[supershedseven]

Hey folks,

So after 12 years of living in an apartment in Belfast i have purchased a property out of the city that has got its own little allotment in the garden.   
I have never as much as grown a beard let alone veg!! I am a foodie though, so rather than ripping up everything and putting down grass, i thought i might give this a go and start planting some veg and see if i can get anything to grow. 
Its now September so likelyhood ive missed most of things, but would anyone care to give me a few pointers on what and when to do something ? 
Im keen to grow things like Onions, Potatoes, Garlic, Herbs, Leeks, Kale, Runners beans, Broccoli... anything like that.
Ive no tools... nothing, so i gotta run to Asda/Sainsburys or something before they change all into winter stuff, so please please please... any advice, big or small would be appreciated and i will continue to keep everyone updated on what i get!

(pictures below)
thank
Nick

[DHM]

Hello, congrats on your fab purchase! It looks like you have raised beds installed so providing you fill them with fresh compost it shouldn't take too much work to get started, though they might not be deep enough for growing big rooty things like potatoes so you might have one or two issues there. Perhaps someone here who uses raised beds could advise you here.

My main bit of advice is to use Facebook marketplace, freecycle and gumtree to source all your tools compost bins, waterbutts etc as these items are often dirt cheap if not free. We've had pallets, paving slabs, wood, netting and tools for free, though sometimes you might have to wait for them a while to come up and pounce quickly when they do. We bought a lovely newish metal wheelbarrow for just 10 quid the other week. Basic requirements are a spade, fork, shovel, flat rake and a hand trowel. Buy gloves, string wire ties and little things like plant tags and pots from your local pound shop.

Otherwise, take your time, plan a crop rotation system, and research varieties to suit your local climate and cooking requirements.

Herb wise I lean towards buying established plants nowadays, twice a year cutting and drying them and taking sprigs ad-hoc, then waiting for them to come back again the following year. Oregano and thyme are usually quite prolific but rosemary is a slow grower so buy a big bush if you use a lot of it. Plant mint in a bucket as it spreads like wildfire if left to its own devices.

Enjoy!

[Goosegirl]

I grow my veg in raised beds which are about 9" deep. I put my pots in a hole about a trowel's depth but don't earth them up. When the canopy of their leaves starts to let light in you can cover the base of the stems with grass clippings or whatever you have to hand though I don't do that. I just keep a look-out for any pots near the surface and dig them up before they go green. Plant your garlic in autumn as it needs a bit of frost to make the bulbs swell. The other veg you can start growing in spring. I'd get your beds dug over and add rotted manure, mushroom compost or similar, plus some sharp sand if the soil is heavy. Your choice of veg is good because you're keeping it simple and choosing things that are relatively easy to grow. I'd add sugar-snap peas because they produce pods that are delicious and if you miss some, their little peas can be shelled. Ordinary peas take up a lot of room for what you get.
As for tools, you have a choice of buying cheap such as Wilko's or you can go to those "antique" places that sell all sorts of things. 

[Christine]

With tools - buy well. I've been running one allotment for 11.5 years and the second for 1.9 years and never had to replace any tools. Well I did ask for a new wheelbarrow last Christmas as the old one was still working but only really fit for the scrap man.

[Yorkie]

Congratulations on your new house and growing space!

If those edged beds go straight into the ground (i.e. no bottom liner etc) then you won't need to add any extra compost to fill them, which is a relief.

For this month's jobs, have a look at this page on the main website: Fruit & Vegetable Growing Guide for September

I agree about buying tools that aren't really cheap.  It's a false economy, particularly with full size fork / spades.

[Plot 1 Problems]

That's a great little garden to inherit! As Yorkie said, if those beds are unlined you are good to go really. I'd get some garlic and shallots going next month and maybe some overwintered broad beans too. For a quick reward you could still grow some radishes this month as well.

[snowdrops]

What a lovely set up you have there, my sister lives in your neck of the woods 👋. If the beds are lined with membrane I’d cut it out & remove it, then add some well rotted manure on to the tops & you’re good to go.

[meriad]

Wow, what a fab garden to come with the house - I'm jealous.   I have been growing some veg at home for quite a few years but this year was my first with an allotment and same as your garden I put in raised beds.  I find it a lot easier to manage.

I agree with scouring sources like Gumtree or a local Facebook page for items for sale or for giving away.  Also not sure how far it stretches but I'm a member of a site called Nextdoor which focuses on your immediate area so not country wide = I asked on there for some spare veg plants as I was quite late starting this year and it's heartwarming just how generous people are.

If you have a wyevale garden centre anywhere near you pop in there and have a look if they have a seed sale on - my local one does and all packets of seeds are 50p (I bought £57.00 worth for a mere £10.00). 

One word of advise though is only sow / plant what you like and will actually use. 

Also, have a look at this website (I was pointed to it by someone on here) https://www.charlesdowding.co.uk/no-dig-growing/why-no-dig/    I'm doing it this year so next year I can be more sensible with planting.  When I started this year i was quite late in the season so just planted whatever I could get my hands on and ended up with more marrows and beetroot than any sane person can use esp as it all seemed to ripen at the same time.   So this year I'm going to cover all but two of the beds (once everything is cleared from them) cover with a layer of cardboard and then cover with compost.  So when the time comes next year the beds should be ready for planting without a need for digging in any extra compost / manure.

Good luck and enjoy

[Tenhens]

Not sure If I can add to the previous posts.
Looks good and fortunately someone else has done the hard work with building the raised beds The paths look ideal width for a wheel barrow.
Also ideal for crop rotation.
Good advice already on tools,
If you can , get your self a compost bin , this will give you free soil feed!!

[DHM]

Great advice below on raised beds, we removed 5 of them when we took our plot on and the weed control fabric the previous plot holder had lined them with had weed roots growing through them., no match against couch grass!