[Nicki85]

I've had my allotment for a little while now and seeing as I have asked for so much advice I thought I would provide a progress report!

Any comments/ tips welcome 

Bed 1 2mx5m 
Broad beans, Rhubarb, Horseraddish, kale, mustard greens, spinach



Bed 2 2.5mx5m
Garlic, red and white onions, leeks, swede and turnips



Bed 3 2mx5m
Spare at the mo.



Bed 4 2mx5m
Mangetout, french and runner beans and chard



Bed 5 5mx5m
Cabbages, brussels, kale



Bed 6 4mx5m
Parsnips(!?), celeriac and beetroot



Bed 7 5mx5m
Pumpkins, squash, courgettes



Plan to get the strimmer in next weekend and get the weed fabric down on bed 7.

[Fisherman]

Beds 1 and 2 are looking good. Bed 7 might be a bit of a challenge. Perhaps an application of Glyphosate weed killer would help unless your against the use of chemicals although I can't really advise since I haven't used it.

What's in the plastic bags on plot 3 - weeds?

You may run out of time to get all your beds sorted in time for sowing but take your time there's no need to rush.

Be careful with the Horseradish it can takeover as it's very invasive.

Are you not planting any spuds? There good for soil conditioning. Bed 3? First earlies are still available to be bought.

Don't forget to get a good compost heap going.

Good luck and enjoy.

[viettaclark]

Soil looks good, Nicki! You've obviously been working hard!
Horseradish isn't a good idea in a bed as Fisherman said......maybe plant some round your bins?

[Nicki85]

I've just been doing a few hours here and there, it is coming together slowly 

Fisherman- Bed 7 will be strimmed this week and then weed membrane put down.  I'll plant the courgettes etc. through the fabric.  Hopefully this time next year I will be able to dig it all over with no live weeds!
Yes the bags contain weeds... need to take them down to the tip soon.
I'm hoping to have all of it apart from one bed in cultivation of sorts...  Most things are being started off in the greenhouse or cold frames at home.  I'm aiming to get one bed done a week depending on size!
Nope no spuds this time round, just to much to do.  I'll try them next year.

Got the pallets to make the compost bin... just need to get started.

I've heard rumours that horse raddish can be bad... Might dig it out again and put it in a pot at home lol!

[DD.]

It's not a rumour!

Excellent progress Nicki.

[bigben]

Great effort Nicki - you could also consider covering bed 3 with weed fabric to start to kill off the grass. If you weighed it down with pots or bags you could get something from the space. Half fill a bag or pot from each of your other beds and mix with bought compost or even your own from home if you have any and you could grow spuds in bags.

Some people grow spuds thru black plastic but I have never done this. This might also work.

[Debz]

That's a lot of work already done.

[Goosegirl]

Well-done you..!  Agree with all the others about the horseradish - no thongs on the lottie please..! Only thing I would say is that, if you are planning to do crop rotation, swedes are actually members of the brassica family so should go with the cabbages etc, but I wouldn't worry too much about it this time. We used to grow mange-tout peas but unless you pick them when really young, they can go a bit fat and gone-over looking. We now grow sugar snaps as they can be left to harvest as peas if you want. If you have the room, you could try a few for comparison.