[SimonWray]

Hi.

I'm going to takeover my partner's allotment after she (Sandra) passed away in early December. Various reasons, but primarily because 1) at this stage I can't bear to see it go to someone else, 2) I really enjoyed the produce and would like to carry this on and lastly 3) I've now got spare time in evenings and non-summer weekends.

So I'm really after as much advice as I can get!

Here's some useful background info;

• Sandra was an organic gardener, which I want to continue practicing.
• The site is in Southend (Norwich Ave, for any locals!), so very dry during summer & autumn, and the soil edges towards clay, but only slightly.
• The plot is 10 rods.
• The plot was untended until Sandra got it about 4 years ago, so it had lots of couch grass and perennial weeds.
• The plot has been untended since the end of September.
• Currently there are 9 beds along one side, which have been double-dug and 3 more along the other, with the remaining space as-yet uncleared.
• Apart from living with a keen horticulturalist for 10 years, I have no real gardening experience myself, though I've obviously picked some things and have access to a great library of reference & advice books.
• The beds are 4' x 22' and I plan to edge them with old boards, to aid with maintenance.
• I'm going for a non-dig system on the existing beds.

I went over to the plot today (Sat 16th) and measured things up and made a few notes, plus took a load of photos.

At the moment there are a lot of crops left in the ground, and I only know what about 5% of these are (radish, beetroot, raspberry canes).

So I think my primary request for assistance has to be in identifying what things are and so allow me to decide 1) what needs pulling up because it's now just rotting, 2) what can be harvested now or soon, 3) what should be left to grow for a later season, 4) and then whatever is left and needs special attention, such a pruning of fruit bushes. This will also help with rotation & I can work out what new-crops I want to grow (see below) needs to go in which old-crop beds.

I've added a single image, showing 7 of the 9 beds on one side of the plot. I've got lots more images, mainly close-ups of the crops in each bed.

The type of crops that I know exist, or have been planted in previous seasons  (somewhere!) are;

• Potatoes
• Onions & Shallots
• Radishes (I've just harvested these today)
• Beetroot (Again, picked a few today
• Salad leaf (Chard, probably others)
• French, Runner & Broad Beans
• Leeks
• Asparagus
• Strawberries
• Raspberries
• Rhubarb
• Marigolds!

My plan is to maintain what's there at present, clearing things I don't want or can't manage.

To this end I've covered the uncleared 1/3rd of the plot with black fabric so it doesn't require further maintenance and I can make use of it in future years. I may give up half the plot depending on how things go, but as I can site compost & shed on them, I don't think this is likely as I can at least make it look like the majority of the plot is in use!

What do I want to grow? I'm keen on potatoes, onions/shallots/leeks, beetroot, some sort of legume and the raspberries. I'm not a great fan of salads, but a leaf or root here and there may be useful. I don't like tomatoes unless they are reduced or in a sauce, which is what we've done in the past. Sandra never had much luck with courgette/squash, but I really like squash and might like to try that in future.

Lastly (phew!) I realise that as the season goes on & I meet other people on the site that I'll be able to gain assistance from them. But for the early part of the season where I want to get ahead of the game and ensure the site doesn't romp away, if someone wants to mentor me via email or this forum, that would be very much appreciated and really welcome!

Thanks for any and all responses,
Simon.

EDIT: All images of the bed contents are now on imageshack here: http://img691.imageshack.us/g/allotment075a.jpg/

[DD.]

Hi Simon,

Welcome to the forums, firstly of course to say sorry to hear about Sandra and we're pleased you want to pick up her legacy.

You've actually made a good start by trying to take stock of what you have there & what you want to grow. A few more closer up photos would help us identify what's in there to assist you on your way.

As for one to one mentoring, we don't do that. We do one to 100's/1,000's, so just come back here & post with any queries and someone is bound to pick you up.

[Ice]

Welcome to the forum.  Sorry to hear of your partner's death, though carrying on her allotment is a great way to honour her memory.  Looks like she has left you a very useful, though slightly overgrown plot to tend.

[SimonWray]

Looks like she has left you a very useful, though slightly overgrown plot to tend.

Thanks. The plot probably looks more overgrown than it really is. The grass paths are starting to encroach on the beds, which is my main reason for wanting to get the board edges sorted out ASAP.

But the actual beds are okay, I just need to clear those that need to be refreshed for the coming planting season - they're not weeded, yet! But I think that's a good reason for getting an early starting on sorting them out before the weeds do come back.

Regarding close-up photos... the posting limitations are making it tricky to work out the best way - think I'll try PB as the posting restrictions would hamper this process.

[SimonWray]

I've now uploaded the images of the current beds to Imageshack: http://img691.imageshack.us/g/allotment075a.jpg/

Thanks to anyone who looks and can help identify the current crops!

[DD.]

Blimey - what a lot, I suppose we did ask for it.

I'll kick it off. Top row, images 691,32, 19 & 691 again, but different!

Raspberries. I'd hazard a guess - and this is a guess only - that the unsupported ones are autumn fruiting & the supported ones are summer fruiting.

[gillie]

A lot of the plants look like salady things - though they could be weeds!  I think I can identify lambs lettuce in 130. Were these pics taken after the snow melted? These soft sappy plants are looking rather sad and I think that they would be better removed, whatever they are.

686 looks like an unthinned brassica.  Again it would be better to start again.
I have not got a clue what the stems with nobbly seedpods in 130 are!  Love in the mist? Next to them I think are some finished sweet corn stalks.

The very red twigs in 704,  which have obviously been carefully marked, are another mystery.

Gillie

[SimonWray]

Thanks for the responses so far!

Would it help with close-ups of just one plant? instead of sections of the beds - I just went alone each bed standing up & took a snap every few feet.

Re: raspberries. Yes, sorry I actually kinda knew this one! But not about which were summer/autumn. They came from a T&M offer with 4 varieties, two of each summer/autumn and I know one is 'Summer Allgold', and another is 'Autumn Bliss'. And I suspect one of these is not the seasonal variety it's name suggests if recollections of past conversations can be relied upon.

Yes to after the snow; the photo's were taken yesterday, which is about 2-3 days after the last of the snow left us.

Some of the soft-leaved things have definitely gone black, which I assume is frost/ice damage...?


What should I do with the raspberries at this stage? I'm about to empty the compost bin, so should I mulch now? or another time? and what about pruning?

Thanks again for all the help.

[daveypark]

    Of your list I'm guessing that the following annual crops will have finished really and the beds need digging ready for the new year:
 * Potatoes
    * Onions & Shallots (these are overwintered but are sown later than Sept.)
    * Salad leaf
    * French, Runner & Broad Beans
    * Leeks (these are above ground and obvious)
    * Marigolds
However these ones should be kept as they perennial crops (come back every year):
  * Asparagus - these are probably visible now as hollow stems really, new spears should emerge in the spring. Careful not to dig up the roots, they are like thick spaghetti in clumps.
    * Strawberries
    * Raspberries (thin sticks left now)
    * Rhubarb
To be honest it may be easier to grab somebody from your allotments to walk over and identify the plants you can see, most are pretty friendly and will be glad to see a plot worked on.
Very best of luck.

[DD.]

What should I do with the raspberries at this stage? I'm about to empty the compost bin, so should I mulch now? or another time? and what about pruning?

A muching will never hurt!

If you can be sure which is which - the Autumn Bliss can be chopped right down. They will throw up new canes whicch will fruit this year.

The other you mentio appears just to be called "All Gold" and is indeed an autumn fruiting one and should be treated in the same manner.

Summer fruiting ones jsut just have the canes cut out that fruited last year, leaving the new ones for this year's fruit.

[madcat]

allotment064.jpg  - that cluster of sticks is a frosted rhubarb, you can see the old leaves around.  It will come back ... bung some of that compost on it, but watch for it flowering next year and take the flower stalks off.

Those bobbly heads in 58 are love in a mist.  Pretty flowers, not edible.  Split the heads and scatter the seeds for another display or if you don't want them, the birds will happily munch them.  I think there are mombretia on another.  Did she grow flowers as well as veg?

Davey is right - you need someone to walk it with you ....  If you were closer I would offer..

[kel28]

Hi Im sorry for your lose but glad you have decided to carry on the allotment. Is there anyone on your allotment you know who can do a walk round with you. If not Im in Rayleigh and would happily come and have a look, but I have only been doing this for 3 years and still a newbie I may not be able to identify everything with you but would happily give it a go and I could take some pics and ask my friends up my allotment  who have alot more experience than me. Dont get down hearted on your first few years either you are a newbie and it will take a while to get in the swing of things, when and where evrything needs to be done, you will get there and you will have picked up more than you realise from Sandra.

[SimonWray]

I've been over again today and worked out a few more things, with everyone's comments adding in to the picture.

The crop in img 20 were Spinach 'Viking' - I found a label . I've dug these out as they were starting to go soft & wet.

Re: Rhubarb, make sense. I knew we had 3 crowns (is that right?) and Sandra was forcing each one in rotation. There is a small (6" sq) dark crown near to the frosted rhubarb canes in the pictures. Is this likely to be one of the other rhubarb's or something else entirely? What I'm thinking is that if one was forced, is this the clump of frosted sticks, or is it likely to be the small crown that has been really knocked back, in which case the frosted sticks are one of the two other non-forced crowns.

Re: Raspberries. I'm sure the supported ones are the Summer fruiting canes as I've found some diary notes about these. Still not sure of varieties yet, but I might source that this evening. I've cut the Autumn canes back to ground ground as per advise here (and I checked a book!).

Re: Flowers. Yes, Sandra did plant a few of these, but mainly only one variety a year and would then encourage them to self seed. Love in the Mist is a definite favourite, so I'm glad to have identified that, thanks.

I've taken a few close-ups of things in beds that I'm looking to deal with next weekend. Any suggestions? http://img109.imageshack.us/g/allotment086.jpg/

I strongly suspect 085 is a beetroot - though I confused myself and thought maybe a radish, as it's similar in size and shape to some definite radishes I harvested yesterday.

Img 086 looks like an allium, could be Leeks? should these be left to grow?

I think 083 is a carrot, but nothing really below ground. Though I'm not sure if that's because they were sown in autumn for harvesting later this year. Also, I'm sure there is some green manure on the plot and I'm having trouble telling the difference between carrot tops & that!

Is 082 a legume - broad bean? not sure what to do with these?

081 & 082 - I know Sandra had a current, and it's going to be one or both of these.

078 & 079 are the same thing, whatever that may be.

077 is slightly different to the above - no flowers and broader leaves.

076 is again either carrot or green manure!

Regarding green manure, assuming I identify it - when do I cut it? (and I know to leave it/dig it in). And also, when can I so it if I want to improve a bed that I'm not going to get round to using this season?

Thanks everyone!

[DD.]

Image 109 is an onion.

Could be a winter one if any planted or a mature spring one!

[madcat]

You know - if there is a heaven then Sandra is looking down on you, shaking her head, and saying "I knew he wasn't listening to me"!     Remember, it's not just you - my OH would struggle like you ...