Got my half this time last year. Great sandy soil, well established fruit (blackcurrant, redcurrant, blackberry, damson), nightmare leylandii block the east, lots of couch grass everywhere.
Posting this as a possible motivation post for anyone starting and dealing with mad weed issues...and as a bit of a 'chuffed with my efforts' post. Either way I've learned a shit load so far from all the lovely neighbours and mother internet.
Feel free to ask me anything.
Last year I turned it all and pulled sack loads of couch out.
Gradually tidied up each section as I went.
Added a paved bit and put a secondhand greenhouse on.
Grew loads with very little planning but was inefficient and haphazard.
This year I've planned a lot and spent lots of time prepping for the season.
Front raised bed, loaded hugel style, is about 150 onions (bed is 90*240).
This year decided on card and wood chip cover for edges and paths to see if it could reduce weeding time.
Front section far side is a 10'*3' bed of (fleeced) carrots germinating to co-plant leeks and coriander. Garlic already well established from November on the left, will have two types of beet, peas (succession dwarf beans), more onions (from seed and coming on in the greenhouse), nasturtiums and marigolds. Only just laid the paths yesterday and already thinking I'll reduce the size a touch to expand the growing area- the pictures are on a 0.5 zoom so are a bit distorted, but paths are 18" wide consistently except the sides which are about 8".
There's a 'dead' patch of about 6'x2' by the little raspberries in the middle (bottom of the 3rd pic). Pretty sure someone must have used potent weedkiller there in the past - stuff just dies there. Seeding a bed of sunflowers there today, hopefully suck up the crap and look nice.
This year the mid section (mainly card ATM) will be corn, vertical squash frames, climbing beans, pumpkin. Under the net is broadbeans germinating (netted to keep the mice out for now). Lots of nasturtiums and marigolds.
The back section where the trees are is the same size as each of the front two. Dug tons of couch out in march, covered with heavy plastic a plot neighbour gave me. Have another raised hugel bed there like the front one which will be for herbs, salads, spring onions and ginger. Next year will take up the plastic and attempt to clear more of the couch.