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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

new allotment, advice please?

11 replies

frazzled74 · 20/06/2010 20:28

i am getting an allotment tomorrow,it is already weed free, and tidy. what should i do first? what can i grow at this time of year? i am a complete novice so all advice appreciated.

OP posts:
isthatporridgeinyourhair · 20/06/2010 21:11

Congratulations!

I like to grow things which are expensive to buy, can't be easily be sourced or just don't taste the same.

Salads - plant now and continue sowing throughout the season.
Carrots - tiny baby ones.
Brassicas
Herbs - coriander parsley dill tarragon basil
Sweetcorn

Good luck!

RobynLou · 20/06/2010 21:13

at you getting an allotment which is weed free and tidy - mine was a jungle!

Bluebell99 · 20/06/2010 21:19

We have had our allotment a couple of months, wasn't weed free or tidy though, was overgrown, full of weeds. I curently have potatoes, courgettes, dwarf beans, lettuce, onions and yesterday planted some rocket, sweetcorn, carrots, radish and peas. Also am going to plant some pumpkins!

taffetacat · 20/06/2010 21:38

How exciting for you. As porridge said, I would go for stuff thats expensive or difficult to source or needs space to grow.

For example, we have a veg patch at home, but our soil is quite poor. My name's on the list for an allotment, as I'd like to grow asparagus, florence fennel and artichokes but don't have enough space for much at home or the best soil either.

What you grow depends on whether you'll be growing anything in addition at home and how often you will be able to get there for watering/maintenance etc.

Meglet · 20/06/2010 21:40

Have a look on freecycle and ask if anyone has any surplus veg plants they don't have the space for.

I've got my name down for an allotment but its going to be 3/4 years before it comes up .

frazzled74 · 20/06/2010 21:40

thanks, its a new plot, (due to high demand),so is smaller than most but thats fine for me as a beginner. I am very excited. do i need to add topsoil ?or can i just plant and sow and hope for the best?(told you i was a novice). I have 2 raised beds kits in my shed so i was thinking of taking them up to allotment and growing salad leaves in them and putting potatoes and carrots in the ground, as a start.

OP posts:
RobynLou · 20/06/2010 21:45

frazzled, it depends on what the soil is like. mine is hideously clay-ey and there's simply no way you could put seeds straight into it, you have to work alot of composted material in.
some councils allow you to fill up a car with the compost thats created by everyone's green bin waste.
I wouldn't think you need topsoil, you just might need to work in some 'organic matter'

as I said depends on the soil - it could be ok as it is

isthatporridgeinyourhair · 20/06/2010 21:46

Artichokes are great too. No work and look very structural.

frazzled74 · 20/06/2010 21:52

i have compost bin in my back garden so i could transfer the compost to the allotment,im not sure why i have a compost bin in a gravelled back yard , but at least it could come in handy now. I love artichokes!

OP posts:
snorkie · 20/06/2010 22:55

Congratulations - it's a hugely rewarding hobby I've found.

It's useful to have a shed - maybe you could get one from freecycle?

You are a bit late this year for some things, but carrots & beetroot & lettuce & radish + chard will all be fine from seed as will some types of cabbage/caulies.

If you can get hold of small plants (maybe from local farm shop, or spares from fellow allotmenteers or as meglet suggests ask on freecycle) now is a good time to plant out sweetcorn, beans (french + runner - need canes for both of these), courgettes & squashes, tomatos and leeks and brassicas (purple sprouting brocolli, cabbages, cauliflower, sprouts) + maybe celeriac. You might get away with planting any of these from seeds now (not celeriac), but small plants would be better if you can find them. Rhubarb crowns would be good to plant out now too.

In the autumn plant overwintering peas, broad beans, onions & garlic and look out for people with spare strawberry runners that have rooted. Plant soft fruit bushes in the autumn/winter.

Whether or not you need to add topsoil depends what it's like, but I imagine it's unlikely to be essential. Before planting brassicas add some lime to the soil.

WynkenBlynkenandNod · 21/06/2010 16:21

Congratulations! Can't add much to the others but apparently best time to sow Florence Fennel is after 21st June so there's a job for tomorrow!

I've just planted out some pepper plants and a couple of cucumbers. As the others have said, definitely ask around, I bet I am not the only one to have put in too many pumpkin and squash seeds. How lovely to have all your own compost ready to dig in.

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