[kev p]

Hi All

First post since I got my plot and the untimely arrival of twins Jack and Lily.

Had a few problems getting the plot dug over and then with the frosts we have just managed to get started over the past two weeks. Whilst digging today one of the other allotment tenants implied that we wouldn't get anything planted this year.

I am single trenching going down a foot and a half but the clods I am making are about 2 cubic inches; What I would really like to know is, will I be able to break these down to form a seed bed?

The soil is really hard when dry.

Any advice or words of wisdom or encouragement would be kindly received.

Kev

[digalotty]

try raking out a drill and fill it with a compost and put your seeds into that..... :)should work

[Slowgrind]

Don't loose faith it's a marathon not a sprint! You can only do as much as you can do.
Soil conditioner or leafmold could be an improvement, but just keep at it!
Don't listen to negative comments its your soil that needs grinding down not your attitude!
Hope that the twins are fine! 

[moose]

Many years ago we had twins who arrived with only six weeks notice that it was twins so I am familiar with the situation. As far as the plot goes I would try to decide how much I could cope with this season and concentrate on developing that bit. Cover the rest with cardboard covered with manure,straw, stones or w.h.y to hold it down and leave it till you are ready. Only grow what you know you will eat and later as time permits develop the whole plot.
Another option would be to rotovate the lot and then cover what you can't use. Personally I would not be keen on that unless I knew exactly what weeds were there.

[BostonInbred]

Or cover it all in carpet/black plastic, digging and covering as you can. Keep it covered to kill off the weeds. You should be able to dig a percentage of it and get something growing.

[jb]

Hi,
Being just up the road from you I will have had the same weather over winter. I use/look after a site with raised beds and even in these some of the poorerones are pretty cloddy after the winter so I can believe that a new plot must be pretty grim. Realistically prior to a couple of weeks ago it wouldn't have been realistic to do anything substantial given the frozen nature of the ground. Hopefully things will get easier and you will get more results as the weather improves.
All the previous posts beat me to what must be the best approach-better cultivate part of the plot and work your way in slowly, even if it only gives you room for a few crops, than put in loads of effort and end up with  full plot that still isn't up to it. 
Have you considered using some green manures to help break up the soil and improving its structure.
For areas that you aren't cultivating, if you like them, Jerusalem artichokes can help break up soil and can grow in poor conditions-unlike most crops supermarket buy-to-eat are fine to plant and so aren't to pricey
Above all celebrate your successes (they will come), if nothing else they will keep you going.

[prakash_mib]

Kev,
First of all congratulation on triple whammy (twins and a plot) great news and welcome. well dont listen to pessimists but you can always do something on the plot this year. If the plot is not covered with weed and it is just hard soil and you want to do anything straightaway I would always use a rotavator (hire one from HSS if you not bothered to spend £50 and you wont repent it. I have done it already) and rotavate and some manure and you will be ready in good time and waiting to put things in.
We got our plot 2nd week of may and managed to grow something atleast
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=47335.msg556410#msg556410
all the best and chin up. You havent lost anything and you have gained a lot in a very short period of time in your life.

[RichardA]

I agree with the others - do some of it well rather than all of it badly. Cover down the rest.
Get a rotavator somehow even if only a small one to break up the soil. Learn how your soil works - often soil breaks up easier after a shower than when fully dry etc. If the season is slipping away a bit dont worry things do catch up. You can always buy in plants like cabbages even if you miss the seed stage. Don't care about negativity from others -- with some folks that is all they can ever seem to achieve - if they were true gardeners they would be helping you and giving you a bit of their time and a few plants etc.

[sloworm]

i would also like to add to the congratulations on the arrival of your twins  and agree that you should ignore the negative comments.
How about planting seeds in compost trays and planting into the ground as you are able. My plot was similar last year and working full time meant limited time to dig but I managed to plant some things that I wouldn't necessary buy because they are more expensive. After all you could make it a lifetimes work and good preperation will pay dividends later. Best of all enjoy it as a previous post said it is a  marathon not a sprint  (by the way I am no expert but am really enjoying learning about what will work and what wont)
All the best

[plum crumble]

please don't be put off. We got this particular plot only at the end of April last year, due to prevarication of Council, but I got a fantastic crop of runners, spuds, onions, shallots, brussels, cabbage, beetroot, salads, toms, courgettes, cucs.

just don't think you've got to do it all now, or it will seem daunting.

what a negative idiot that person was!!!!!
chin up mate!

[madcat]

Seconded thirded and fourthed!  You are just feeling a bit overwhelmed by life.  Not surprising really.   

We are all behind hand this year because of the snow - I reckon I am a good three weeks behind and if I don't get my butt into gear this weekend it is only going to get worse.  The potato patch only got finished ready for planting in the semi dark last sunday.  And just don't talk about the rest.   

But it will sort itself out ....  just keep it simple.  First year, unknown ground and general conditions, twins ( ) - go for stuff you like, isn't too fussy and since quite a lot of it doesn't have to go in till the frosts are done - which must be late May up your way - which gives you a good 2 months to get yourself organised.

So how about some shallots and early potatoes to go in the early bits you clear... it is always encouraging to see something on the way.     If there are some weeds left in the soil around them, earthing up and hoeing will clear them.  Then beans and salads and summer cabbage and courgettes and cuc - plum's list! - later on as you go. 

[Stevens706]

100% agreement here, rotavate it if you can, if not don’t worry some veg such as Brassicas need a hard soil, for these just walk over the area to smooth it out, dig a hole and plant, you could also add some fertiliser at the same time. Some people are just Doom and Gloom merchants, don’t listen just do your own thing and all will be well next year.

[JohnB47]

I agree with others.

I got my plot in late April last year - a real mess it was. Once a reasonable area was cleared I decided to dig a small area,  then plant, then dig another area, then plant etc. I got spuds (good results despite a late start), onions (smallish but edible), garlic (miniscule), beetroot (amazing), runner beans (ditto) and french beans in as I dug along. I would really recommend this method - you see the fruits of your labour growing as you progress and it keeps you optimistic. Trying to dig over the whole plot before you start planting is crazy (unless you've got a team of helpers and can get it done in a weekend).

Also agree with covering the bits you haven't yet dug, to kill the grass and keep the weeds down until you get there.

One last point. There may be some plants left there by the last user (e.g. rhubarb, fruit bushes etc - long life plants). Don't rush to pull them all out and start again. Your own replacement plants/bushes may not bear fruit until next year, so leave some of the old stuff in the soil and you'll maybe get some rhubarb and berries this year while yours mature for next.

Good luck with both families (the human sort and the plant sort).

[Kristen]

... and "fifth-ed, sixth-ed and seventh-ed"

"I am single trenching going down a foot and a half "

That's quite deep? The depth of the Spade or Fork (a "spit") will do, if you want to go deeper than that then "double digging" is the norm - that prevents mixing the lower sub-soil with the better top-soil.

Roughly dug now is not going to break down into a beautiful tilth Anything that had the frost on it should do better. Shuffling down the seed-row in your wellies on a nice dry day will break up the clods (you may have to do it again a little while later after some rain then more drying sun) and work the soil with a stiff rake.

But my take, as others have said, would be:

Rotovate to break it all up (you'll need to dig it first, or hire a very beefy cultivator to break up virgin ground). For ground that has been hand dug a little Mantis Tiller will do a great job of smashing up the clods - perhaps you can borrow one locally?

Raise plants in modules / small pots (if you can, and the hassle is not too great?) or if you are flush! then buy some small plants from the garden centre. You can then make planting holes in your rough-dug plot, with a trowel, and take the time to smash up enough soil - say a 6" diameter "vertical tube" - so that the plant has enough soil comfortably around it to get established.

Covering the plot would help too. Cardboard, newspaper, mulching-plastic (weed suppressing membrane). You can plant through those (which will keep the weed in check) ... they will help keep the surface more moist, and that will make it easier to work the soil.

I would not use carpet - it falls to bits and is a nightmare to remove, and may well have noxious chemicals in it. Our old carpet was used as a mulch for a hedge - no intention of ever removing it, or eating the hedge!, but I've avoiding using carpet on the veg plot.

Potatoes will help clean the ground. They have to be earthed up as they grow, and the act of doing that moves the soil about through the season, which also tends to help break it up.

Trailing things like Pumpkins / Squash need very few plants, and cover a large area. Often a good choice for a new plot that is covered with plastic / cardboard. You can make a planting hole for each one, put plenty of well rotted manure, or compost, in and the condition of the rest of the soil doesn't matter very much. You will probably only need one plant every 6 feet! and the covering of plastic / cardboard will stop the weeds growing and make the soil much easier to work next year.

I also liked the idea of runner bean (or climbing French beans if you prefer them). You can dig a trench in your nice newly cultivated soil, again put some rough compost material in there (well rotted farmyard manure is ideal, but even shredded newspaper will help) that will absorb the water when it rains, and the the beans will be very happy! They will put some Nitrogen back into the soil which will help for next year.

Having said that, I think it is important for newbies to plant what they enjoy eating. No sense having a disastrous crop of something that you don't like in the first place!

I'm looking forward to the disappointed looks on the naysayers faces when you succeed!

[maxie]

Plenty of good advice on here,and i agree with kristen about digging a foot and a half,i can feel my back seizing up just thinking about it,ive never dug mine more than a single spade depth and ive never had any problems.
As for not getting anything in this year what a load of dodo,im in cumbria and very rarely sow much till april.
As has been said before i would put stuff in as you dig it especially potatoes,i think some veg gardeners like to make out its more complicated than what it is,im not what youd call a finesse gardener but i can grow some good veg,probably more down to having good soil than me though.
Get some stuff in youve nothing to lose ,but plenty to gain.