Allotment

Tracey Anderson

Hi, I have recently been given an allotment, but so far haven't been able to gain access, although the good news is this will be sorted out next week. I have been up and peered through the fence of the allotment I have been given and have discovered that someone has covered my plot in weed killer. It maybe that whoever has done this didn't realize that I had been given the plot. I am very disheartened though, because I wanted to go down the organic route. I won't be able to compost any of the vegetation, because it's been poisoned.  

bekkie hughes

Hi Tracey



Dont be too disheartened, there will be plenty more stuff to compost , do you have any idea what type of weed killer they used? Hopefully it will be one that is only active for a short while or one that stops working on contact with the soil, when you do get chance to have a propper look, try to see if there is any new growth from the weeds, this should show you the chemicals have stopped working

Fleurisa

You probably wouldn't have wanted to compost most of the weeds anyway especially if they contained weed seeds or perennial roots such as dock, dandelion, bindweed etc. It is possible that the allotment committee do this on over grown plots before new tenants take them on. A lot of the old school allotmenteers don't appreciate the organic concept

Forester2

Did you see the Beechgrove Garden programme last Sunday morning?  They had been trialing weed killers and if yours has been done with glyphosate it will be safe to use in three weeks time after the stuff has died down.  You can be organic from now on.

SweetPea93

I feel it's a necessary evil sadly. I wish it wasn't. but I've used the glyphosphate on half my plot, it was just the ticket. The other half I haven't touched with chemicals is as tall as I am will brambles and bindweed... which I obviously can not wait to dig up

The parts we've grown on have been organic, and come next spring after we've dug up the rest will be too.

I'm sure you'll be glad someone's taken the time and money to weedkill for you eventually, my wallet would have loved someone to do that for us when we got ours in June!

ginagibbs

I have dug my plot the organic way but I wont be using any of the weeds for compost, however I will use the weed roots as a liquid feed. Good luck when you get your plot.

Tracey Anderson

Thank you all for your advice. I have no way of knowing what kind of weed killer has been used. I was disheartened, but I still count myself as lucky to have been offered an allotment. If it is glyphosate then that would be some comfort. I'm sure I've recorded Beechgrove garden, I'm off to watch it 

PoddingtonP

I had exactly the same happen when I got my plot. It was very 'kindly' sprayed before we were given it. As others have said, I think its quite common, and done in kindness to give you a fighting chance, as I suspect they have experience of many newbies taking on overgrown plots and getting disheartened and giving up within the first few weeks/months. I, like you, was cross at first, as there were a few things like strawberries and raspberries that were killed off too, but with a jungle to contend with I see where they were coming from.