Talk

Flip

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

Gardening

Starting an allotment plot

5 replies

tryhard · 24/04/2016 16:22

I've just acquired one & have no idea what to do with it, I do not garden at all. But I eat lunch to of salad veg & want to grow my own. I also want to get my DC inolved (they are 5 & 2). I'm faced with a bare patch of soil - what do I do with it? And are there flowers I can plant to help the veg & fruit along?

OP posts:

Report

bookbook · 24/04/2016 22:00

hello! how big is your plot, and is it on an established allotment site?
if you want help, we have an allotment thread, if you want to pop in and ask :)
link here
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/gardening/2582241-Allotment-Veg-Patch-Thread-5-The-Diggers-Rest?msgid=60659331

Report

JapanNextYear · 24/04/2016 22:04

www.allotment-garden.org/allotment-growing.php

Is a really good site. Don't try and do too much at once, get some radishes and lettuce in. They grow quickly so you see a result. Grow what you like to eat...

If you've cleared a big and aren't going to plant, cover up with cardboard or old compost bags si the weeds font grow.

Report

megletthesecond · 24/04/2016 22:16

Put aside a pile of DC clothes purely for allotmenting. Mine are older but still mix mud and get utterly filthy. Dark jeans, fleeces and second hand t-shirts are the way forward. When mine are whiny I take a pack lunch for them and make the most of a 30 min lull while they eat.

If you're lucky the allotment veterans will give you advice and surplus seedlings. I'm going into my third summer and have sussed out a few things but am more confident even when I'm being a bit slap dash about it.

It's a wonderful learning curve and you don't have to do it perfectly to get a nice little harvest.

Report

bookbook · 24/04/2016 22:30

I still get immensely muddy and I'm 60! :)
and yes to all the help from around. Its one of the joys, being able to swap produce/seeds/advice

Report

tryhard · 25/04/2016 14:11

That's a brilliant tip re the clothes, thank you. I want my DC to get stuck in & muddy so that's a great idea. I'm a bit daunted by it cos I'm not a gardener at all so I have no clue what I'm doing but we get through a lot of veg as a family & I'm also thinking it would be a lovely thing to do with DC after school & at weekends. It's just a half plot so not massive.