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A New Allotment - Hints and Tips?
dogwooddays
Posts: 258
in Fruit & veg
After 10 years off and on waiting, we've finally got an allotment. I'm beyond excited :-D What hints and tips would you give us newbie allotmenteers as we start out with our plot?
I've put lots of pictures on my blog so you can see what we have and haven't got to get us going...
https://dogwooddays.net/2016/06/10/allotment-98b-new-beginnings/)
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Get a blank sheet of paper and sit down with a glass of whine and write down
1. What do you want to eat from your plot
2. When will it be ready
3.Which suppliers to use
4.When to buy the seeds or young plants
5.Learn what they like and dont like
6.learn what to add to they soil......................manure
7.Concentrate on one bit of the plot
Main thing is dont listen to anyone as none of us really know what is best but its easy to give advice !!!
Good luck
Thanks guys - really useful advice and made me smile too :-)
Congrats on finally getting an Allottmentm I remember mine and how I tried to do as much as I could. I had it for 3 years and then gave up.
The family started out all keen and after about 3 months it was only me struggling to hold down a full time job, run a home and attend to hub and son. Basically I thought they would have helped but they didn't..
The thing is do not try to do too much the first year,just clearing the weeds will take it out of you.. Clean up the ground use potatoes for that plus you will use those.. See what you can salvage from the previous user, compost heap etc shed if you are lucky.. I recall buying a book entitled The Allotment Book it was very good I passed it on to a mate a couple of years ago now..
I gave up cos of fimding it hard tp keep it weeded and watered and what finally broke me was kids who got on the site and smashed everything to a pulp ripped out plants and hacked sweetcorn etc....
Now I cultivate a large range of fruit and veg that is in my protected garden.. It looks great and I do not get any trouble.
But I wish you better luck than I had....
I got my allotment 6 months ago. The advice I keep getting is: Potatoes. I've been slowly digging over the areas, one at a time, keeping the others under tarp to suppress weeds.
On my site the soil has needed digging over several times (maybe I'm just bad at digging?) I have around 50 potatoes in there and plan to plant another 2kgs as the soil becomes ready. I've also managed to put in some onions, garlic, peas, runner beans and cauliflower. The peas probably won't survive and I'm not expecting great result from the other things this year.
I've found that taking photos each week is good for motivation. There have been so many times when I've felt disheartened because all I see are the weeds and uncultivated soil. Then I look at how it was a month ago and see all the good stuff.
Good luck!
Last edited: 11 June 2016 21:43:33
Sorry to hear the allotment didn't go well for you BLT. Glad the garden growing is more fun and successful. I like the potatoes tip Emma28. Thanks. What's not to love with lots of potatoes? :-)
We used o have an Allotment years ago.
It was full of couch grass so we sorted it by planting potatoes. You need to get the root of couch grass so if you have any do not just pull it it will grow more from the roots.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=283
Don't plant in the same place year2 do rotate, rotate. Decide where Carrots/potatoes/onions/etc will be growing year one.
Any stones in the carrot bed remove before planting or the carrots will fork.
Cauliflowers when the tiny head appears cover. all veg nearly can bolt meaning stunted growth.
Carrot Fly:
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=485
I am almost sure you can interplant to deter carror fly. CarrotsEnglish Pea, Lettuce, Rosemary, Onion Family, Sage, Tomato.
Enjoy the experience of Allotment growing. We went to harvest for veg with the dew still on what we picked.
The Newbies that we can see that will not stay the course usually show these early signs !!
1. Checking of mobile phones
2.Driving their cars to the plot and blocking the hauling way for others
3.Installing of tables and chairs and sun awnings and play slides
They miss the point of being An Allotmenteer and cant shake off the Outside World
I truly hope you settle in ASAP and can feel those shoulders dropping and meeting the many friends you will make.
Having a plot means you dont Lose The Plot as the pace of nature is very good at stress busting and encouraging tranquility
I try to achieve stuff at each visit but its usually Talking 60% and Working 30% and not knowing where the other 10% goes
Good Luck
Thanks for the advice. I like the sound of the allotment percentage work rate!! It's certainly good to meet others and share advice on the allotment.