🧹 Step-by-Step Allotment Rescue Plan

1. Assess and Prioritise

• Walk the whole plot and take photos.
  This is REALLY important. It’ll help you keep track of how well you’re doing.
• Identify key zones: access paths, usable beds, compost area, water source.
  Think about where the sun comes up and which bits are shaded.
• Note hazards (glass, metal, brambles) and useful salvage (tools, pallets, compost bins).
  Make a note of which need to be cleared first and how you’re going to do that safely.

2. Clear the Perimeter First

• Tidy the edges so you can move freely.
• Cut back brambles and nettles with loppers or a strimmer.
  I think brambles are too awful to compost – you could shred them if you can get a shredder working on your allotment.
• Mark out paths with string or wood to avoid trampling future beds.
  Start thinking about where you’ll get paving slabs from if you want them. They’ll be hiding in skips and people you know will be getting rid of them.

3. Remove Rubbish and Large Debris

• Sort into: reuse, recycle, landfill.
  Protect your car if you’re taking dirty stuff to the tip. Try to dry things before putting them in your car.
• Stack useful items (wood, buckets, mesh) neatly for later use.
  Make it look tidy. Don’t stack too high.
• Wear gloves and check for nails, glass, or vermin nests.
  Watch out for scratches and cuts.

4. Tackle Weeds and Grass

• For grassy areas: strim first, then cover with cardboard and compost to suppress regrowth.
  This can be really satisfying. But doesn’t remove the number of weeds. Just makes them shorter.
• For deep-rooted weeds: dig out manually or use a weed fork. Dig as much root out as possible.
• Avoid rotavating until you’ve cleared perennial weeds like bindweed or couch grass. Don’t rotavate lots of weeds.

5. Create One Working Bed

• Choose the sunniest, least overgrown corner. It’ll be easiest and get good results.
• Clear it fully, add compost, and sow something easy (radishes, lettuce, beans). Radish are really quick!
• This gives you a psychological win and a visual win! And something to eat.

6. Use Covering Techniques

• Lay cardboard, tarps, or weed membrane over untouched areas. This is the start of no-dig. Add compost or muck on top. This can get expensive and be as much hard work as digging.
• Covering buys you time and prevents further weed growth.
• Weight covers with bricks or logs. Else it all blows away.

7. Build a Compost Corner

• Use pallets or old bins to start composting green waste. You’ll find pallets on Freecycle or by asking around. Someone will always know who has some spare.
• Add layers of weeds (not seed heads), cardboard, and kitchen scraps.
  Layer it up. Keep adding it.
  Store bad roots in an old compost sack turned inside out.
• This keeps the site tidy and builds future fertility.

🛠 Tools That Help

🌱 What to Plant First

Start with easy, fast crops in your cleared bed:

• Radishes, lettuce, rocket
• Dwarf beans, peas
• Calendula or nasturtiums (for cheer and pollinators)

🧠 Tips to Stay Motivated

• Work in 2-hour blocks, not full days. Little and often.
• Take before-and-after photos. This is your reminder of how much you’ve done.
• Celebrate each cleared section.
• Invite a friend for a “clear and cuppa” session. Enjoy it!