Hi folks 1st time on this thread and I'm not actually an allotmenteer, I've only been growing veg for 1 year now in 2 raised beds and have now increased this with a new large raised bed and a biggish greenhouse due in January. This will give me approximately 110 sqft of growing space, would this be a big enough area to produce a substantial amount of vegetables ?
Not aiming to feed my family entirely from it and not wanting to grow spuds which take quite a bit of space. My initial menu of plants would be beetroot, carrots, french and runner beans, kale, chard, spinach, radish, summer and winter salads, leeks, tomatoes, blub fennel, turnips and swede.
I have room to extend in the future (Mrs Wilderbeast doesn't know that yet) and add maybe 30sqft more, this would all be growing space not paths or shed areas etc. Is this a decent space or at all comparable with an allotment.
That would be loads of space to grow veg 1/2 my allotment - my allotment plot is 212 sqft an 8.5 rods plot (a rod = 25 sqft) and that includes compost bins a few sheds, space for growing flowers and a few chicken houses and runs and paths and space for growing veg - so not all for growing room of veg
With the greenhouse you could grow plants a lot earlier or start them off, my allotment neighbour grows raddish in there to get a longer season, some grow peas as well - even though you need lots of pea plants to get a good amount to eat - I much prefer home grown peas
Your beds look really good on the gardening thread, I started in the garden with some beds which I do still use as well just that they are in part shade so plants not do as well, beans do well, veg area at the bottom of garden that was overgrown with brambles so I tackled it for veg area, I have so much kale this year from 1/2 packet of seeds I sowed good that the chickens like it as well
Got my Gardeners World Mag yesterday and has free seeds chilli and rocket leaves- going to be free seeds in them for the next few months - more flowers - hope to get project greenhouse up some time soon winter project been sitting in bits in garden for a while since we went and took it down for free from someones garden may then try the chillies again did them a few years back did ok outside in pots/ growbags - for others to eat not for me
@GWRS I meant to reply the other day but got tied up while being stitched back together. Fingers much improved today.
I tried swede with not much success but I rather think that I got sowing dates very wrong, will try them again. 1st sowing of carrots were really good, 2nd not so. I broadcast them in a block rather than in rows which seemed to work ok thinned them and had no carrot fly. Chard, broad beans and radish has been my best crops to date.
@Gardengirl.. seems I should be good for space, my new greenhouse will be used like a poly tunnel with a full earth floor for all year round food growing it's 16ft X 8ft. Luckily our garden came with a small 6x8 poly greenhouse which I plan to keep using as a potting shed and nursery. When we acquired the large extension to our garden I swore I would never grow edibles but I just can't resist a new garden challenge (not that I've perfected and over come my ornamental garden skills and failures).
I've got seeds ordered and a sowing calendar up and hoping to be a bitore successful this year
Managed a trip to Allotment today, sorted another sack of stored spuds, some sprouting but not too bad. Finally cleared the last of the toms and peppers from the greenhouse. The self watering pots have been brilliant, I had 13 sweet peppers off 1 plant, the tomatoes were great too. Will definitely use more next year.
@Wilderbeast that sound good greenhouse massive - will you have a path down middle?
Glad your hand - poor fingers are doing bit better sounds so painful and scary
@Allotment Boy self watering pots sound interesting are they for grow bags?
Today spent the time up plot cleaning a coop and moving it as well to under the polytunnel frame, putting bark chipping down under, hope to put cover on once the windy weather in morning gone past
As were we built the new run area the weather with all the rain filled up the soil around the blocks we put in - made it a bit of the wet lake side area
@Gardengirl.. at the moment I'm leaving the whole area as a soil base (concrete ring beam foundation for the greenhouse). I'll see how a whole years growing goes before I look at making changes. Hopefully I can do winter salads and get better crops of hardy winter veg in there
@Gardengirl.. not for growbags, they are pots that sit on top of a water tank, with a special wick that goes down the side and into the tank. Not cheap but I am very pleased with results, the idea is you can fill the tank, and not need to water for up to 2 weeks. Before all the problems of this year, we had planned quite a lot of travel- if only!
Hi Everyone, I'm new to the group. Just got my first allotment in October. Its 6metres x 12 metres, full sun and seems like decent soil. There are some weeds there but ;luckily its fairly clear. The ground has been tilled every year for the last few years so feels a bit 'light'. I want to go onto this 'no dig' method so am setting out spaces for beds and covering some with cardboard, and some with membrane. Just invested in a potting shed for my garden close by and wanting to sow some seeds in there ready for early planting, and prep some potatoes. Any suggestions what veg I can start growing now? Dec/january seems a bit of a dormant month and I'm desperate to get going. Is cow muck any good for beds or am I better off getting horse manure? Sorry for all the questions.
@sjhocking4 nice plot and shed. I'm a newbie to veggies too and don't think you'll be wise to get anything down at the moment unless you can give them heat and light. (Many experts on here will know far better). Nothing wrong with cow muck, whatever you use it wants to be rotten or well on it's way to rotten. I'm going for the no dig approach too with 3 raised beds and a large greenhouse so will be great to compare results. As many on here will profess my thing is compost, my 2nd thing is compost and 3rd is compost, so get a compost bin up (I recommend pallets) 2 bays are great so you can turn 1 to the other (I have 7 bays but that's just mad 🤪🤪). I've got myself Charles Dowdings sowing calendar as it has some good tips and more accurate planting and sowing dates than those on seed packets which are way too optimistic. Good luck and enjoy
Any advice on seeds, I have lots from last year after I received a triple order. Will these still be usable/viable ? Some are headed for the bin as resulting veg was plain horrible in flavour. I have a packet of Beetroot F1 Action does anyone have any feedback, this was a late arrival in in place of Boltardy. I want to be raring on all cylinders (all being well fingers all healed as well) for spring.
Seed life is quite variable and it's not really that obvious. Runner bean seed lasts years French beans best fresh but will stretch a couple of years . All seed benefits from being stored cool & dry. I did find a site that listed seed viability I will try to find a reference. I grow Beet Action, for preference they don't make really big roots but, they are thin skinned and reliable.
Posts
I tried swede with not much success but I rather think that I got sowing dates very wrong, will try them again. 1st sowing of carrots were really good, 2nd not so. I broadcast them in a block rather than in rows which seemed to work ok thinned them and had no carrot fly. Chard, broad beans and radish has been my best crops to date.
@Gardengirl.. seems I should be good for space, my new greenhouse will be used like a poly tunnel with a full earth floor for all year round food growing it's 16ft X 8ft. Luckily our garden came with a small 6x8 poly greenhouse which I plan to keep using as a potting shed and nursery. When we acquired the large extension to our garden I swore I would never grow edibles but I just can't resist a new garden challenge (not that I've perfected and over come my ornamental garden skills and failures).
I've got seeds ordered and a sowing calendar up and hoping to be a bitore successful this year
Just invested in a potting shed for my garden close by and wanting to sow some seeds in there ready for early planting, and prep some potatoes. Any suggestions what veg I can start growing now? Dec/january seems a bit of a dormant month and I'm desperate to get going. Is cow muck any good for beds or am I better off getting horse manure? Sorry for all the questions.
I grow Beet Action, for preference they don't make really big roots but, they are thin skinned and reliable.