Plot planning

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Bob after

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Plot planning
« on: December 31, 2012, 21:50 »
Hi all,

Any advice or guides on how best to plan plot for coming year?

First year so looking forward to it.

Kind regards,

Baz

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mumofstig

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #1 on: December 31, 2012, 21:59 »
The site's advice on planning the plot starts here,
http://www.allotment-garden.org/grow-your-own/allotments/planning-the-plot

Other people will have their own advice of course  :lol:

First thing is to decide what you actually want to grow..........cos it's no good growing stuff just cos you think you have to follow a certain plan. Good luck  :)

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allotmentann

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #2 on: January 01, 2013, 06:50 »
Yes, definitely only grow what you and your family like to eat. The man who had my plot previously had given up as the family did not eat anything he grew. The plot was full of decaying potaoes, onions and marrows when I got it. (Not sure how you can have a family that don't eat potatoes and onions myself! :unsure:). It is very disheartening to grow stuff and watch it all go to waste! Even then, grow only what you can use, if you only eat sprouts at Christmas you probably don't need a bed full!
I also try to think about the relative cost of what I grow and how easy it is to obtain. For example, I can't buy gooseberries, so if I want to eat them, I have to grow them. I love courgettes and they are often quite expensive, even in season, so I grow lots.
When you have decided which crops to grow you will find endless and varying advice on what to grow with what, what should follow what, etc, but in all honesty I think as long as you just keep moving stuff around and don't grow the same thing in the same place for years, there is no need to worry. :)
All the best with your planning. :)

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cadalot

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2013, 08:18 »
See what you inherit and how it is currently laid out - If you have a plot like mine that was overgrown with no shed, that had not been worked for a couple of years, thus I was working with a blank overgrown canvas and could start from scratch.

I work out where to put the shed, (this moved around for a time on paper until it arrived and got fixed in place) you will need shed if you don't already have on the plot to store your tools, bits and bobs and sit out of the rain when it happens etc.

I then read a lot of advice from this forum and from some books including John Harrison's book The Essential Allotment Guide bought via this site and comes with free packs of seeds

Laid out my main access 600 wide - and secondary access - 450 wide -  then plonked in 1.2 x 2.4 beds - so that I can gain access from each side without having to walk on the bed - I will eventually get some scaffold boards to delineate and perhaps raise some of them up, but for this year - I'm pegging them out and laying carpet as footpaths until I can do the job properly 

The “final” well lets say current plan is below and I’ve now populated it with what I’m thinking of growing where after a family discussion over a Sunday Roast dinner about what would the family would like me to grow.

Plan Dec 2012 BW for Diary.jpg

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cadalot

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2013, 08:38 »
First Plan
Plot Layout 1 for Diary.jpg

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Kristen

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2013, 10:53 »
My advice would be to keep a note of what you plant: Variety, Date sown / planted out, first and last date of Harvest, how many you grew and whether you do/don't like it and want more/less next year.

Then planning in future years will be more productive.

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Kristen

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #6 on: January 01, 2013, 11:13 »
P.S. If your plot is reasonably rectangular you could use Excel for layout planning. I resize the rows / columns to an approximately "scaled" ratio, and then "merge" cells to create planting areas.

It does make it easy to do crop rotation in future years, and then just adjust the space for each crop / variety.


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Wiltshire Worms

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #7 on: January 01, 2013, 16:34 »
Love the idea of the spread sheet planner...starting mine now!

thanks

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Annen

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #8 on: January 01, 2013, 17:09 »
I use a spreadsheet too, its not as pretty as Kristen's and cadalot's but it works quite well so far
pltplnsnip.JPG
Anne

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cadalot

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #9 on: January 01, 2013, 17:54 »
I started life as a draughtsman and it's easier for me to CAD up the drawing rather than use pencil and paper, and its all to scale as it's drawn full size - the Sun North Point I use when looking at cracks in buildings that may be due to thermal movements - first time I've used when thinking about growing stuff  :D

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Ema

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #10 on: January 01, 2013, 21:43 »
:) I hadnt thought of using excel!

I've been using the growveg.com planner (free trial) and have found it quite helpful

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Auntiemogs

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2013, 21:48 »
I love the Growveg planner and it's a great reminder of what I planted over the year as my diary skills are a bit lax.  ::)
I would rather live in a world
where my life is surrounded by mystery
than live in a world so small that my mind could comprehend it...✿~ Harry Emerson Fosdick

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The Golden Heap

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #12 on: January 02, 2013, 19:19 »
Pencil, paper and a good quality rubber!  Oh and a few good books and this website have helped me no end.

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Bob after

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #13 on: January 02, 2013, 20:25 »
Many thanks to all the replys, one of the mot helpful forums I have found!!  My plot is a complete blank canvas and is rectangular.  I have just put up a shed and put some garlic and onions in so now time to plan.  Like the idea of excel so think I will give that a go.

Thanks once again for he advice.

Best wishes,

Baz

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ThatsNice

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Re: Plot planning
« Reply #14 on: January 03, 2013, 20:00 »
This what i need to do now too alongside digging and weeding on my overgrown blank canvass, lol! Love the excel idea! I've had at the back of my mind to look for a planning method  :blink:
My Diary Blog : The Journey from Jungle to ......

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=101088.0 



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