[sharonamelia]

Help - advice most welcome

I have just taken on an allotment - not worked for around a year - so a lot of work to do.  It is approx the size as a tennis court.  We have strimmed down the weeds and grass etc., a few brambles to cut lower but need to know the next step.

I plan to have raised beds; paths and a shed and poly tunnel (eventually)  and have a box full of seed from the Real Seed Co.  Should I rotavate and then cover ground with weed suppressor or cover ground then rotavate?  I realise that rotavating is no panecea as Joe Swift reminds us on Gardeners World).   Perhaps there are more viable options than the ones I've stated here.

Looking forward to reading the advice.

Yours shazwah

[Aidy]

First of all welcome. secondly, ignore everything Joe Swift tells you, its surprising that after the short time he has had it it is weed free and looking top notch, in real life unless he was on there every minute of the day it would have weeds on. Now rant over, check out Johns section on clearing a plot, there is loads of good info on there, I would say if you want to be a little lazy then dig over to get rid of any weed roots, lay the membrane and fill with clean top soil in raised beds, this is the modern way, myself I prefer one big bed, there is a number of advantages, one being more ground to grow and another is you will constantly be digging up weeds where as the raised system has paths where things like horsetail, red shank and a few other nasty weeds will quite happily sit under. Many ppl will use the raised bed system to great success, its upto you but just make sure you dig as much root up as poss at the start. I know its horrible but if you can clear as much this year to plant next year on a clear plot then I would do that every year, you can always grown crops in pots and growbags this year.

[lincspoacher]

link to johns section  plz ?

[iwantanallotment]

http://www.allotment-garden.org/index.php

You'll find the 'clearing' info under "Allotment Articles" in the left-hand menu  

Oh and welcome shazwah, good luck with your new plot  

[DD.]

Welcome from me too.

[kezlou]

Good luck with your new plot, that link on a previous post is really good i was looking on it earlier.

Best of luck
 

[growmore]

Welcome from me too. Just enjoy it - its fabulous, however you choose to lay out your plot

[Mamooska]

Hi I'm a newbie too (hoping to get my allotment next week!)

If I get the plot, it's already had the 'tractor' in so the ground is clear and has been turned over (though I'm sure there's loads of nasty weeds lurching underneath!)

As I'm doing the allotment with my eleven year old daughter I want to get things growing ASAP so she doesn't get bored of the idea (it's my plan to spend most of the summer hol' down there with her).

I've already got some leaks and onions ready to go in, can you all suggest other veg etc that I can plant from seed? And is it really too late for 'taties??

Thanks everyone (and good luck with yours sharonamelia!   )

[Pompey Spud]

Hi. Good to have you on board. Where are you from?

If you can find some 'Earlies' potato seeds, they'll be best as they have a shorter cropping time. However, they don't like cold + blight might be a problem later in the season. Depends where you are with regards to the growing season.

Leeks/Onions ok. Sow some Cabbage in pots and plant out next month.

Lettuce would be good. Suttons do one that crops in about 3 weeks.

Get some photos of your plot on here as well.

Good luck.

PUP!

[senrab_nhoj]

Hi. Good to have you on board. Where are you from?

If you can find some 'Earlies' potato seeds, they'll be best as they have a shorter cropping time. However, they don't like cold + blight might be a problem later in the season. Depends where you are with regards to the growing season.

Leeks/Onions ok. Sow some Cabbage in pots and plant out next month.

Lettuce would be good. Suttons do one that crops in about 3 weeks.

Get some photos of your plot on here as well.

Good luck.

PUP!

Off topic but I was at the cup final too... BIL has club wembley seats and he had a spare on the day

[GreenDavie]

Hi

I was in  your situation in April. I sprayed the whole plot with round-up, which kills the weeds and roots but not the soil, make sure you buy the concentrate and mix with water in a big spray bottle dont use the ready mixed spray its weeker.

Leave it for a couple of weeks then i had it ploughed by a farmer and rotovated it myself with an industrial rotovator which i hired from jewson.

three months on and i'm flying with very little weeds

Regards

[Mamooska]

Hi    and thanks for the advice!

I'm in Peterborough, so not the 'hot' south but the weather here is okay. I'm hoping that as the seasons have shifted a bit that what used to be harvested by September, I'll be able to get away with October.

Lettuces are a bit of a waste of time in my house (I'm the only one that eats salad without complaining!)

I'm reluctant to start planting etc just in case my allotment doesn't come up (the person who currently has it hasn't used it and the chap that looks after the site has issued a ten day notice - obviously I am hoping that it's going to become mine!) However I have found a farm shop that has some runners, pumpkins and tom plants so the minute I get word I'm off to get those!

Being new to this; if you allow potatoes to shoot aren't they seed? Sorry if that was a really stupid assumption but a girl needs to know these things! :oops:  

Will endeavour to get some pic's once I get the go ahead on the plot!  

[GreenDavie]

yes they are "seed" and they will grow but you cant guarantee they are virus/disease free. Thats why wee buy "proper"seed pots cause they have been grown specifically for the purpose of growing and are guaranteed free of probs........well almost guaranteed

Regards  

[Mamooska]

Thanks; I thought all this stuff would be quite simple and straight forward.... Oh what a lot I have to learn   :?  :shock:

[GreenDavie]

I knew very very little when i took over my allotment in April and its amazing in that short space what i've learned.............you'll get there

Regards