[stompy]

You will pay a premium for seeds at the garden centre.
Get yourself to Wilkinsons or even B&Q as a last resort.

What me and the OH do is decide what we buy most from the supermarket and grow that, afterall thats what we like to eat.
Get some fruit in too, Raspberrys are one of the best crops to get in especially the Autum varieties, plant, water, pick and enjoy then cut to the ground when they look brown.
They'll come up the next year and do it all again, very little fuss once planted.

Andy

[mumofstig]

Good luck 

[Kleftiwallah]

I should make it very plain to "Those in authority"  how you feel about having to clear all those weeds,  take the allotment then write a letter.  It might get 'them' to use their workforce to tidy up a bit on other allotments coming up for re-allotment.   Cheers,   Tony.

[bigben]

Kirsten - I agree sweetcorn has its issues most of which I mentioned in my post. However it can also be started before the OP takes possession of his plot which is an advantage I think worth mentioning.

The year before last was my first year growing stuff and I was told to try sweetcorn. I was reluctant at first but was really pleased with my results. Last year I started them late so some did not fully mature but I still enjoyed the ones that did. Anyway between us he now knows what is involved so can make his own mind up.

[Kristen]

However it can also be started before the OP takes possession of his plot which is an advantage I think worth mentioning.

Good point. If the "faff" can be accommodated there are a few things that could be started off and would be ready to plant out in May - provided that there isn't a nightmare of neglect to be sorted first. Finger's crossed.

[LittleRedHen]

I'm definitely getting two blueberry bushes!  Raspberries would be wonderful!  I believe B&Q will have them bare root in bags of sawdust/compost.  I bet I could get the blueberry bushes that way too.  I'm going to chance growing the sweet corn and think I might just let the runner beans climb up the corn stalks.  I guess I could take my four hens down to the plot for the day.  They'd sort it out toot sweet!   

[bigben]

I think the beans climbing up the corn stalks is part of the "three sisters way" of growing stuff. Some people swear by it but others claim the beans outgrow the corn and the yeild suffers - do a search on the site and see what comments there are about this way of growing.

[LittleRedHen]

That 'Three Sisters Way' sounds familiar to me.  I just know that the American Indians always grew their beans and corn that way.  But thank you, I will do a search on it!  Do people have any luck with broccoli here?

[JayG]

I suspect that the American Indians had a lot more warmth and sunshine than we do in the UK!

My feelings are that sweetcorn has enough trouble contending with our rather dull summers without having beans clambering all over them as well, although I don't think a few squash vines trailing amongst them does them much harm.

[Kristen]

I've thought about Squash before (not done anything about it, mind!)

I'm only relying on my dodgy memory, but I reckon quite a lot of the growth on my Squash comes when the corn is pretty much done.

We aim to have to corn finished by end of August, and the Squash we grow are a whole-season affair, rather than the shorter season Cobnut F1 etc.

So the Corn area could be the "overspill" growth area for the Squash.

Don't think I've got an photos of the amount of growth of the Squash during the summer, sadly.

[JayG]

Just remembered "Oh, what a beautiful morning" from "Oklahoma!" ("the corn is as high as an elephant's eye, tra la la!)

Well, our British ones ain't (unless it's a baby elephant!) which would surely be another problem for runner beans which will easily grow to 8'. 

[DD.]

My sweetcorn chokes out weeds, so I wouldn't be tempted to grow anything in it, into it, maybe.

[mumofstig]

how close do you plant yours then DD ?
I get loads of weeds around mine, and that's why I tend to point the squash/pumpkin growth into that direction to help shade some of them out 

[DD.]

The bog standard 18"

[mumofstig]

Same as mine............I suppose I've just got a weedy plot because of the all but abandoned  plot next door