Allotments?

[Signet2012]

Hi all

Looking for people who have allotments to bounce ideas off and get some general realistic advice, DP and I have just got a field full of concrete, rubbish, broken glass, nettles and bineweed an allotment after he successfully grew some herbs on the kitchen window and turned into Alan Titchmarsh.

1st off, kiss goodbye to weekends where you have nothing to do!

but right now is a great time to be able to prepare the ground without have to bother about harvesting and weed-growth should be slowing down (but not if these warm temps keep up)

dig, dig and dig and when you've done it, do it again!

and get as much debris out as you can.

section your plot off into manageable beds and as you clear each bed, cover with carpet/thick PVC to keep regrowth down until you're ready to plant.

we've found allotment neighbours are more than willing to give you tips and advice, they're a happy chatty lot!

Congratulations!

If you can get space clear you are just in time to start planting all sorts of wonderful things:

• Garlic
• Shallots
• Strawberries
• Bare rooted trees (if you are allowed these)
• Raspberry canes
• Autumn planting onions (sometimes called Japanese onions)
• Broad beans

Enjoy!

Hi,

We are just finishing now gettng the the thick of the weeds out. Just some nasty nettle roots to sort!

We also had a ten foot by six foot concrete slab in ours right in the middle so we have smashed it up and just have to move it now. (going to put it under the caravan to save getting a skip if it will fit!)

Then we need to burn the six foot high and about the same wide pile of weeds we have pulled out!

then the digging starts - our caravan is now there (its very small and dinky very famous five lol) So at least we can shelter from the rain.

Next weekend Im hoping to get the four foot fence up between us and next door so I can take my dog down without worry he will roam onto his side.

its all fun!

I hope its worth it !

I was told that if you manage 3 seasons then you will put down roots on your plot. I have just finished my 3rd season and think there is a lot of truth in that. It takes a while to really feel the benefit of all the hard work. This year we put on the plot the compost from our first season. Now that we have dug over the plot several times the soil is really getting workable.

Dont be disheartened if you see loads of weeds popping their heads back up. Keep thinking that the more you pull them up the more tired they get.

In the first year I tried loads of different things to grow. I am now far more discriminating. I grow the high margin crops, those things which cost a bomb to buy fresh. This means that I dont grow carrots for example.

Enjoy, it is worth it!

I would start by sectioning the thing into manageable plots, tackle one at a time, and get it planted straight away if possible. if you have hard ground, you can either turn it over and leave the frosts to break up the big clods or plant potatoes in the spring, they are brilliant for breaking up hard ground.

sounds like you're making great progress already

Im enjoying seeing it take shape even though its hard work. Ill enjoy it more when I see some veg growing by my own fair hands. Now, Im not particularly screamish, but I was given some lettuce by an allotment holder and it was crawling.... and I mean Im surprised it didnt get up and walk out of the bag, is this normal?! I except some crawly things obviously but the full thing was wick with little green flies!

Oh yes, creepy crawlies is normal for leaf vegetables! Something else I dont grow!

You can also look at partner planting to keep some of the worst pests at bay.

Oh yes, get in some allergy relief tablets. I have been bitten a few times by various things. The one thing is that none of them brush their teeth before having a nibble! I currently have a lovely bite on my leg. I only finally got some allergy relief tablets today which have helped a lot.

urgh I think Im best of not looking! haha

I actually was going to buy some allergy tablets as although Im normally fine with most things, when I got stung by nettles it was like big red blisters looked awful and took nearly a week and a half to go thought id just keep them in the caravan.

Very excited to grow stuff!!!!

My dad has had an allotment for the last 4 years and we've just moved back near him so I am now his Official Helper!! I have definitely caught the allotment bug and in the last 3 weeks I have weeded until my hands are bleeding and covered in blisters, learned about sieving soil to plant seeds, making a comfrey 'fertilizing tea', helped to put up a greenhouse, discovered clubroot, dug up leeks, baked for the allotment sale, bought a ridiculous amount of seeds for 50p a packet at the local garden centre and learned that EVERYONE has advice on just about everything .

We are burning loads of old wood and rubbish at the weekend and my 9 year old can't wait to help. I am amazed at how addictive the whole thing is!! I was walking the dog this morning on the beach with a seed catologue in hand, trying to decide which very early potatoes we should try.

Good luck - its so exciting isn't it? Re the bugs and stuff, our sprouts have loads of whitefly which is pretty yuck so I know what you mean re bugs! I am already becoming more hard hearted though - at first I was tempted to 'save' the snails and relocate them to wasteland somewhere. Now I'm afraid I just stand on them and slice the slugs in half We have worked too hard to have the little devils eat our precious produce!!!

Oh and I have found loads of great books in the library which have helped me to look a little less 'green' when talking to the other allotment holders

Have to second a previous poster ... deal with small sections at a time. Once a small area is cleared, get something in that bit of ground to spur you on. Then start digging and weeding on the next bit.

Get loads of free cardboard boxes from homebase or sainsburys and flatten them out You can then cover large parts of ground if you weight the cardboard down with bricks. That will be killing the weeds for you while you get on with other parts of the allotment.

I grew loads of stuff in the first year and didn't worry to much about weeds sprouting up. I dealt with them more effectively in the second year.

Good luck, once you have it under control, it's not as much work as you'd think.

Ps.Glyphosate is good for the tough perennial weeds on the paths - not organic but definitely helps

thanks alot everyone I definately have the bug now!

We have a seed brochure now and its so tempting to go "ooohhhh everything" but we are trying not to, Glad we got it now in a way cos it means we can spend winter getting it right as soil full of bricks etc

looking forward to spring

I've just heard today I've got to top of list for an allotment after a four year wait. I'd kind of forgotten I was even down for one so it's a nice shock to hear i'm there now. What should I be doing this time of year? It's in a bad state - previous owner has been ill since the Summer and not been able to keep up on it.