Allotments....

[PrancerandDancer]

So I am (hopefully) getting my first allotment soon.

I've done bits of gardening in my back garden but it's always at risk of being trashed by my child/dog.

So tell... What do I need to get started?

Shamelessly watching .. we got out half on Thursday !

Oh that is exciting @mudgetastic what are you hoping to grow?

I'm going to look round tomorrow 😊

Potatoes and beans and squash this year - we did them when we had a bigger garden

There's rhubarb already there - very tasty today

Lots of digging to do

Get a good book that guides you month by month what to do. It will be good to see the state of your plot, some are great, some are awful! That may restrict what you can do for a while. It's an exciting time, good luck!

Have a good look to see if there are any invasive weeds on site. There is mare's tail on mine. I'm digging it out but it is time that could be better spent. I still love being up there but if I'd realised the extent of the problem I would have tackled it differently.

Check too if there is water on site. If so, does it actually work? We have a pump that very rarely works. If not, you can buy an IBC and set up your own system.

Good luck!

Yay, more allotmenteers! There is a veg patch thread on here, come join!

What you need really depends on what you have, and what you want to grow!
Take loads of pics when you go there, and try to figure out which way which way faces so where the sun comes, and where the shade will be.

Also take note of what weeds you can see, and what things are in the ground - trees, fruit bushes etc. Any sheds, tools?

And where is the water and what are the rules? At mine, you can't use hoses so it's carting watering cans back and forth.

What's an IBC?
Can anyone link to the growing veg thread please?

Money is what you need lots of!!😂

you will suddenly be dreaming of all the designs/plants/supports and seedlings you can now buy .
Got mine at end of last year, been enjoyable working there but it’s been a bit expensive this first year to set up!

the thread you need to find is “The vegetable patch”

IBC = intermediate bulk container. You can pick them up second hand, just be careful as they may have contained chemicals or oil. Mine had held animal feed. Run a pipe from a shed into the top and then a tap can be set up from the tank. Happy to answer any questions as this part was a bit of a faff.

Agree!

Have a look on your local freegle etc, you may just get lucky with equipment etc.

Also have a chat with the other plot holders tomorrow, they'll give you lots of information about the site.

im no expert, id guess decide what you want to grow, then look at the size of the plot, then plan the different sections on what you want to plant, then look at what materials you need to customise the plot, then look at what to grow and acquiring the various plants, seeds, ect

Thanks so much everyone. I've ordered a couple of books and will look at the Veg Patch thread.

I have grown Strawberries, Carrots, Potatoes and Sweetcorn in my garden in previous and have some plants in pots ready to go :) am excited to get started!!

Awesome

If anyone has a link to the veg patch could they post it - I found it via safari but can't seem to bookmark it any more

www.mumsnet.com/talk/gardening/4427839-The-Vegetable-Patch?page=24

Thank you !