New Allotment, New to Allotments

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dan_mann

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New Allotment, New to Allotments
« on: June 06, 2011, 12:00 »
Hi all,
I'll be moving house soon (September), and the garden is big enough and sunny enough for growing.
However, I've never grown anything but a cactus in my room before now, so I've spent the last few days reading as much as I can on the subject.
I think I have a plan of what to do with the garden, the area of which is currently covered in grass.
If anyone could criticise the plan, it would be great:

1. Mow the lawn, remove all weeds.
2. Remove the layer of grass with a spade, and compost this.
3. Double-dig the area set aside from growing (which I understand to mean dig out a trench, aerate the ground underneath, fill the trench with the contents of the next trench dug).
4. Plant mustard and clover on half the area each (ensuring mustard is not on area set aside for brassica and clover is not on area set aside for legumes).
5. Plough green manures into soil, having saved seed, just before seeds spread into soil.
6. Plant 1/4 potatoes, 1/4 brassicas, 1/4 legumes, 1/4 squash and pumpkins with roots like onions and carrots amongst the brassicas.
7. Harvest when appropriate.
8. Plant green manure over each winter and rotate so potatoes follow legumes, legumes follow squashes, squashes follow brassicas and brassicas follow potatoes.

Does this plan make sense, or have I got it completely wrong?
Thanks in advance,
Dan

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potatogrower

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Re: New Allotment, New to Allotments
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2011, 12:27 »
Welcome to the wealth of info on here  :)

sounds a gooden but i'd leave the brassicas for next year, best grown around march to give them a head start. what you can grow now are spuds, carrots, onions and anything else that is still in the growing season. i would concentrate on getting the soil right, check its condition, add manure and let it settle.

Any more questions fire away

happy growing

PG

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dan_mann

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Re: New Allotment, New to Allotments
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2011, 12:29 »
Sorry, I won't have access to the plot until September, so I'll be leaving everything until next year, with the green manure over this winter. I was pretty sure September/October was too late for much else.
Thanks.

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chili

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Re: New Allotment, New to Allotments
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2011, 13:18 »
rather than dig it all in 1 fell swoop why not just start off with segments, see how you get along then slowly expand

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Kajazy

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  • Location: Rugby
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Re: New Allotment, New to Allotments
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2011, 13:24 »
Like your plan! Wish I'd had one similar...! And thanks for clearing up the rotation for me - I've been getting into a muddle with that on my plot! Much easier to understand the way you put it. Good luck with clearing the plot - a lot of hard work, but very cathartic. Dig out all the roots of the perennial weeds that you can find - or they will come back to haunt you forever...!

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dan_mann

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Re: New Allotment, New to Allotments
« Reply #5 on: June 07, 2011, 22:14 »
rather than dig it all in 1 fell swoop why not just start off with segments, see how you get along then slowly expand

Just because I'll have a few weeks between moving in and starting my new job, and would rather have it all ready than do it in dribs and drabs.

Thanks for the advice everyone, looks like I'm set for this year!


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