This year or next.

Breadsnapper · « **on:** May 06, 2008, 13:03 »

I have just aquired my first allotment and so I am a complete novice. The allotment has been turmed over and i have now got rid of all the stone, glass etc. The allotment has been stood a few years unattended so i presume grass and weeds have grown, died and rotted. My question is should i consider planting a few things this year (potatoes, peas, beans and possibly carrots) just to see how it goes, or should i just leave it till next year and prepare the soil. BTW the patch is divided into 4 so i would just be planting i one corner leaving two for next year and the 3rd for my shed, cold store and composter.
All ideas welcome.

Thanks in advance Bread

WhippetMaster · « **Reply #1 on:** May 06, 2008, 13:09 »

I would plant this year as I could not wait until next

Potatoes, peans and beans should be ok.

compostqueen · « **Reply #2 on:** May 06, 2008, 13:11 »

I would plant from day one cos for me it's about growing veg

I bet your patch will be dead fertile if there's been no crops in it for ages

If you don;t grow owt til next year you'll get bored to death

Go on, dive in and grow something TODAY, now in fact. It's the busiest time in the lotty calender for growing stuff. Action stations, allotments are go

You don't need a big piece to get you going. I did a 12' x 4' bed to start me off and I bunged onion sets in it. You could start something off from seed TODAY, say for example courgettes. They are dead easy to grow and so prolific. Pumpkins and squash are the same and they are fun to grow cos you can grow some fab varieties. They'll romp all over your plot and supress weeds, as will courgettes. Plus you'll get fast food. Same with runner beans and dwarf beans which can be sown now and planted out after frost (same with the courgettes & squashes) Runner beans are delicious and easy. There are lots of other stuff you can sow now such as sweetcorn which is a taste sensation when you grow and eat it straight off the plant. Wahay. Getting excited just thinking about it for ya

Others might say spend a year weedkilling, weedkilling, rotovating, digging, waiting for weed regrowth but I want veg not the crumbliest soil in the land

lucywil · « **Reply #3 on:** May 06, 2008, 13:41 »

i agree, just go for it, if you spent a year digging with nothing to show for it you would soon get bored, well i would any way!

Breadsnapper · « **Reply #4 on:** May 06, 2008, 13:51 »

Thanks for all the advice and so quickly! Am i correct in thinking that i should sow the seeds in pots then cold framr to plot when ready or do i go straight to plot? I am a complete newby to this so sorry if my questions are a bit obvious :shock:

crowndale · « **Reply #5 on:** May 06, 2008, 14:26 »

Quote from: "compostqueen"

I would plant from day one cos for me it's about growing veg I bet your patch will be dead fertile if there's been no crops in it for ages If you don;t grow owt til next year you'll get bored to death Go on, dive in and grow something TODAY, now in fact. It's the busiest time in the lotty calender for growing stuff. Action stations, allotments are go You don't need a big piece to get you going. I did a 12' x 4' bed to start me off and I bunged onion sets in it. You could start something off from seed TODAY, say for example courgettes. They are dead easy to grow and so prolific. Pumpkins and squash are the same and they are fun to grow cos you can grow some fab varieties. They'll romp all over your plot and supress weeds, as will courgettes. Plus you'll get fast food. Same with runner beans and dwarf beans which can be sown now and planted out after frost (same with the courgettes & squashes) Runner beans are delicious and easy. There are lots of other stuff you can sow now such as sweetcorn which is a taste sensation when you grow and eat it straight off the plant. Wahay. Getting excited just thinking about it for ya Others might say spend a year weedkilling, weedkilling, rotovating, digging, waiting for weed regrowth but I want veg not the crumbliest soil in the land

hmm, matter of opinion that! But I agree with everything else!

Jilllrabbitslim · « **Reply #6 on:** May 06, 2008, 20:37 »

I'm a first timer too and have been in a similar situation recently. I got access to my plot a week and a half ago. A weedy patch with not a lot happening on it. I've cut rough beds in amongst the weeds, bashed the lumps about until I got something rough to plant in and worked in some manure.

As it stands, I've got mange tout, a row of potatoes, some beetroot and swiss chard in already. The mange tout I'd already started off in pots so I just transplanted them once I'd dug the bed, the potatoes I bought pre-chitted from the garden centre and the beetroot and chard I sowed straight into the ground.

My new philosphy is chuck it in and see if it grows! If it doesn't, i've only lost the price of a few packets of seeds :-)

Yorkie · « **Reply #7 on:** May 06, 2008, 21:55 »

Quote from: "Breadsnapper"

Am i correct in thinking that i should sow the seeds in pots then cold framr to plot when ready or do i go straight to plot? I am a complete newby to this so sorry if my questions are a bit obvious :shock:

Hi Breadsnapper, and welcome to the forum!

You are indeed correct that things like runner / climbing beans, courgettes, squash etc should be started off under cover as they will be killed off by any frosts which happen.

I also treat sweetcorn off the same way, they prefer heat to germinate i think. Other peeps on the forum suggest you chit sweetcorn seeds before sowing them carefully - this means putting the seed on damp kitchen paper in a plastic box until they germinate, then plant them carefully in pots, with the root downwards (don't let it snap off). I just bung mine straight in pots.

Spuds should go straight into the soil, probably in the next week or so at the latest.

Carrots are sown direct into the ground, I'm not sure if you're too late for them.

If you don't have lots of books already (or even if you do!), I wholeheartedly recommend John's book Vegetable Growing Month by Month - you can link to it from the home page. It's fab !!

compostqueen · « **Reply #8 on:** May 06, 2008, 23:09 »

not too late for carrots. Read the back of your seed packets as all the info you need is on there I'd say

Sow successionally as you don't want too much of the same thing at once

Breadsnapper · « **Reply #9 on:** May 06, 2008, 23:57 »

Again, thanks for all the help and advice. I have ordered all organic seeds so hopefully they will be in the ground or in pots by the end of the week. I have only got 6 different veggies :oops: I don't want to bite off more than i can chew

Johnny Norfolk · « **Reply #10 on:** May 07, 2008, 00:03 »

I would turn the whole plot over to potatoes for the first year. Its the easy way to loosen the soil. You should consider applying weed killer to the whole plot first if it is overgrown.

compostqueen · « **Reply #11 on:** May 07, 2008, 10:59 »

a plot full of spuds. Wow

You gotta like spuds to just grow them and nowt else

digital_biscuit · « **Reply #12 on:** May 07, 2008, 11:09 »

My suggestion would be a little bit of lettuce, ridiculously expensive in the supers and well easy to grow, sow straight to the soil, and cut leaves off plant when you wanna eat and it will keep growin. Save you a fortune!! Well if you actually eat lettuce that is!!

compostqueen · « **Reply #13 on:** May 07, 2008, 11:25 »

those mixes are dead easy to grow, and the oriental mixes.

leeks will grow in hard, undug soil as will celeriac and brassicas, so long as it's fertile, which it should be if nothing has been growing in it but weeds

I put bigger plants in (just leave them longer before planting out) so they're more robust,and make a hole with a cheapo bulb planter. I find the brassicas do well as they like firm soil anyway. Celeriac and leeks have invasive roots which churn up the soil. I suppose it's desirable to have a workable soil to plant them in but don't fret it if you've not.

Mistakes you make year after year after year Started by AlaninCarlisle on Grow Your Own	44 Replies 12800 Views	May 07, 2022, 22:37 by Rob the rake
Saving shallots from this year's seed-sown to plant next year Started by Beepee on Grow Your Own	8 Replies 2002 Views	August 02, 2021, 10:19 by cc
small onions this year- caterpillar or just poor year Started by missmoneypenny on Grow Your Own	7 Replies 3154 Views	October 18, 2012, 22:46 by shokkyy
growing carrots in the same place year after year??? Started by daz on Grow Your Own	5 Replies 5069 Views	July 22, 2008, 10:22 by mtoyne