Taking on an overgrown allotment

By the Tilthwick team

Sources checked 24 Oct 2026

Draft: preview builds only.

A neglected plot full of grass, docks and brambles is common for new tenants. Don't try to clear it in one go. Clear and plant a little at a time, and cover the rest so it stops growing while you work.

The plan below assumes a few hours a week. Put your own plot size and hours into the planner further down to see how long yours might take.

Weeks 1 and 2: look, measure and check the rules

  • Walk the plot and note what's there: brambles, perennial weeds, rubbish, old structures, any fruit bushes worth keeping.
  • Measure it, and mark where the water, the path and your neighbours' plots are.
  • Read your tenancy rules on bonfires, skips, strimmers and weedkillers before you start.
  • Decide where your first bed goes: close to the path, in the sun, and away from the worst brambles.

Weeks 3 and 4: cut it down

Cut tall growth down to ground level with a strimmer, shears or a scythe, and rake it off. Dig out bramble roots where you can. Pile soft growth for compost and bag or remove anything woody your site won't let you burn.

Weeks 5 to 8: cover most of it, clear one bed

  • Cover the areas you're not working on with something that blocks light, such as heavy-duty sheeting or thick cardboard held down well, so weeds stop growing.
  • Clear your first bed properly. Fork out perennial weed roots, or use the no-dig method: lay cardboard over the cut-down weeds and mulch on top with a thick layer of compost.
  • Plant or sow it straight away, so you have something growing.

Weeks 9 to 12: one bed at a time

Move the cover along and clear the next bed. Keep going at the pace your hours allow. By the end of 12 weeks most people will have a few productive beds and the rest under cover, ready for next season.

Rotavators

A rotavator turns over ground fast, but it chops the roots of perennial weeds such as couch grass and bindweed into pieces, and each piece can grow back. On a weedy plot, cut and cover first. If you do hire or buy one, Furrowgear covers rotavators and tillers.

FAQs

Should I use weedkiller on an overgrown allotment?

That's your choice within your site's rules, and many sites restrict or ban it. If you use any product, follow the label exactly: it's a legal requirement.

Can I burn the cuttings?

Only if your tenancy and your council allow bonfires, and only at the times they allow. Many sites don't.

Allotment plot planner

Worked example

For a half plot (5 poles, about 126 m²), a quarter already clear, 4 hours a week, a shed and compost bays:

  • 10 beds of 1.2 m with 45 cm paths, beds running across a plot about 19.5 m by 6.5 m
  • Rotation: 8 beds in four groups, moving one step each year
  • Broad beans: room for about 68 plants; Onions (sets): room for about 256 plants; Cabbage: room for about 68 plants; Carrots: room for about 1080 plants; Potatoes: room for about 86 plants; Courgettes: room for about 14 plants
  • Clearing: about 95 m² to clear, roughly 12 weeks at 4 hours a week (our rule of thumb of 2 m² an hour)
  • A 5 cm compost mulch over all the beds: about 3.9 m³, or 78 bags of 50 litres

Based on: National Allotment Society (NSALG), RHS. Crop spacing from RHS grow-your-own guides.

Sources

  • National Allotment Society (NSALG): A traditional full allotment plot is 10 poles (rods or perches), about 250 square metres checked 24 Oct 2026
  • RHS: RHS crop rotation: group crops (brassicas, legumes, onions, potato family and roots) and move each section a step forward every year to limit soil pests and diseases checked 24 Oct 2026
  • RHS: RHS: no-dig gardening, mulching the surface instead of digging checked 24 Oct 2026