If you were starting a brand new allotment garden what would you do first

[FurForksSake]

We get the keys soon for our 75m2 allotment, it is a brand new allotment so not needing lots of weeding and nothing to preserve.

We don't know if we will need a greenhouse or a coldframe or anything. I don't think we will need to store anything as we are a 2 minute walk from the site so can carry tools and watering can etc.

We know what we'd like to grow and that includes some flowers as well as root veg, legumes and salad. Should we be looking for scaffold board to section off parts of the plot?

Many thanks for any wisdom. I am going to read the long veg patch thread now!

If the ground has been turned over and is naked soil waiting for stuff to be planted I would cover it up immediately to prevent weed growth.

Don't get seduced by lots of hardware and kit - focus on what you actually want to grow and what you actually need, and keep it simple unless you've done this before and know what you are letting yourself in for.

Start off by growing what you like eating. Eg if you hate kale, home grown kale is unlikely to change your mind.

I'm watching with interest. We are starting a garden from scratch after having it all cleared (20yrs of overgrowth!) and I want a veggie patch.

The 1st thing I'm doing is checking what type of soil it is? Clay, chalky, sandy etc. I'm also awaiting pH strips to arrive to see if its acidic or alkaline.

I got seed potatoes chitting on the window sill, and seedlings coming up at home. I've also joined the gardeners world forum which has some great advice from fellow gardeners- from novice to expert.

I'd make sure I covered at least half of the plot over so the weeds didn't start.

Then have a good nosy around the other plots to see how others are arranged what they are growing etc. ,Check water access (don't want to haul loads of water) and start chatting to other owners about what works and what doesn't.

Ooh, how lovely. When we got our allotment two years ago the first job was digging out all the couch grass and bindweed which took ages!
I’d definitely agree you should cover up anything you aren’t going to plant for a while. Either use the rolls of thick black plastic stuff you can get in the garden centre or cardboard.
Don’t make your beds too big, you want to be able to reach the middle of them comfortably.
I wouldn’t get a greenhouse for now unless you know you definitely want to grow things that need to be in there. They are quite difficult to get hold of for the moment anyway. I personally don’t think cold frames are much use. Other than heads of lettuce I also think salad leaves are best grown at home because they don’t last long once you’ve cut them off so you really need to be harvesting cut and come again lettuces on the day of eating.
Also, I’d err on the side of growing less rather than more for the first year so you get an idea of yield rather than being snowed under with courgettes. We were totally overwhelmed with some things but are planting more of other things this year.
It’s a learning curve, have fun!

The whole site is brand new, we are on a new housing estate so we are all starting our plots at the same time :)

How do you make beds in an allotment?

I said to my husband we should weed proof membrane the whole patch and then cut holes for where we want to plant, he thought it was a silly idea!

Things I would do

• plant one small fruit tree, apple or pear
• plant redcurrants and autumn raspberries & other soft fruit that take time to get going
• lay out paths & decide on where a shed will go - you are sure to want one someday. make sure there is space for a chair to sit & have a cup of tea
• plant potatoes & peas or beans to fill up the rest of the space

If you go down the route of planting fruit trees I would make sure they don’t need more than one to pollinate. Some do, some don’t.

You can certainly membrane the beds - it's a good idea. We built beds and then scavenged paving stones to put between as it can get muddy during rainy periods. Also make friends with a tree surgeon - they are usually happy to supply wood chip.

First I'd try and get hold of some manure and dig it in - if it's a new plot then soil quality might not be the best; you need as much goodness as you can get into it. Depending on how north or south you are will affect your planting times - we're in Mcr and things are sometimes slightly later than projected times down south.

Write a list of things you like to eat or want to grow (flowers) - then look on things like Pinterest for layouts of crop rotation - it really helps. We laid a basic patio just to put a picnic table on to pot things up or have a glass of wine at the end of the day - it's been invaluable. We used old decking to make our raised beds - it's dead easy and they don't need to look perfect. Fairly narrow are best so that you don't need to stand on the soil to plant or harvest things in the middle.

The best book I've found is this one - it outlines jobs to do and harvest times by month rather than by veg type - we've used it so much: www.amazon.co.uk/Allotment-Month-Grow-Fruit-Vegetables/dp/0241360005/ref=sr_1_1?hvlocphy=9046633&hvnetw=g&keywords=allotment+month+by+month&hvadid=450653822816&qid=1617810063&dchild=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsLWDBhCmARIsAPSL3_1ju2JjHKFGRTMCYDONbxEFguvB3KEF0CRj2GmnR0GWrBvrZQVC_HkaAmKHEALw_wcB&hydadcr=11451_1787852&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&hvtargid=kwd-299554882519&adgrpid=113354455628&hvrand=2354016464473890201&sr=8-1

And don't be afraid to buy plug plants or seedlings, especially in the first year. We've always done a mix - we're crap at growing brassicas from seed, for example, but do well with onion sets and potatoes. We don't bother with carrots because although we love them, they take up a lot of space for not a lot of yield, and you can get them cheap in the supermarket. We do grow a lot of soft fruit - strawberries, raspberries, currants, and rhubarb, which can be used to make jam or frozen to put into pies in the winter.

We plant flowers as companion plants - lots of nasturtiums, sweet peas and marigolds so far, but our project this year is to expand this a bit so we can have cut flowers.

Enjoy it! Our plot has been a lifesaver for the past few years.

if it's a new development, what was on the site of the allotments before?

everyone on our new site has laid their plots out really differently. I have 3ft beds so that sun goes along them (so plants dont get shaded by higher types as i plant in rows), with weed membrane covered with wood chips between. paths are just wide enough to run a wheelbarrow along - i think its about 18 inches. so i can reach across beds and not step on them (i do no dig....google and you will see lots of info).

personally i have weed membrane only around strawberries - not sure how you will sow seeds or add manure with membrane everywhere.

You will need compost bins - i've found the darlick type best and got cheaply from the tip. i dont have a shed as not enough room and i dont miss it.

dont put raspberries anywhere near asparagus - raspberries are thugs and escape.

read your contract - it might stipulate no glass or certain dwarf root stock for fruit trees.

charles dowding (no dig man) was ripping his boards up as he said they encouraged slugs....i dont have them anyway. i have a small pond aka bucket to encourage frogs who eat the slugs

Get a water butt

We aren't allowed to plant trees on our plot sadly, though we have plans for them in our own garden.

It was previously farm land, we are in MK so central / south.

We have a waterbutt, we've not installed it here as there is no good drain for it to feed off, but I think we could convert it somehow to be a collection...

All our food waste goes off to be composted by the council, should we start our own compost bin? Or do people fill the darleks with bulk amounts of peat-free to use as and when?

my darlek gets filled mainly with weeds - you wont have anywhere to put them otherwise. i do add fruit/veg waste from my food waste (other things attract rats). I add a bit of free manure just to speed breaking down process. i wouldnt buy anything to add

I didn't even think about what I would do with green waste on the lotty!

Oh I love thinking about this sort of thing! I would get a small shed to store my chairs for sitting and admiring my allotment. Would plan an area of patio & potting table. Would save space for a greenhouse if I couldnt fit one in my garden and would attach water butt to either greenhouse or shed. Agree with pp to have beds not to wide and don't be stingy with paths. Would also plan a small pond to encourage frogs to eat my slugs and area to plant pollinator attractors like borage. Oh and at least 2 compost bins - one to fill one to empty 😊

Put weed fabric, or old carpet, or plastic wherever you’ve NOT got plants (yet).
Personally I’d wait and till Autumn to put in perennial crops - crack on with clearing beds for planting summer /autumn crops now and work on your perennial beds once the spring rush is done.
Have a bed for each veg family and an extra one for “odds and sods” and flowers.

Id not do anything too permanent straight away as you might totally change how you want to use it.

So for right away, I'd start gathering materials - saving all veg peelings etc but not cooked food, meat, carbs... saving or scrounging cardboard. Maybe savi g some 2L or bigger plastic bottles to use as cloches. Maybe get a 3 or 4 pallets to make abig compost bay or keep an eye out for dalek bins.

how big is your plot? full/half/quarter size as that would make a difference on how many sheds/seating areas etc i would make v allowing for growing space....ie if its a full sized plot you will have acres of room, if only a quarter not so.

we arent allowed carpet.....so read your contract.

...and then I'd figure out where the sun comes, and whether anything will shade your plot.

What are you planning to grow - much from seed?

follow Charles Dowding no dig methods.

charlesdowding.co.uk/

First job is definitely to consider water source and compost.

Water, get a big open trough, if you have a shed get a pipe going into it too, it won’t be enough initially but it’s easier than carrying it each time. Also try and find a decent source of mulch as this helps keep the weeds down and moisture in. At my old allotment we had a regular delivery of horse muck from a local stables.

Compost is really really important, any green waste and grass cuttings from home. Someone up thread mentioned weeds in his Dalek bin. Be careful of perennial weeds as the bin never gets hot enough to kill them off, either burn them if you’re allowed fires, or my aunt ferments them in a bucket of water, they break down, the water is then full of nutrients that you can use, they are often then weak enough to compost.

So the water method for weeds is a bit like comfrey tea? I like that idea.

Plot os 75m2

Water point is two plots down and we can only hand water. I am wondering if it is worth putting a small shed up just for the guttering and water collection.

How do you set up manure deliveries from a stables? Do you have to pay? There is a space in the plans for communal deliveries.

I don't have an allotment but if I did I'd definitely want somewhere to sit down and even if I lived 2 minutes walk away I'd probably want a shed.

I would cover (cardboard) and feed the soil and start by growing crops to harvest this year. I'd spend a bit of time getting used to the plot and how it worked, what bits are sunny, dry, catch the wind, frost pockets etc. After I had got the measure of it (second year realistically) I'd put in an asparagus bed, loads of rhubarb and permanent fruit bushes (given you aren't allowed trees)

I haven't got room for a greenhouse at home so I'd have one on the plot if allowed.

I would keep all the gardening junk I hoard at the allotment (yogurt pots, lids, loo rolls, string etc) which is another reason to have a shed.

75m is a generous quarter plot so you will use this space up much quicker than you think - i have 128m and struggle and dont have space for a shed. so suggest deciding next year about permanent structures, by which time you will know if you like allotments or not.

if there is a tap 2 plots down then that is fine, you just need two watering cans. water lots but say once a week on each thing. our allotment committee sorts out manure deliveries. usually for free - stables are keen to get rid of it. a tree surgeon for the bark.

personally i dont have any trouble composting weeds....but i do use the compost once its totally broken down

you are so lucky. having an allotment is so great

I think with ours the stables were so pleased to get rid of the stuff it was free, but they were more or less next door so it was just as easy to dump it there as elsewhere on their land, but all you can do is ask, they also have a huge muck pile that you just pitch up with bag and spade and help yourself.