I have my allotment

[valleyqueen]

I haven't been to see it yet so not sure how much ground work I have to do. What I really would like is a list of essentials I need to buy to get started.

I am hoping to find as much as possible on freecycle. I am so excited :)

valleyqueen congratulations - I love my allotment

I suppose the obvious would be the tools like a fork & spade. IMO choose smaller size (sometimes called border or ladies), these will be easier to handle.

This is an excellent website for planning: www.growveg.com

You are still in time to plant things like french/runner beans and also second crop or Christmas potatoes. You also have time for courgettes (probably need plants now rather than starting from seed.

You will need a compost bin - go for the biggest you can find and think carefully about where you position it.

Are you allowed a waterbut on your plot? If so then one of these is really useful:

www.greenfingers.com/superstore/product.asp?dept_id=3030&pf_id=LS5042D

I put it in my wheelbarrow, wheel it to the tap then fill it up using a short piece of hose. I then wheel it back to my plot, pour the water into a plastic trug then tip it into the waterbut. It sounds longwinded but the H2Go bag allows you to move 80 litres at a go.

Check the rules to find out what you are allowed. Your field steward should be able to help. All associations are different. My association is an independant smallholders association so we are allowed to do things like keep animals and sell our produce. I know that some associations dont allow trees. Some dont allow chemicals to be used.

Thanks a lot, you are allowed hens on this site but I won't be doing that for a while yet. And no trees are allowed.

I am just praying the last plot holder left their shed behind so I save a few pounds. I can't wait to get started although it does seem daunting at the moment. I am sure I will back for lots of
advice.

Just been to view it. It's fairly over grown with a lot of weeds so I will be visiting the dump a few times. Some very pretty poppies though, and there is a whole load of rhubarb:

My allotment is very weedy at the moment. The wet weather makes it difficult for me to get on the plot but doesnt stop the weeds.

Just clear the space that you need for the things you are going to put in now. For the rest of it what you can look to do is cover it with something light excluding. Check with your field steward but if allowed carpet is great for this (freecycle again) just dig in the edges so that the wind wont get under it.

Enjoy your plot.

Just a thought if/when you get a shed. We have a bit of petty theft on our field but the thieves are looking for petrol. I no longer bother locking my shed as the thieves will just break the lock. If they see an unlocked shed then no damage gets done. I keep the petrol at home.

There is a shed but it looks fit to collapse. I am going to rip it down and put a new one up.

Now I am going to to sound really daft. What will I need petrol for?

Congratulations ! I have a Digging hoe which was fantastic recently when it was so dry for ground clearing and I couldn't get the fork in.

Agree with doing a bit at a time then planting up. I've been sowing carrots, lettuce, Beetroot, swede, Florence Fennel, Mange tout recently. Think you could also do rainbow chard which is very easy, fills space and looks good and you could stick some herbs in.

I had a fairly major couch grass problem to deal with and ran out of steam with the digging after a bit so covered it with weed membrane (cheap in Wilkinsons) then planted pumpkins through it. When I came to dig it early this year it was really easy in comparison.

In my shed I keep a watering can, fork, trowel, trug, gloves, push lawn mower and long handled shears plus a comfy fold up chair.

Valleyqueen I use petrol for my rotavator and strimmer. Neither are necessary but just help make certain jobs easier. What is worth having depends on the size of your plot and how you plan to manage it. Come autumn I plan to rotavate the vast majority of my plot as I am rethinking the layout.

Certainly where I am sheds always look on their last legs! Allotmenteers are great recyclers so on my field there are sheds patched up with all sorts of strange things. Also, allotments are where children's swings go to die. My field is now covered in them spending their final years as supports for runner beans.

I have just discovered the ground is very stoney. I will have huge muscles after doing all that. I have a 125sqm so glad I didn't go for a 250.

And thanks for that link Wynken you saved me a job :)