[Sandrav]

I finished work early to get the keys to my new allotment. Never really done alot of gardening before, but have always wanted to feel that sense of achievement of growing your own, as well as helping lose a couple of pound around the waist. So I have now seen my half plot, it needs a good going over but nothing too monsterous. So I am excited about getting on the plot on Sunday, start digging and plan where i will have my shed, compost and greenhouse. I am also looking forward to being able to join in on the conversations and showing photos of my first harvest. I would welcome any handy tips for starting out on my plot........x

[Parsnip]

Welcome to the forum Sandrav... I started growing on my allotment this year...The feeling of planting from seed and following through to harvest is brilliant!

Take some pics of your plot and post them for us, we'd love to see it. I've learnt so much from here and it's really friendly , I hope you enjot it ..

Snippy

[DavidT]

Good evening Sandrav and welcome to the site.

[M0rph3u5]

Welcome Sandrav
This site has many good tips on what to do and more importantly when to do it so keep reading up on the dark nights during the week then you can get cracking at the weekends.

[Sandrav]

  I am hoping that it won't take too long to dig over the plot, so I am wondering what suggestions you can make as to what i should be looking at planting first and when? I believe that the time is right for Garlic which i would like to do, but are there any other suggestions and what is the best garlic to plant and how?
 

[Sandrav]

 Thanks for the welcome, this does really appear to be a very friendly and informative site.

 

[plot9]

Welcome from a fellow essex boy

[oriboy]

Hi Sandra,

Also a fellow essex newbie (Stanford-le-hope) and new plot holder.
Aquired mine at the begining of October, half plot, covered in crouch grass about waist high. I have strimmed grass off and have dug around half over.

Totally enjoying it and can`t wait to start growing.

P.S. I have some contacts for manure in the Thurrock area if you need them

[Sandrav]

Thanks for the offer of the manure, but a local stable keeps the whole allotment supplied with free manure. I do feel really lucky that the allotment is really well equipped - apart from no WC.

Just need to learn how to use it all.

[Lupin lurcher]

Hi sandray and welcome.  We took over our plot in mid aug. The first day we went down there to start the weeding I will never forget in the whole of my life it was wonderfull.  I cant over much advice as I am new to this game as well, just enjoy it. Mandy

[Aidy]

Welcome to the world of allotments, first off for tips that you crave I would strongly recommend reading Johns notes here... http://www.allotment-garden.org/articles/Clearing_a_New_Allotment.php and also here... http://www.allotment-garden.org/articles/Planning_the_Plot.php and of course search the forums for answers or just ask. Good luck with both clearing, planting and growing your veg, to be honest can't see much coming of the waste with all the good food you will grow.

[Goosegirl]

Hi Sandray and welcome! This forum is great for advice and sharing your excitements and any failures too as they do happen but you somehow feel better if you are not alone. I plan to plant my garlic cloves in modules to get them rooting then will plant out in November without cover. There are mild and stronog varieties so it depends on your taste - others can advise you on varieties. You can also sow early broad beans and peas. Get growing advice from John's book and anywhere else you can including other allotmenteers, and read and read and get out there in the fresh air! Good luck.

[Elcie]

Hi and congratulations!  It is a good time to start as you can work on clearing ready for the 'full' growing season.  Still lots you can do now though.  As you rightly say - garlic.  Could also plant some overwintering broad beans and onion sets to name another two.

Good luck and we love seeing pictures of progress on here!

[hamstergbert]

Hi Sandra, three bits of immediate advice:

1.  Don't try and do all the digging in one hit as you will write yourself off!
2.  Don't try and do all the digging in one hit as you willwrite yourself off!
and 3.   Don't try and do all the digging in one hit as you will write yourself off!

Unless of course it is in good fettle already!

Best to identify and focus on a modest section and get stuck into that - as has been said many times elsewhere, getting a clearly defined bit looking better 'lifts' the whole plot and will help the morale for attacking the second section... and the third.... etc ad finitum!

It is supposed to be fun!

[Jonajo]

as a newbie to the allotment scene (just under a year) I must echo what has been said about doing a bit at a time.

I have had the best time ever this year - it has not really been hard work/tiresome at all as I have not allowed myself to be daunted initially by the weeds and the like that had to be cleared when I took the plot on.

And once you are all cleared, be restrained and when you are going to plant, stagger the planting by planting a little as you go: don't plant like mad (seen enough folk at the plots doing that who are seasoned pros who, a few months later, were moaning like mad at this and that to do...feel like telling them to give up then if it is such a drudge!)

What I also did -which helped me a lot - is make a plan on the computer of what I wanted to grow and where I would grow it: changed many times of course but it was good to focus on what will go where (and when). I even got the spreadsheet columns and rows to scale!!! But, as anal as that seems, it was good to work on that for a few mins now and then when I could not get up to the allotment. Besides, things worked a treat this year  - or rather I always felt in control.

Yes garlic, onions, shallots, broadbeans can go in now (if they are the over-wintering types). And wait for the excitement as they germinate/sprout etc...