Well, the initial fervour I had for the allotment has waned, but only slightly. I still daydream about it when I'm sat at my desk, still spend hours researching ways to dael with clay soil and weeds etc. The problem is making time for it. I usually get up there a couple of times during the week, and for a few hours on the weekend. It never seems to be enough though.
Also, we've had a bindweed explosion. I'll pop a few pics of it on the photo page. Basically, its a weed that you often find growing in building sites, on motorway verges or railway lines. a scrambling vine with heart shaped leaves and white (sometimes pink) flowers. I've always found it quite pretty, but when it's strangling my pumpkin plants I find my sentiments lean towards the dark side. The tenacious weed can survive with only a small chunk of the root in the soil, so small that if you were to dig it over it would pass undetected. It looks just like a stick the length of your thumb. Then, come spring time, it sends out a thin, long shoot that reaches the surface and goes crazy.
The most permanent (but sadly time and labour intensive) solution is to carefully dig down along the vine until you find the root it has sprouted from and remove it. The vines are very delicate though and so simply pulling on them will still leave the living root in your soil. NEVER put these weeds on your compost heap, as I'm sure they'll simply sprout back to life, or worse still, after you've dug the compost into your siol you'll end up putting them back in as well. I would reccomend burning them - and believe me when you're done you will want to!
Having dug out most of the evil weed from the patches, I have covered the ones we havent got time for with carpet. Sadly, most of the plot is also infested with it. I may have to consider a chemical soultion. I really dont want to though, as the other weeds are attracting butterfles and ladybirds to the area. I think with time, and a whole lot of carpet, I may be able to bring it under co