Woohoo! We're getting an allotment!

[TwoLeftSocks]

Popped up to see the plot last night and it's a complete blank canvas, brand new site, gates to the site not even up yet.

We're just figuring out what we'd like to grow - lots of soft fruit plus veg that'll grown well round here, but can I ask please if anyone has any suggestions on...

What would be useful things to consider when we're designing the layout,

What to think about for water containers and composting,
creating paths,

Setting out permanent beds and ones to work on rotation,

What bits and bobs to blag from anyone doing building work,
things for the kids,

anything else?

When I say blank canvas, it's just mud, rocks and bindweed. No boundaries with adjacent plots, other than stakes along the path marking them out. It's free draining, on a gentle slope with no shade and good soil. Perfect really.

Thanks.

Make a trellace and grow some runner beans. Although whatever you decide to grow look into ways of keeping slugs away as they always have a habit of eating whatever I grow :(

Cardboard, pallets for compost bins, and I use www.growveg.com garden planner for planning. Grow lots of big stuff to cover the ground and smother weeds like potatoes and courgettes. Don't let weeds see a Sunday - get a really sharp hoe.

Pallets definitely! And cardboard's a good idea, I think weeds could be an issue, esp as the bindweed was rotavated in throught the site. Will invest in a good hoe.

And we're overrun with slugs in our garden it seems, so thinking of putting in a little frog hiding place alongside the compost and water butt, there are ponds at the bottom of the site so hopefully some about that'll want to stay.

I would say begin by deciding whether you want to produce organically. If you do, buy a veg growing book and stick to that. If you want a low maintenance organic plot set up raised beds and you could go for no dig beds but you really need to be thorough. It might be better to build these in winter.

Whether organic or not, I would initially weed killer the lot with roundup while the weeds are leafy and then as soon as you can after that sow lots of beans as ground cover and green manure. These add good stuff to the soil and prevent new weeds from germinating. You don't have to harvest them, they can be turned into the soil before they produce seeds.

Get started on winter and spring veg now, sow in plugs at home. Don't plant out unless you can water and check every day at least for the first few months as you set up. Plan 9 months ahead always, it is a bit like having a baby to care for in terms of needs!

Anything else you grow should be an established plant as it's too late for sowing most summer or autumn veg other than salads. Check the labels.

Gardening by trial and error is costly, so educate yourself about weeds and how they grow, how soil works, even how to water properly. Do a course if you are a complete newbie.

Regarding layout, consider your requirements, how much time you have and money.

Order in your manure which needs to mature over winter buy as much organic matter as you can afford and spread it after your weed killer has done its job. Dont go crazy with digging, it can cause as much harm as good, do it only in the right circumstances.

If you are in a clay area it will bake hard without plants growing so do what you can to prevent that.

Work on a small section at a time, really thoroughly whilst protecting the rest. And use the grow veg planner mentioned earlier.

I'm just off to work but I'll come back later. I think I started a thread a while back about allotment-ing with kids.

If you plan to have children with you and it's a new site, a communal kids are would be good to set up. It will pay dividends later on. Kids like the fun of gardening but you won't actually get any work done as you have to supervise them. One wrongly placed foot and they've killed your best tomato plant. They can clear a strawberry harvest in one visit too!

Start small. Don't try filling the whole land ASAP. Do one area at a time. Red currents, black currents, gooseberries etc very low maintenance. Courgettes/salad good for quick results. Low potatoes! And do sprouts so you've got stuff in the winter.

Thanks! Lots to think about but the suggestions about what to stick to this year are especially helpful.

Itching to get the keys now!