[backpain]

Wonderfull, now I have somewhere to ramble on without sounding like a nutter! There are a few folk who think I'm a bit sad having a lotty, all I'll say on this is that while they're eating they're imported lettice costing 69p and having very little in the way of taste, I'm tucking into mine picked fresh from the garden this morning.  The rest of the contents of my salad, peppers, carrots and onions will follow very soon.

A little history.  Over the past few years I've become more and more interested in the idea of being self sufficient, not just in a food sence but also water, powder etc.  Consequently I decided to build some small raised beds in the garden and try to get a bit of a kitchen garden going.  I bough a few propagators from the pound shop and some seeds and gradually fill the conservatory with seedlings.  It soon became apparent that there wouldn't be enough space to grow all of this in 3x 1.2m square beds.  So I finally decided to call in at the local allotments and see if they had one free.  I'd been meaning to do this for the past couple of years but had never got round to it.  Fortunately they had one free so I snapped it up without thinking too much about how we'd clear it.  That was when I came across this site while looking for advise on how to clear and prepare it all.  This was back in March this year.

We started out with the notion that digging by hand would be best, wanting to be organic and all that.  Our plot is 86 ft by 30 ft and covered in weeds and grass.  So we made a start and skimmed and dug about 15ft in built some raised beds from some old wood and planted some tattie and onoins.  Looking up the remaining 71ft of digging left to do and 2 composters full of turf, we decided that a dose of round-up and a rotovator might be a more sensible option as we wanted to plant things this year.

Whilst waiting for the weeds to die we aquired a greenhouse, built a sand pit for the young one to keep her interested, she's only 2 but absolutely loves it down there and tidied up a bit.

We were wondering up there last week and one of the old boys steps out and says "you can borrrow me rotovator you know if you want" word spreads fast when you need help!  So I says "I'll take you up on that offer".  So it's all arranged for Sat morning and you can see peoples faces...they obviouslt know something I don't.  Well you should have seen the size of it!  The grin on the old boys face as he's driving it over to me Sat morning.  I was just expecting one of those little tillers.  This had tractor wheels driving it.  The missis was weein her pants.  Anyway, I showed them how it was done, but boy did I pay for it on Sunday.

So it's the last week in May now and I've finally finished panicking about getting stuff in.  We'll plant what we can and see what grows I guess.

Current stock inlcudes
Potatoes 1st earlies
Pototoes main crop desress
Onoins stuttgart
Beatroot
Carrots
Tomatoes beafsteaks
Chillies load of!
Courcettes
Still to plant
Pea
Broad beans
French climbing beans
Corn
Fennel
Fruit - not sure how much we can afford this year.

Thats it really. Any questions on our experience so far just ask.

On a final note, stop thinking about it and get yourself an allotment.  It's fun, cheap, great for the kids, the people are friendly and can't help enough.

Will writw more later.

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[iwantanallotment]

Wow, fantastic job there - well done, and good luck with your crops  

[noshed]

Are you a mate of Joe Swift's? Or did he pinch the idea of triangular beds off you?

[Trillium]

Great job. Bet it's all worth the backpain  

[Caddi fuller-teabags]

I am seriously thinking of triangular beds now.  It might be a real boon for someone who is nearly 4'12" tall - I really find it difficult to reach on wide beds.

[Deano]

Nice job backpain. All the best for the growing season.
To be self sufficient is a nice thought. Not sure if it's achievable totally but i'm certaintly with you in trying. I also made a salad today of Webbs lettuce, long white radishes whose names slipped my mind, last years shallots and the thinnings from my beetroot.

[backpain]

WOW, I can't believe people read the rubbish I write

Cheers for all the comments.

I must admitt I originally pinched the idea of raised beds from Jamie but once we got the lotty I think the lotty totty saw Joes beds and slipped them into the plan without me noticing.

They're great for keeping the youngster off the plants, but I think they'll be tricky to dig.  They're also funny to plant, for instance how do you put beans in them and earthing up your spuds isn't that easy either.

I'll probably pull them up next year and build a shed with them

I do love them neatly lined beds all the old boys have though.

[woodburner]

I am seriously thinking of triangular beds now.  It might be a real boon for someone who is nearly 4'12" tall - I really find it difficult to reach on wide beds.

Make your beds the width that suits you. If 4' beds are a strain, crouch down (or kneel if that's what you usually do) reach forward like you're pulling up a weed as far away as you can easily manage, and measure from your toes (or knees) to your hand. Double that is the width to make your beds.  

Backpain, I use lazy beds, so when I want to grow spuds I'll just fork over the paths to break up the ground then level the beds into one big one. Not quite sure what I'll do when it's the lottie's turn to take the spuds as it's on a slope.  :?  :shock:  No need to dismantle the raised beds though, you can use them for perennial crops.

[Caddi fuller-teabags]

Thanks, good idea.  I have just been guessing, and they get wider when I reach the far end.

[woodburner]

You're welcome, glad I could help

[backpain]

So summer is underway at last!

We're extremely pleased with progress through May. So what did we achieve?  Well, we got our hands on a bargain of a greenhouse and positioned that up by the shed.  The lotty tottie levelled the base and did a fine job.  We also picked up some slabs and a couple of barrels on freecycle and did a bit of hard landscaping, which to be honest has really made the plot feel proper homely. There's nothing worse that a bare patch of grass to sit on.  The tottie also prepared an patch at the side of the greehouse for our stawberry (yet to be delivered), while I put in a 12ft x 12ft bed of corn, which I'm praying will grow.  Everyone else has small plants about 6in high.  So if I take a run I could probably jump from the last bed and hit the end of the plot, with the aid of a tail wind.  Not bad going we think.  Diffinitely think the rotovator was the best way to go.  While I appreciate round up is a bit nasty and I've got all the weed roots in the soil at least I've been able to dig it.  If I went on digging by hand I'd have a mound of turf the size of a Malvern and no where to plant me veggies. At the end of the day what's in the veg I currently buy from Morrisons, I know what's not in it.....taste.

[backpain]

Uff this lotty takes some work.

I can really see now why so many of you advise against roundup and rotovating.  Even after round up the weeds still come back with avengence.  Lots of bending, pulling and howing needed for the coming weeks I think.

Good news - Onions, potatoes, tomatoes all look great.

Bad news - cabbages, beans, beatroot not so great.

Although, I did rush to get them in and didn't prepare the soil properly.
 :oops:
So it's just like decorating...the preparation is the most important part. Why did no one tell me this  :roll:

[Trillium]

Although, I did rush to get them in and didn't prepare the soil properly. :oops:
So it's just like decorating...the preparation is the most important part. Why did no one tell me this  :roll:

We try, but few newbies have the patience in their anxiousness to get crops. We old hands know that it takes a few years to get soil in shape for really good crops and there's no alternative for the time needed to learn plant lore.
But good for you on getting this far and still enjoying it.  :thumright:

[backpain]

Further investigation into the poor cabbage growth has shown the cause to be clubfoot.  Old boy with weathered face and thick Covill accent "ya got clubfoot kid".  Shame really because we grew some in raised beds at home and had our first for tea last night.  Very nice indeed for saying I'm not a fan of cabbage.

I can see there's going to be a few years of hard work required to sort the soil out.  Have lots of compost which will hopefully be ready this winter. Need to order big trailor of cow poo.

And yes still enjoying it and think the enthusiasm will grow over time.  Once you start to eat your produce which I hope will become more frequent as the season progresses, you really get excited.  It's that hunter gatherer instinct. What better way to look after your family.

Got rocket on me butties  

Felt quite dispondent yesterday.  How can the weeds grow so well in dodo soil.  Why don't snails eat weeds.  New project - develop genetically modified snail to eat only weeds. Or veg that grows in dodo soil.....no, will fix the soil with my bare hand.

The determination is still there and so too is the lottie totty, my endless source of inspiration and motivation.

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[backpain]

A nice wet one this weekend but still managed to get the weeds up, well some of them at least.

Also noticed some nice toms starting to grow in the greenhouse.

Spuds are tasting very good. They boild nice, but I have to say they make great chips.  The kind you roast in the oven in some olive oil of course.

Here's Teddy Potato, he's going in a fish pie tomorrow, when the lottie tottie has finished playing with him.  She probably thinks that Teddy Bears grow on the lottie. Lifes so confusing when you're 2-1/2 bless.

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