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New Allotment Plot: Help required
p_smith100
Posts: 10
Hi all,
So i have been gardening properly for around 2 years and still an amateur at this.
I have just managed to get an allotment plot which is 14 x 4 metres.
It needs work to de weed etc but is there any advice on tools, what approach to take, easy crops for first year etc. to get me going.
Thank you in advance.
So i have been gardening properly for around 2 years and still an amateur at this.
I have just managed to get an allotment plot which is 14 x 4 metres.
It needs work to de weed etc but is there any advice on tools, what approach to take, easy crops for first year etc. to get me going.
Thank you in advance.
0
Posts
we took on a large plot (about double yours I think!) overgrown with brambles, nettles, dock - but worst of all Bind weed and horsetail.
We hacked everything down, then went around digging areas to remove roots as much as possible and prepare for planting.
heres my key advice:
1) don’t try and do it all at once - so one area at a time, get something planted in it to give you a quick win and then move on to a new bit when you are able.
If you try and sort it all in one go, it’s really hard work, can put you off it.
I kept back third as a compost area and wildlife area - so mostly untouched. Although I eventually dug a pond.
middle third for veg etc.
front third, I just kept it mowed for the first year.
2) Growing plants in modules/pots and plant out when they’ve grown a decent amount and can fend for themselves - do not sow direct, unless in a newly prepared raised bed - Because if you’ve got a really overgrown weedy plot then the weeds will swamp seedlings and it’s a nightmare trying to weed around newly seeded plants. (Get netting too to protect brassicas particularly - all of ours got stripped instantly by pigeons - it hadn’t even occurred to me in that first year!)
3) make sure everything is secure, don’t leave anything there that you wouldn’t be prepared to lose. I had a whole polytunnel stolen from our plot while we were self isolating last year. Got it back in the end but it was a major stress. So name everything, and don’t leave your best tools or anything expensive. Have a cheap set just for there if you can.
Have fun and view it as a long term project, it doesn’t have to all be done and perfect at once. Split the job into small manageable parts and take lots of photos so you can see for yourself the progress you’ve made. 🙂
They say that growing potatoes is a good way to start off a newly dug area but that depends whether you eat many potatoes or it's a pointless exercise. As for tools you don't need that many to start with, I would suggest a digging fork, spade, trowel, small hand fork, rake and a hoe, also a bucket of some container to carry weeds to the compost heap, you don't need a wheelbarrow but one could come in handy if you need to move stuff any distance.
Good luck and enjoy the fresh air, exercise and fresh food.
I would like to thank you for your advice. Luckily, the weeds are just brambles and grass which has spread mainly and the removal of some unwanted structures and vegetables which I am not fond off.
I have managed to clear out a good section this weekend and looking forward to the final finish and to get it in use.
The links were a great help as well as your own advice and also very intrigued with the no dig approach, although i know little about this currently so will need to look into this a little more.
I have some basic tools already but i wanted to check if i needed anymore, the two main things which I still need to make life a little easier is a storage box to leave some tools behind and then a compost bin/box as there are two already here (one which is unsealed at the top end) but these are small and took only around 20 minutes to fill so definitely need something larger.
Thank you all again.
Kind regards,