Advice please on new plot

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rowlandwells

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Re: Advice please on new plot
« Reply #15 on: November 06, 2018, 17:03 »
hope your lucky Meriad and get the other half of the plot I know its only weekends you can get down the allotments this time of the year but hats of to you because its time consuming down the allotments when your still working a full time job working the day job seems to get in the way

but i agree raised  beds do help i wish i had made rased beds when i was at work but then we worked 4 0n 4 off that did help having retired for several years now i love my raised beds I just wondered what the old gardeners would say with all that ground not cultivated with many paths because every bit of allotments where used for growing veg  to feed hungry families as now we possibly grow more for pleasure   and therapy garden therapy  :D

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snowdrops

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Re: Advice please on new plot
« Reply #16 on: November 06, 2018, 18:05 »
In answer to Rowlands, the paths may seem a waste of growing space but with either raised beds or beds & permanent paths you can plant closer together particularly if you never walk on the soil, which I’m sure you know😉. I’m sure peo0le on our site think of me as the batty path lady but it really works for me. I don’t have raised beds but beds the length of the plot but narrow with slabbed paths in between, saves lots of weeding etc. The old gardeners & there are plenty on our site spend an awful long time digging their whole plot every year & then weeding it when the let light to the weed seeds. Now I’ve gone no dig I’ve found there are so few weeds & what there have been just pull up so easily
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snowdrops

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Re: Advice please on new plot
« Reply #17 on: November 06, 2018, 22:33 »
I sure some have heard this before but for those that haven't " You can walk on no dig"

Yes you are correct but old habits die hard lol

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DHM

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Re: Advice please on new plot
« Reply #18 on: November 07, 2018, 05:55 »
Like meriad, I commute to London daily to work, and have 2 small children so weekends are all we've had. My wife then started night shifts so with the Sat morning lie in that now leaves us short Sat afternoons (with short winter days and poor weather) and Sundays if there arent other plans.

We bust a gut over summer and got a LOT of work done and during the hot spell I cycled up in the evenings to do the watering etc, but now we're taking it a bit easier as there simply arent enough hours in a week! This weekend we're forecast heavy rain so not much happening allotmentwise...

I'd suggest to anyone taking on a plot with busy lives to not rush things like we did, as long as you do 'something' regularly you won't lose your plot. There's always something you can grow so just work a bit at a time, clear and plant, clear and plant. If it takes 2 or 3 years to get fully up to speed so be it, just make sure you do at least half a day a week and keep those weeds down!

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rowlandwells

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Re: Advice please on new plot
« Reply #19 on: November 07, 2018, 19:28 »
your so rite old habits die hard although the no dig method is growing momentum  :D maybe the old gardeners never  had money to buy timber for  build raised beds and remember they gardened how they where learnt by the there father possibly had to help out on the allotments after school or weekends

so its no surprise that todays would be gardeners have all the info and tools to hand and if they fail well there's always the supermarkets to fall back on and yes I think your rite snowdrops you can plant closer and raised beds are more manageable for us oldens  :D

and just to mention I made 20 raised beds about two years ago and some thought I was going over the hill but where more than surprised when my raised beds proved a better way of growing with less effort maybe the no dig is the way forward for the next generation  :D :D :D

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Kit

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Re: Advice please on new plot
« Reply #20 on: November 07, 2018, 19:43 »
Thanks for all the replies. Haven't been able to get to the allotment at all this first week due to a bad cold, work and rain. Hopefully, if the weather holds, we can get down on Saturday and mark out the beds and start digging, mulching and covering one by one. I do want to do raised beds as it does seem more managable that way and it well help my kids understand where they can and can't walk.

I trying to find second hand wood though to keep costs down.

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Kit

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Re: Advice please on new plot
« Reply #21 on: November 07, 2018, 19:44 »
And I'm writing an essay too. But the allotment is my reward after a few hours studying.

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snowdrops

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Re: Advice please on new plot
« Reply #22 on: November 07, 2018, 19:51 »
I don’t have raised beds, no dig in this country doesn’t recommend raised beds/ wooden sides due to it providing a haven for slugs to hide in

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DHM

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Re: Advice please on new plot
« Reply #23 on: November 07, 2018, 20:10 »
Kit, I get all my wood/pallets/slabs from Facebook marketplace, a bit like gumtree but more convenient in my opinion. I've yet to pay a single penny for any of the above but sometumes you have to wait for the good stuff to come up and be quick when it does!

I don't do raised beds personally but the ones I've just taken out were made of scaffolding boards and seemed strong and straight despite seeing many years of use.

I think it's fascinating how everyone has their own techniques and practices, it makes for a lively debate on here that's for sure!

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Missey

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Re: Advice please on new plot
« Reply #24 on: November 08, 2018, 22:12 »
Like meriad, I commute to London daily to work, and have 2 small children so weekends are all we've had. My wife then started night shifts so with the Sat morning lie in that now leaves us short Sat afternoons (with short winter days and poor weather) and Sundays if there arent other plans.

We bust a gut over summer and got a LOT of work done and during the hot spell I cycled up in the evenings to do the watering etc, but now we're taking it a bit easier as there simply arent enough hours in a week! This weekend we're forecast heavy rain so not much happening allotmentwise...

I'd suggest to anyone taking on a plot with busy lives to not rush things like we did, as long as you do 'something' regularly you won't lose your plot. There's always something you can grow so just work a bit at a time, clear and plant, clear and plant. If it takes 2 or 3 years to get fully up to speed so be it, just make sure you do at least half a day a week and keep those weeds down!

I agree a change in my job meant less available time - the allotment I loved so much became another job on the list at weekends & I started to resent going - after 8 years I took a break this year my OH (who only ever got involved when there was picking to do) did what he could and kept it up.  The break has worked and I’ve got my old enthusiasm back - slow but steady


edit to clarify quote
« Last Edit: November 08, 2018, 22:45 by mumofstig »



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