New allotment gardener - hints and tips please :)

[Leilandri]

Just been granted our new allotment :)
It's quite overgrown. Has an established rhubarb, some brambles and a raspberry bush and ALOT of weeds/grass. And a raised bed.

Going to start by clearing the raised bed and getting in some salad leaves, harvesting the rhubarb so it comes again and strimming everything down to ground level. That's as far as I've got!

We have 2 DS's (aged 3 and 9mo) so won't be able to be down there for hours on end this year. I'm really asking for tips on how to turn the plot around reasonably quickly to make the most out of this season?

Sounds like you have a good plan, if you have a strimmer.

The best advice I can give after strimming is collect loads of free cardboard boxes from supermarkets, flatten them and cover your plot with them - weighed down with bricks. This will stop the regrowth of any more weeds (and make it look like you're on top of things for the committee! :-))

Then you can start to clear the plot bit by bit in your own time. Getting something in the ground like lettuce is a great way to spur you on. Then you tackle the next bit.

I cleared mine by hand in sections to get all the perennial weeds out fully. You can also use glyphosate weedkiller if you are not organic. I use this a little on my paths for the really stubborn weeds like bindweed and cinquefoil that I can't dig out properly.

I'd go for plug plants from homebase/b&q - there's lots you can plant now directly - courgettes/butternut squash/beans/beetroot/strawberries.

Remember to dig in lots of compost or manure for the greedy crops - you can often get this for free from council recycling centres.

Good luck! It's lots of fun.

Thanks ashesgirl for replying.

What veg can I plant that will over-winter too? Don't want to do all the hard work now, and leave the plot dormant for months really.

Fab tip about the cardboard, will certainly do that :)

Find a supplier of cheap seeds (premier seeds direct on ebay or moreveg are y faves). Supermarket and garden centre packs are hugely overpriced. Poundland is good for gardening gloves and fleece.

We bought a storage tub and filled it with sand for DD, although she likes to dig in the dirt just as much.

Definitely sort out a greenhouse or coldframe for starting stuff off. Windowsill is never great Ime, as it gets leggy and hardening off is a pain. I use slug pellets in mine (otherwise organic and insulate the lid with fleece to keep it cosy and retain moisture.

Finally, fleece is your friend! I've found a double layer of fleece pegged over new sowings really helps get things going.

I'm starting my second season and really feel I've learned a lot from last year. I started off knowing lots from books but have learned more from trying things out and watching how my neighbours do things on their plots.

OP, for winter, there's lots of stuff you can get in the ground over next 6 weeks or so. Some of them you'd definitely need to buy as plug plants, not grow from seed at this stage:

Leeks, kale, purple-sprouting broccoli, brussel sprouts, perpetual spinach, chard, pak choi, winter lettuce, winter cauliflowers, savoy cabbage.