Allotmenteers ?

[Fibilou]

Does anyone else have an allotment and would like to chat ?
It's our 3rd year this year, didn't do very much this year due to pregnancy and very hectic schedule but can't wait to get back into it this year. Got big plans !
We've got 2 greenhouses on our plot and I'm planning on planting a grape vine this year and we're going to be investing in a fruit cage.
There's an empty plot next to us which can't be cultivated (apparently) so we are contemplating writing to the committee to see if we can rent it and plant a proper little orchard with a couple of apples, pears, plums and a cherry.

Wyken - Yes i think you are supposed to bury the wire, although last year I just bought some green heavy duty plastic netting which i used to make a little fence round my lettuces, and it did seem to work, maybe our rabbits are lazy and can't be bothered to dig!
You know you can increase you raspberry canes by layering them? if your canes are old or not very productive.
I love the sound of bert! Every allotment has a 'bert'!!
Oh and no I don't have a shed on the allotment, so I have to take all my tools with me, I need them at home and for work anyway, so they tend to stay in the car most of time.

Send those lazy rabbits over to me please, I don't fancy having to dig the wire in on top of digging my plot !

I didn't realise you could layer either raspberries or gooseberries so that is brilliant, thanks to MN my plot will already be more productive.

There's no parking very close by so lugging tools is going to be a pain, I need to sort something. I am on the look out to see if I can get a cheap shed as it will make life much easier. The plot backs onto the cricket ground and I have visions of taking a moment in the summer to watch them all play.

Bert asked me if I would be entering the Allotment in Bloom competition at which point I nearly passed out at the idea. However having thought about it a bit more and going through my seed box, I'm planting some runner with salmon pink flowers, peas with purple flowers, purple podded beans, yellow tomatoes, sweet peas, sunflowers, bright lights chard, yellow round courgettes and squash and hopefully it might brighten the plot up so I've tried a bit. The DC's are going to make a scarecrow.It's all very exciting, I do feel like a child at Christmas at the moment, though I'm sure a few more sessions of digging will bring me back to reality.

That all sounds lovely!
I have just bought some nastursium seeds to try this year. They are supposed to attract hoverflys which eat the aphids and apparently you can eat the flowers - although am not sure if i'll be trying them.
One of the allotments opposite ours was stunning last year full of tall hollyhocks and dahlias, and they also keep bees on there!
Mine was a bit more 'rough and ready' am hoping it'll be a bit tidier this year though!!

plantwoman, IMO nasturtium flowers aren't that nice, but the leaves are good - kind of peppery tasting & a good mix in with some lettuce to perk it up a bit. I put the flowers on top of salads to make them look pretty, though.

What does 'layering' mean re the raspberries?

Yay, allotments are great! We've had ours just over a year now & I love it. My tip for butternuts would be don't bother - grow 'crown prince' squashes instead - much more realiable, bigger and just as tasty. They store really well too - we still have several in the garage.

Paisleyleaf - layering is a form of increasing plants and can be done on most shrubby type plants that have flexible stems.
You 'wound' part of the stem with a sharp clean knife then peg that part down so that the wound is in contact with the soil. Roots will then start to grow from the wounded area. You can then remove it from the main plant (once properly established)
hey presto new plant!

Thankyou. I know what you mean now - I just didn't know what it was called.
We have inherited some sorry looking raspberries so will give that a go.

hi we have just got our allotment too after waiting on the list for 7 years! it is right behind our house though so pretty handy! we only have half a plot but we don't mind as we are newbies to it all so it will give us a chance to start off easy! we have found rhubbarb and fennel so far and have just ordered our seed potatoes for chitting picking them up tonight! we also want to grow raspberrys but do have have to have a fruit cage to keep the birds off? is a bit of netting enough? we also keep finding jersalem artichoke tubers everywhere!! our dc's love it down there as lots of chickens and geese etc and we are going to ask permission for a greenhoise and put my mum and dad's old one down there.

Ruby, you are at the same stage as me, mine is also a half plot. Strawberries are fine with netting so I should think Raspberries would be OK. The ones at home when I was a child weren't netted and we got loads.

I went to plot this morning and started the couch grass section, I need a wheelbarrow as the clumps that come out are flipping heavy. Further up the plot is much easier going and we've dug over a third. Found some rhubarb and tea tonight is mashed spud which we found whilst digging.

Went into Wilkinson's today and have bought some perpetual strawberries, asparagus, seed trays, seeds, perlite, weed suppressing membrane, seed potatoes, onion sets and garlic. DS has just helped me plant some broad beans, winter lettuce, peas, aubergines and sweet peas, whilst DH has been given a hydroponic kit so is in techy heaven growing chilli's, all very exciting.

Could anyone tell me when to plant the onion sets and garlic please?

WynkenBlynkenandNod you've done loads!! we have had heavy snow here last night so no planting poss yet!! we've dug over though. i need to get to wilko's and get some stuff sorted too!

I use the word "done" very loosely Ruby, there is a big difference between the bits I've done and the bits DH has done, is might need a touch more work

We've been very lucky with the top bit, it has been very easy to do and the soil is great. It's the rabbit fencing that is going to be a PITA I think.

I've planted peas, sweetpeas and broadbeans this weekend.
My potatoes are chitting and I've done a bit of digging.

I've also been hacking back pruning shrubs and roses. The first year we moved int our house we were far too tender with everything and just trimmed everything, by the summer the whle place was out of control so I am now fairly ruthless.

My chilli and pepper plants are about 2 inches tall - I've made the same mistake I make every year and planted too many, still, I'll have lots to give away.

Can I join you please? I am ashamed to say I've had my plot for almost 3 years but have hardly done anything to it. In my defence I have been growing a lovely baby instead! He's just turned 1 and so I think it's now time for me to get on with it.

My plot is big and was uncultivated for 2 years before I had it. I have terrible trouble with rampant Horsetail and as it's going to take years to get it under control I'm wondering whether putting in some raised beds would help?

I'm planning this year on growing things that are relatively expensive to buy so no potatoes or onions this year but lots of peas, beans, salad stuff and soft fruit and also flowers for cutting.

What flowers will you be growing TheHouseofMirth?

I'm planning to grow sweetpeas, cosmos, pansies, alysum, lobelia and violas but I could do with some more ideas.

WBN, I'd put the garlic in right away. People usually seem to put it in Oct-Dec, but I think you'd get away with it now. Onion sets mostly go in in March (a few varieties can go in October & overwinter).

AJUPB I was thinking of Antirrhinum, Alstroemeria, phlox, cleome, scabious, cosmos, and I'm starting to be attracted to "old lady" flowers like gladioli and dahlias too.

Wynken - i usually plant garlic in october, but you can still put it in now (although we have just had yet more snow over the weekend - so nothing is getting planted at the moment)
onion sets I would wait until next month.
lots of you seem to be way ahead with chilli's - I need to get orgnaised, and also sowing lettuce seeds - although i have no idea where to put them, until the weather warms up, as I have no more windowsill space left!

Thank you Snorkie and Plantwoman, will get down there as soon as it dries up a bit.

Can I join you please? Have just found out today that after a 2 year wait we finally have a half plot! We're so excited!

The past 3 summers we've grown strawberries, courgettes, peas, tomatoes and salad leaves in pots in the garden. But really excited to see what we can do with an allotment.

I'm 18 weeks pregnant so friends are going to help us out this summer while they wait for their plot. Going to go home tonight and start planning! The allotments are at the end of our road, so nice and close.

hi all just to make sure everyone knows that lidl are having a gardening day on monday with lots of seed tray things etc if you have one handy! we are also going to grow courgettes (of course!!) cut and come again salad, carrots, squashes, pumpkin and beans but not sure which ones are easiest?? is mangetout hard to grow? maybe spinach as well i have been reading up about perpetual spinach?? we want to grow things we eat but are hard to find/expensive to buy but fairly easy!! any tips gratefully recieved!

On the subject of cheap stuff, has anyone tried any of the cheapy seeds that Wilkinsons do?

am just starting my first full year of allotmenteering, having taken mine over mid summer last year. was in a bit of a state so am working my way down gradually making it into 3 foot wide beds. its a total escape and i sneek down there after work before going home some times - very naughty but pure bliss! any other sneeky allotmenters out there!!

Houseofmirth, I bought some cheap Wilkinson's seeds on Saturday. Planted two different broad beans, peas, aubergines and sweet peas on Sunday. Had a look yesterday and there is a pea seedling and a lot of the broad bean seeds have moved up so I think they are going to be fine.

Rubyroo, Mange tout are very easy to grow, I had a good lot off three plants in a pot as an experiment. Perpetual spinach is also very easy.

I'm looking forward to lots of sneaking off to the plot and can't wait until it stops raining as I want to go down and put the garlic in.

Emailed someone about a second hand shed yesterday so am hoping they come back to me. I showed my latest pictures to my Mum and she said it looks like a proper allotment which was good to hear,

Aargh! dh now getting cold feet about our allotment! Anyone have any tips/advice on how to manage an allotment with a pre-schooler and a baby on the way? Pretty sure the pre-schooler will love it and be lots of help . Please tell me it can be done!