scholars how they had to set the scene and that they could toss out concepts and that i could write it down. we would pass alongside from what significant step in the story befell first, then 2nd etc. of direction we mandatory strategies on a thank you to get from one significant step to a various significant step. It became all logical. We used communicate between characters to go the story alongside too. in the top, we could action picture our tale and watch it. It became exciting. i'm hoping i've got given a depiction that helps you pull at the same time an physique of strategies. i like writing too. desire you proceed. appreciate.

Answer 17

yes the weeds will carry on growing, i think organic and a hoe is always best.

when you start, grow things that are easy such as courgettes, runner beans, radish, spinach, potatoes, carrots, parsnip, pumpkins, that way you ll get success the first year which will boost your confidence to carry on the following year. good luck

Answer 18

I have a allotment and the best but back breaking is ti dig it over

RGD DANNY