CLEARING YOUR FIRST ALLOTMENT PLOT / ALLOTMENT GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS

There is no denying that taking on a new a lotment plot can be really challenging, but trust me guys, it is totally worth it. My name's Emma and I document all about my a lotment diaries here on YouTube. So do hit the subscribe button if you're new. In these videos, I'm going to be sharing exactly how I took this overgrown jungle of an aotment plot to a productive, beautiful space. I'll share everything with you from clearing the plot to putting in pathways to making brand new no dig beds and sewing your first seeds. If you've just got your first aotment plot, this might be the channel for you. So, don't forget to subscribe. In this first video, I'm going to take you right back to the very beginning when I first took on this overgrown plot, and I'm going to share with you how I cleared it and the work that went into getting it into the productive space it is today. along the pathway. And the plot next door is now officially mine. It's a lot bigger than my plot. I think it feels a lot bigger. It goes right up from the boundary there all the way across to my plot here. Am I crazy? Am I crazy? Yes, I think so. The more I'm looking at it, the more I'm thinking I'm probably crazy. Right. Officially, the first bit of work I'm doing on my new a lotment plot. Here we go. So, the a lotment plot I took on was right next door to mine, and it had been overgrown for about 5 years. There were a few people who did have the plot over that time, but no one had managed to quite keep it under control. And as you can see, by the time I took it on in 2023, it was completely overgrown like a jungle. I don't think it is actually normal for an aotment plot to be given to a new tenant in this kind of state. So, if you are on the waiting list, guys, don't panic. This is not normal. This is just what's happened to the plot next to mine. And I was so thankful that I could take it on because it was growing over into my a lotment and just just causing me so many problems. The weeds were coming over. The seeds from the weeds were spreading into my beds. And also, I had so much wildlife living in there, which is a good thing and a bad thing. I think there was a family of foxes living in here who would come out at night and then dig all of my plot up. So, that's not really ideal. It was such an overwhelming task to clear this plot that the very first thing I did was just get stuck in and start cutting as much of it back as I could. Definitely not a job for the faint-hearted. That one right there that's been taunting me all weekend. That was taunting me. I hate him. I hate him. Yes, you can hate a plant. It's fine. Um, he I'm dreading him. So, I'm going to get him up now. Because this a lotment plot had been left for so long and had absolutely no work done on it whatsoever, some of the weeds were absolutely monstrous. There were these huge ornamental grasses that had rooted down into the earth and had spread along and they were so difficult to get up and actually really heavy. And the problem with these is that they really spread like wildfire. So, even now, a year and a half after I've actually cleared this plot, I still get little baby ornamental grasses popping up everywhere that I have to pull up. Between our two plots, I found a lot of logs. So, somebody had obviously come and cleared this plot at some point and then piled all the logs up in a big pile between our boundaries. And though it was really annoying to have to pull all of these out, I actually found myself reusing them a lot when I was putting the plot back together again just as borders and boundaries for raised beds and pathways. It was one of the things I was really grateful that I could actually reuse when I put the plot back together again. Well, I keep finding a lot of these uh like logs. I want to say trunks, tree trunks. I think this means that whoever was here probably a while ago actually before my time, before my time, um probably did trim the tree back a bit and they sort of used it as a mini sort of fence. So, it was all just lying along here between our plots. I actually didn't know. And look, you can see there's loads still in there as well. That's a lot of natural material to build either a fence around here or some structures for growing stuff. So, it's really good. It's really positive. Um, you know that I love a good natural tree trunk. Yeah, I'm really happy with that. So, I am discovering quite a lot. This is the next beast that I hate, that I'm really dreading, and I feel like this should be my next challenge. It's another blooming ornamental grass. Isn't it nasty? It's horrid, isn't it? Oh my gosh, look at the size of it. I'm going to give it a go. [Music] I think now when I look back on these images of myself clearing this plot and just not giving up, I do sort of wonder how I stayed so motivated. I think I was just so determined to have this space. And I know how lucky I was to be able to get the plot next door to mine because it's not that usual that you get given two a lotment plots and that they're next door to each other. So, I always felt quite grateful that I was given this plot and really really determined just to get it into a good suitable space where it can be productive and it's not going to become an overgrown jungle again. [Music] I think they shouldn't be too difficult to get out. There's also some ivy that all needs to come out too. And then these I think are little ow horrible route. These here, I think these are raised beds made out of plastic, which I don't like. I don't love them. So, I'd like to get rid of these, I think, uh, and try and figure out how to flatten all the soil everywhere and stuff because I don't like them. So, that's what we're going to work on. All right, let's see if my theory of uh, rain loosening up the ground is correct or not. I think it is. So, I was given this a lotment plot in October, which is actually a great time to be given a new a lotment because all the summer crops have died back. The ground hasn't yet frozen over, like over the winter time, so it's much easier to dig in. We also do get quite a lot of rain at this time of year, which really helps with the soil and breaks it up a bit and makes it easier to dig. but also because it's not the springtime or the summertime, you're not actively thinking about growing things. So, it gives you this great opportunity to just completely clear the space, make it a blank canvas, and then put in raised beds and really do the plot up exactly as you want it to be. Um, here is the difference that I've made. I actually can see the difference that I've made today because I've started to dig out these things which I think have made a big difference and then I've sort of rad over all this and it's the first time that it's really starting to look clear. Um, and yeah, I I love it. Oh my god, did you just jump up at me? I've made really good progress with the plot today. One of the things that hugely helped me to stay motivated was by making these vlogs. And I'm not saying that you have to go on to YouTube and make, you know, 20 minute vlogs of your progress, but just taking some video or taking some pictures as you go really helps you to stay on target and stay motivated. It means that on those darker days where you think, "Oh my gosh, what have I got into?" You can look back at your progress and really see the difference. And that really helps. Nobody panic, but um rock something with me. I've got to adjust it. Right. Okay. This is purely for safety because I don't want to get hit on the head. If you need to look away now and take a few deep breaths into a paper bag, I will completely understand. Let's do this. If you watch my a lotment diaries now, you might know that I have quite a few trees on my a lotment plot, which is actually quite unusual. Most a lotment plots don't have any trees because obviously you really need the sun and as much sunshine as you can get to grow vegetables. Not all of the trees on my plot stayed. So right at the beginning when I took on the new plot, I did take the opportunity to take this tree down, which I sort of did in bits myself. However, I do have a really nice big I think it's a cherry tree, and I'm certainly not going to be getting rid of that because the birds love it. I love it. And actually, it's quite good to have a bit of shade. [Music] But obviously, when you first take on your plot, that is really the time to think about if you want to keep trees and take them down right then and there if you don't want them. Look, he's come to see me. He looks very, very healthy for a fox. It's okay. It's okay. Do you know what? For the foxes around here, he is one of the healthiest foxes I have ever freaking seen. [Music] [Music] As you can probably see by these videos, I took on my a lotment plot by myself. My a lotment is my space. I have a family at home and I have other commitments. But when I'm at my a lotment plot, it's mine, and I take that very seriously. So, I like to do as much on my plot on my own as I possibly can. If you do have friends and family around you who can offer a hand, that's even better. I would say take it. This plot would have been cleared a lot quicker if I'd have had some help. But, you know what? I wanted to do it by myself, and I'm really proud of myself that I did. Right. So, here's the damage that we've done today. Absolutely fantastic. Oh my god, the way it keeps moving. So scary. Um, but yeah, we've sort of started to make a dent in that big heavily congest congested area, I'll call it. The first couple of weeks of taking on this new a lotment were probably the hardest because I felt like I was doing the most work and seeing the least amount of progress. It felt like I was just going really, really slowly. And I remember a lot of times thinking, how on earth is this a lotment going to become clear? But that's the thing. Rome wasn't built in a day. And an a lotment plot is not cleared in a day or even a week or even a couple of months. This is an ongoing process. And in my opinion, the longer you take to clear your a lotment plot, the more likely you are to keep up with it once it is cleared. Let me explain my logic. I have seen so many new plot holders come to the a lotment and completely clear their plots in about three or four days. And a lot of the time it's these people who are the ones who don't come back again and stop coming and allow the plot to become overgrown. Sometimes I think the more you put into something, the more you get out of it. The more work you put in and the harder you work, the more likely you are to want to keep up with it and not to let it go back to being a jungle again. Not always the case, of course, but something to think about. I've never seen anyone come onto this plot in my four years of being here and do the kind of work that I've done on it. And it has to count for something, right? For all my complaining, for all my moaning, for all my, you know, this isn't fair. This isn't right. The work that I'm doing, I'm putting in so much work. It's got to count for something, right? It's got to mean something. It has to. There's no way that this plot will not be ready for spring. I've just got to keep going, you know? Keep moving. [Music] So, it turns out the reason why I'm struggling to get these uh ground sheets off the ground is because they have been really pegged in these great big metal rusted pegs. And I don't know what that is, but that's pinned it down as well. Yeah, they're really being pinned down into the ground. Thing is, I completely understand why it's been done, right? It makes so much sense and obviously it has kept a lot of the weeds down despite the fact that it was let go. The ground sheet does cover pretty much the whole plot. And you might think for a second, well, why on earth am I pulling it all up? Like, surely I should just leave it down and build over the top of it. The thing is, the thing is, this plot's been rubbish for like 4 years since I've been here. And it's had, like I said, like three owners over that time. And no one's been able to maintain this plot. I just think that underneath this ground sheet is so much weed, so many roots, like bindweed roots. Like look under this one here, that to leave it all under the ground sheets, it's all just going to grow back. I just won't be able to to look after it. I feel like what this plot needs is literally stripping back to the bare soil and then building on. It needs like complete back to basics. And that's what I intend to do. I am going to keep all the ground sheet though and I'm going to use it under my pathways and fold it over so it will be used. None of it's been thrown away. Obviously, it's a lot of plastic. Um, and it's already starting to fray and stuff as well, which is a little bit annoying. Um, so yeah. Anyway, that's the reason why I am pulling up all the ground sheet. I did that bit today. Once again, I feel like I'm leaving this plot looking worse than when I first got here, but I just think it's going to be like that for a long time. The initial clearing of your a lotment plot is always going to be the hardest part, but arguably it is the most important part because you are really taking your plot back to basics. If you completely clear your plot down to the ground and dig all the weeds out and make it a completely blank canvas, then you are in charge of your plot. You know what's under the ground. You know how many weeds there are. you know all of your a lotment plots dirty secrets basically so you know exactly what's lurking under the ground and it gives you the perfect opportunity to put in a structure for your aotment plot that's going to work for you personally. You can design where your beds are going to be, where your pathways are going to be, what they're going to be made out of. And that's really exciting and a little bit daunting, too. I get it. I know. But if you can clear your plot completely back to basics, honestly, I think it's just the best thing that you can do. Try and stay motivated and keep going because it is worth it. So, I've taken I'm filming on my phone as well. I've taken a lot of the ground sheet up at the front now, which is what I wanted to do. Work in sections. So, this front bit here is now all just literally mud and dirt. So, we've got no ground sheet. The ground sheet is in absolutely terrible condition. It's fraying like crazy. A lot of it is ripped off. Um there are bindweed roots and stuff coming through. It's so which are so big that it's just torn holes in it. And then underneath you can see the bindweed. So we're going to get all this up now. [Music] To get to this point at my aotment block took me 3 weeks of coming down almost daily for at least 2 3 hours. That's just me doing it by myself, by hand, using a rake, using my bare hands, using a fork. And you don't have to be as crazy as me, and try and take on a space this size all by yourself. Like I said, if you've got friends or family to help, that's going to be much quicker and much easier. But I want to show you that it is possible. Don't ever be put off of taking on a plot by yourself because I did it and I was successful. Almost completely finished. have to get a bit more bindweed out and stuff, but it's looking it's looking better. Here's another angle. So, as people come past now, they're definitely going to know someone is working on this plot and making progress. Hopefully, they'll be quite impressed, actually, cuz it has been so overgrown for so long. Um, but yeah, there you go. So, it's going to connect onto my plot, carry on, and then obviously we just got that little bit over there. Oh, yeah. Just just that little bit over there. So, there you have it. That is how I cleared my a lotment plot in sections by hand by myself. Join me in my next video next week where I'll start putting in the structure of the allotment plot. We're going to be working on the pathways and the raised beds and just starting to put the plot back together again. I hope these videos are going to be really helpful to you, especially if you're just taking on your first or a brand new overgrown a lotment plot and you're wondering where on earth do I start? How do I do this? And can I even do this by myself? Well, I've been there. I've done it. And I am now ready to share everything that I did to get where I am today. The highs and the lows. Don't forget to like this video and subscribe if you found it helpful. See you next time, guys. Bye.