Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Martyn23 on May 09, 2016, 20:56
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So i've finally collected the keys for the allotment and i've been down to investigate.
Here are the pictures. Quite a nice space really for a first timer, unfortunately the shed isn't on my plot but not too worry !
I look forward to reading your thoughts and opinions :)
Thanks Guys !
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I would say that the weeds look fairly superficial, a day's work to clear.... decide your layout ( paths and bed sizes ) and you're away... good luck and enjoy.
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Martyn23, A cracking looking plot. Don't forget to put some sort of relaxation place in so you can enjoy that great view over the hills
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Looks great, but take your time, no good injuring yourself in the first flush of enthusiasm & then unable to do anymore
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Wow! I wish mine had looked like that when I took it on. With a bit of luck, planning and good weather you'll probably have that in production in no time. Hope you enjoy it.
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yes very nice starter gl to you
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Soo.. another question for you lovely lot.
What wood do you use to make your beds and where do you source it from?
Thanks in advance....again
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Well done Martyn. Keep us all updated with more photo's.
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At first I would just mark out your paths and growing beds and just walk on the paths, never on the growing areas. Just grow this year and see what the soil is like.
You'll find out if your paths are in the right places and work for you. You can cover them with weed control fabric if you don't want them to get weedy.
Making sure that everything is in the right position for you, before you commit to building raised beds, is worth it IMO.
You may even find that your soil is good enough, that you don't need to raise the beds :)
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I ideally would like to have the beds raised, not raised fully but enough. I've seen some on the site 2/3 wood panels in height, but was unsure what kind of wood and where people sourced it from. Due to work I've not really seen anybody at the site yet.
Thanks.
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I agree with Mum, I wouldn't commit to anything permanent in the early stages either. You never know what you'll come across in terms of soil condition, club root, etc., and perhaps very wet or dry areas that you'll need to take into consideration before finally laying out your plot. I've had mine for eight years now, and I think I've finally cracked it! I must admit to driving my husband crazy with the ever-changing layout, and he thinks I just change it on a whim because I'm bored with the way it looks. So, good luck with your plot, and I hope you have a bountiful season!
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Ok thanks guys. So due to work I've only been down for about 2-3 hours. So still digging over. I feel by the time it's all dug over it's going to be too late to be planting things. I picked up so onion sets today, and they say plant feb-April. So my question is , is that a guideline especially given the weather we've had of late or is it going to be late to plant things. I have read up about allotments etc but never really come across this information, sorry to keep pestering. Thanks
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I would get the onion sets in fairly soon, but its not too late. The longer they grow, the bigger the onions get, but you should still get a crop :)
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Somewhere on this site John - our founder . has put a map with a general guide to planting time according to the general conditions taking for example when the last frost is likely to occur. The sowing guides on seeds are a general guide line. I was chatting to one of my fellow allotmenteers last week and he told me that the ice/snow of the previous week had wiped out his sweet corn, mine are still in the greenhouse waiting for mother nature. Not always a case of the early bird ............. etc. Good luck by the way and there are no daft/silly questions.
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John's map and month by month guide is here, but as Tenhens says, its often better to hang on if the weather is not so great - like this year ::)
http://www.allotment-garden.org/garden-month-help/index.php
There is loads you can get away with planting late, so don't get down about how long the digging is taking :)
Multi-cropping stuff like courgettes will be a better bet than something that needs a long time to ripen like a squash. They grow really fast from seed and can go in through June.
There are loads of fast crops like turnips, beetroot, salad greens and the like that only need a few weeks to be ready - 12 at the outside. You can even find packets of seed labelled speedy veg ;)
French beans can go in as late as July, so may be a better bet than runners.
Oriental greens are best sown late summer and give a fast crop. Chard and perpetual spinach can also go in at the same time to give a spring harvest.
You can get brassica plugs to go in for winter crops and to over winter for spring crops and they can go in July/August.
Overwintering onions can go in September and garlic and broad beans even later than that.
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Thanks again all!
Beento the local garden centre and purchased various seeds etc, so will be planting those in our small plastic greenhouse at home, before transporting to a larger greenhouse (when we get it) at the allotment.
I also purchased 4 already started Shirley tomato plants !
I'll add some more pictures of allotment progress later!
Thanks guys and gals !
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Easy to get carried away but grow the veg that you like. Have been growing potatoes for the past couple of years , have managed to 'supply' the family needs for about 8 months. It's disappointing when we have to return to shop bought spuds , the difference is mind blowing , so much flavour. Working towards a full years supply.
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Not had a full day at the allotment yet due to work and family commitments so an hour here and there. These are the results so far, im seeing some progress but still plenty to go! Tomorrow the plan is to dig out the top corner ready for the greenhouse to be placed.
In the small greenhouse in our back yard at home, we have 4 Shirley tomatoes and 10 x white onions and 10 x red onions, ready to move over to the bigger greenhouse.
Love reading about all your experiences and reading your comments and opinions on mine also !
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Word of warning on the mini greenhouse: make sure it is firmly tied to something near its top to stop it blowing around / over. Mine is next to a downpipe, with string attaching it. In back yards, a gust of wind can cause real havoc and cause you to lose all your mini greenhouse contents. Weighing it down at the bottom is not enough protection against this risk.