[lizziemac]

We took over our first allotment in October and worked through the winter clearing weeds etc. the spring planting and growth started late but promising but it's been all downhill since then. perhaps some of you can advise?

1. We were advised not to put any manure etc in the soil and this may be why our crops are hopeless? can we do anything now? Tomorite isn't making any obvious difference.

2. Early potatos came up well but have all just died - no obvious cause, and there are no potatos in the ground! A neighbour has said that the previous tenants had no success with them, but our main crop are doing well in a runner bean bed that has been heavily 'fed' every year as it was the only bed that runners would grow in.

3. Beans just not growing , some have flowers but the plants are only a few inches high. They were planted in a bed that we had put our veg waste in to rot down through the winter in preparation for them.

4. Beetroot very small, but the same plants in a nearby bed are really big.

4. We have been told that all the top soil has been 'thrown away' with the weeds over the years which means that the beds are about 6" lower than the paths, my other half isn't keen to build raised beds (we will be moving out of the area in the next year or so), and the cost of buying top soil would be prohohibitve. Any other ideas? Am I asking for a miracle?  :blink:

I could go on! On a positive note - the cabbages and onions are doing well! 

[peapod]

Sorry its been hard so far but don't give up, it's worth it!

1. Manure is THE best addition you can give to your soil, so it seems strange that you were advised not to use it.  However, you shouldn't manure where your carrots and parsnips are being planted, and it needs to be well rotted, so maybe that's why?

2. Certainly sounds like the soil needs a good feed, and spuds need lots of water, manure and feeding throughout the season.  Improve the soil and you will find your yield of all spuds will increase

3. Make sure the beans are well watered, and check there are no pests.  However, mine (dwarf french) are only just at the flowering stage, and there's plenty of time for them to romp on.

4. Again, check for watering.  Give a multi purpose feed to the beetroot that are slow, but remember, not all plants will romp on, even in the same bed, and you will always get failures with some of your crops.

5. Fill with as much organic matter as you can, including manure, and beg steal or borrow as much home made compost as you can lay your hands on.  You may still need to buy top soil, near me its £40 a tonne, so have a look around, its not always ridiculously priced.

Enjoy some hash browns!

[lizziemac]

Thanks for your encouragment! I will def have a look around for topsoil, there shouldn't be any problem getting some well rotted manure in our area.

I might try planting some more beans and courgettes too...with some 'gromore' maybe...

[pairofacres]

As peapod says, not adding manure is counter-intuitive, other than in areas where you're growing certain root crops. If it was me, assuming you're going to still be on the plot next year, I'd level one bed up a bit with topsoil for carrots, etc, then add tonnes of manure to the others.

Not sure if particular green manures will or won't grow on heavily manured ground, but adding a 3-4 inch layer of well rotted manure, then growing a green manure through it, followed by a double dig next spring should give you the best possible chances for next season.

[SG6]

If you can get a supply of manure then add it, also anything else that happens along. My small veg plot has had everything possible added over the years. Shredded leaves, compost, sand, bark chips, manure. Soil is pretty good now. Is there anywhere around you that does these large bags of compost or top soil (Council).

Check the cost and if acceptable get a bag (big square things lifted by a crane arm on truck) and whatever manure you can and start digging.

If you are going to relocate then you probably don't want to spend an excessive amount.

This year has been dry and that will probably explain the potato's and beet. Beans also need water, advice is to spray the flowers so that the fruit sets.

By the way I would have added manure and ignored whoever, even if I/it was wrong it would have been my mistake, not someone elses. Thank whoever for their advice, then make your own mistakes.

[sloworm]

Hey Lizziemac don't be too disheartened, I am fairly new to all this as well (got my plot late April last year) and didn't get on too well. We had to share the one decent parsnip that grew never managed to get a carrot and had 3 onions ! but this year has been better still not bumper crops but stuff that is edible. It is all about working with what you have and learning something new each season.

[flitwickone]

i agree with the above im another newbie and a -6 late frost battered my earlies and they were hoed up and fleeced my ground is like concrete im using a jack hammer to get to my spuds  :blink: but each little morsel i eat i think to myself wow i grew that 

so chin up and good luck for the rest of the year and the coming seasons

[zazen999]

When they said don't add manure, did you work out why not? Is the local source contaminated or were they just winding up a newbie?

What's the underlying soil type - clay/sand/silt/loam?

Is it really worth putting a load of work into this plot now, if you are moving away next year?

[trimmy g]

Hi lizziemac

we are also newbies, having taken over a half plot at the beginning of the year and we too have had many disappointments - to be honest it has been a very mixed bag.

In addition to the allotment plot we bought a greenhouse for home and lots of tubs in which we have successfully grown:

Lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, melons, spring onions, every imaginable herb, plus we have germinated all our seeds for the other crops.   No problems, no pests.

Tubs outside at home with potatoes, aubergines, spinach, strawberries, all growing a great.

At the allotment:

Runner beans: from the most lovely healthy plants we now have just one struggling to survive.
Courgettes: Again, lovely plants grown from seeds now covered in blackfly (along with the beans), dead leaves and after a few nice courgettes at the beginning we now have withered diseased looking specimins.
French beans: Same, lovely start, within a week or two completely dead.
Potatoes - now dying and hardly any spuds.
Parsnips - 8 out of about 50 seeds germinated.
Rhubarb - unrecognisable it is so covered in blackfly.
Peas - hardly any have come through.
Chard - again, lovely plants now bolted (how much water do these guys need?)
Raspberries - they were already at the plot and although they have grown ok the flavour and size of the fruit is poor.

We have weeded, watered, watered and weeded.  Fed and fussed, spent a fortune on soil improvers, manure, chicken pellets, you name it.   Dug over and over to get rid of weeds before we started and we are still overun with mare's tail and horseradish.

Onions, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflowers are doing well, we built a net frame over them and they haven't been got at by anything.

Sweetcorn absolutely magnificent.

So we can well understand your disappointment Lizzie and have just spent the last hour pacing round the back garden wondering whether we should turn over half of it to vegetables and hand back the key to the allotment.

We are so keen, willing to work hard but the disappointments are hard to take aren't they?  We seem to have control over what is at home but the allotment is beyond us.

[peapod]

Failures hit hard in the first year or two and really hurt. I promise faithfully that as long as you carry on with such a great work ethic it will reap untold rewards. We all have struggles year upon year, and some years can seem like a black hole, but the benefits always outweigh as long as you work hard for them

[lizziemac]

Thank you all so much - you have made me smile and have been a real encouragement x.

We didn't manure because the Horticultural Advisor at a nearby and well known garden centre said he thought our plot had been over manured as the parsnips and carrots we showed him - left by the previous tenants - were twisted etc, and inedible.

Today they have advised me not to do anything now but to add lots of manure in the spring! Ignoring this advice we bought a tub of gromore which i will start to spread tomorrow. Can I dilute the granules in water? It doesn't say I can on the tub, just thought it might be easier to spread.

We will persevere!

[Togalosh]

Hiya,

I'm a newbie & I planted out healthy plants this season that then suffered because I hadn't hardened them off. The weather was great that week & took a chance but it went cold & windy the next week.

If this is not it then my advice is to get your soil tested- how else are you to know what's what or what's needed? Especially if you may not stay around long>

 First is the Ph. I bought a cheapo Ph tester (probe type) from the local garden centre & am really pleased to say it works well. The Ph level will possibly tell you if the soil has been manured or not (depending on your soil type).

Before planting this season I took an average reading from each section of plot & either limed or manured it to the correct Ph level & things are looking great in these areas...my new bit of land is the opposite. It's been fallow for as long as anyone can remember & I got it too late to do much with it - things are struggling here... except weeds, which I believe like it more acid than any crop (please don't quote me as I may well have this back to front..I just read n re-read the book whilst doing the tests & adjustments idiot fashion)>

Then there is lab testing where you send off some soil samples to see exactly what you do n don't have (trace elements & all manner of stuff - including herbicides perhaps). I may do this at some point.

 This leads neatly onto manure - the last tennant may've spread some herbicide contaminated manure on the land which could linger on for ages... they must've been pretty clueless anyway if they threw out the top soil with the weeds!

The good news is that manure can be collected free from many stables who'd be glad to see you take away as much as they have- so all this needn't cost you a pretty packet or too much backache as you just spread it on thick n let the worms do the work. I've got a few tons rotting in hippo bags in readiness.



If you are still awake I hope this helps.

Good luck !