[Wilf]

Well I've done it. I have got myself an allotment... the kids are happy (and have no idea about the size of the project) the wife is looking at me and all she wants are potatoes. So here goes, this is a massive project. It's a mess!!

Anyway my main problem is that there are a million artichokes (see images) and I have no idea what to do with them. Also the soil is quite clay based... do I turn it over now or leave it till it's dryer?

There are loads of other probs but I thought I would start with the easy ones :-)

Wilf

[snowdrops]

That doesn’t look too bad to be honest, lots of keepers there,fruit bushes,strawberries even the artichokes. As for turning it over,stay off it if it’s wet & sticking to your boots. Not that I’ve had a clay plot but it is recommended to winter dig to allow the frosts to break it down.

[paul sadler]

Hello newbie .
in my terms I would strip the whole allotment dig the whole thing over then keep off it then while the weather and nature take's its course draw a plan where you want thing's to grow and what you and your family eat I know when I took over a allotment 45 yrs ago all my family wanted spud's
hope this help's (from a old timer).

[Christine]

Keep the strawberries, leave alone except for weeding between later on. You can always take runners later in the year so that you can move the bed if you want to do that. However remember that strawberries are part of the potato family so keep the two apart when planting and don't put strawberries where you've just had spuds.

The artichokes that you have are globe artichokes where you eat what is the flower head. You can search the web for how to cook and eat these (later in the year of course).

Get yourself a good spade, a good fork and a sturdy barrow.

The rule is to do so much at a time and not rush into it like a bull in a china shop. If you dig over a space really well and then plant the wife's request for potatoes you will have kept her happy and put something in to grow as well as strawberries. That's two crops for the season. Always a good start.

Also have a look at what vegetables that wife of yours buys. That will give you a clue as to what you can grow that will please here.

[Pescador]

Welcome Wilf. There's some pretty good advice above, so I'll just add my two penneth!
If the soil is high clay content, don't go on it while it's too wet, you'll do more harm than good.
There's a fair size relatively clear patch, so this can be for your first plantings.
Strawberries and potatoes are from completely different families, but there maybe reasons not to follow one with the other.
If you want the winter frosts to help break down the clay, then you need to dig in the autumn, while the soil is still dry enough to work, and leave it rough for the frost to get maximum penetration.
Start clearing the rest in the spring, once the ground has dried out a little, and don't try to clear it all in a week!
Good Luck and enjoy!!

[Wilf]

Thanks all for the comments. I've just been back up to take a good look round. I spoke to my old man and he say's pretty much the same leave it alone while it's wet.

I am going to plan it all out in the next couple of weeks and see how it all goes

[jaydig]

I agree with what everyone else has said.  If you have time, though, and you are going to keep the strawberries, it might be worth going over them and removing the leaf growth so as to expose the growing points to the cold.  This will initiate more flower buds and therefore more fruit.

[love-my-plot]

Looks like a great plot!
I think Christine has nailed it in terms of advice.
Happy growing. Enjoy 

[Wilf]

Soaking up the advice at the moment... bit like the soil with all this rain

[pigeonpie]

Getting a new plot is so exciting, lucky you!

You've had some pretty excellent advice so far, as you always will on this forum. The only thing I would add is to think about what you want to grow and why you want to grow it before you just start sowing and planting.

Relatively easy crops to grow include peas, beans, onions, and of course potatoes, but these are also fairly cheap from the supermarkets, and don't taste that much different whether they're freshly picked from the plot, or bought from the shop (the exception is of course peas eaten raw, straight out of the pod, but if you're cooking them they taste hardly different to those frozen).

If the plan is to save money then perhaps it might be worth looking at what costs the most money from the supermarket. Things like mange tout, mini corn, French beans are all pretty pricey, but are relatively easy to grow.

If you want to focus on things that taste better fresh then carrots and tomatoes are (in my opinion) the most noticeable in terms of flavour from the plot than from the shops.

If you just want to grow stuff, and enjoy being outdoors, then just plant whatever takes your fancy. Some things will do great, others may fail miserably, but you'll hopefully have fun trying!

Good luck whatever you choose.

[Goosegirl]

As you say, all you can do at the moment is to plan what you want where. You may find you naturally make your own path as you walk round so that could be useful. When it gets drier dig a deep-ish hole to see what sort of soil you have, how much topsoil there is, and if it drains ok, also take note of shade and sun aspects and if you need any protection from wind. For your first year (depending on how much you can dig) I'd just focus on getting one area ready for planting. Some veg from a good supermarket are ok but some things are better home-grown which does depend on one's individual sense of taste. Personally I find potatoes, calabrese, peas (even when cooked), sugar-snaps (yum!) and dwarf French beans are worth doing plus nothing can beat sweetcorn - drool!! It also means you can choose your varieties to suit you. I use D T Brown seeds as they are good value.

[Wilf]

excellent advice i love the idea of the mange tout, mini corn as we eat loads of the stuff. I have just sown my first leeks in the cold frame (it might not be right but you know what I had to plant something and see how it goes). I think the plan is to wait till it's slightly dryer and sort a small area for planting, tidy everything else up but then move into the other areas.

It's all very exciting and the kids are all over it... chickens have now been mentioned so it looks like a busy few months ahead

Just wanted to say that a massive thanks for all the advice it's can be hard when you are new to all this thing but great to know there are people out there who have gone through it and are ready with some helpful thoughts. Again massive thanks you're all great