[purplebat]

hi there, I really am new to all of this, apart from growing a few veggies in the garden. we acquired our allotment in October, and have now got it cleared. We've got our shed (if you can call it that), but myself and my hubby are having a bit of a dispute, about whether to plant in rows or blocks, I think rows are easie to manage whereas he thinks that because other allotment holders where we are seem to use blocks, they must be better for some reason, is it purely aesthetic, or is there a reasion for this?  :?

[shaun]

hi there purplebat
i prefer rows as a I can run the rotavator between them to weed and just do around the plants by hand for this each row is 600mm apart
and it depends on what your growing realy sweetcorn needs to be planted in a block say 200mm apart in a grid fashion so they pollinate each other,and brassicas are easy to cover with netting if they are planted in a block.unless you are talking about raised beds then thats another story
hope this helps

[muntjac]

rows , rows and more rows  
http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=1690&highlight=plot

show him the pictures on the first page ,, justa  couple rows left .but its usually full of rows ,like this
http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=2099&highlight=tying+peas
, and hey there's no point in row.ing over rows

[purplebat]

thanks for that, we are growing sweetcorn so I'll bear that in mind. i think I'm going to find this site a lot of help, and boy, am i going to need it!!!

[GrannieAnnie]

Don't worry about it purplebat, we were all new and sadly ignorant at one stage!!!!

Most of us have a stupid sense of humour, so you'll have to bear with us, but we never take the mick seriously.  All questions answered to our best knowledge!!!!!

[purplebat]

that's cool, cos so have i I can handle having the mick taken I usually do it to myself first, cheers!!!

[Aunt Sally]

I think the only thing you need to plant in a block is sweetcorn purplebat  :!:

It is a grass a and is pollinated by the wind.  A block means that which ever way the wing blows the likelyhood of pollent blowing onto another sweetcorn plant is greater  

[Axe Victim]

I think we may be missing the 'aesthetic' element here....I know that 'allotmenting' was based upon maximising the productivity per sq foot (during the war?)...but I was entranced as a child, by the higgelty piggelty nature of allotments...my allotment is a higgelty piggelty collection of odd paths, raised beds of different sizes...cold frames made of windows...home-made shed...etc.

Doing everything in cross-plot rows just doesn't do it for me, however 'easy' it makes the weeding....weeding's half the fun!

JMHO....

[beansticks]

Good morning PURPLEBAT,and welcome.

[purplebat]

thanks for your replies, I feel a little clearer now (temporarily!) I just want to get planting now! not that I'm impatient or anything  

[muntjac]

walk slowly into sowing nything at the mnute if the weather " persons " are correct we are going to get winter in the next  couple weeks . i had temps of minus 3 here last night and snow and ice forcast . i havent worried about sowing anything outdorrs yet and wont be for a while  

[purplebat]

that's what i thought, it's meant to be about -5 tonight brrr! must remember to chop sopme kindling, sometimes i really envy people with central heating! but when the fire is lit i change my mind

[muntjac]

cant beat a real fire , specially when the woods free hehe

[purplebat]

definitely, now off to get some more, thank god for chainsaws!!!

[Aidy]

Sorry Axe but have you had a bang to the head? "weeding is part of the fun" sorry but if nuclear grade weeding tools were available I would be first in the que, its a chore I and most people I talk to hate, I see em as the second worse nightmare in allotmenteering.