Wow I've got an allotment

[Deleted User]

Its a wee bit overgrown but not as bad as it could have been (rotovator in asap even if some folks disagree).., I just want it to loosen the hard baked ground, will still pull the weeds etc out as much as possible altho the rotovator will chew some up I know.

I'll be sharing it with two other interested parties.., we all get on well.., and possibly the third will drop out so we'll see how it goes.

Just when I was wondering how I was gonna fit all my stuff in the space I have.., it couldn't have come at a better time lol.

soul619

congrats, happy for you! hope it goes a little cooler to make it easier

[Deleted User]

Yeah I think I need to get some kind of hat.., I was out in the back garden at 6am this morning to do what needed to be done without dying of heat exhaustion lol.

What are other people doing so that u can go out other than early morning and late evening? Obviously there is going to be some hard work ahead of me and I can't do it in such limited time lol.

soul619

im out at 7.30 and its been hot then

[Deleted User]

I know its a bit late in the season.., but is it possible/worth getting some well rotted manure delivered. I've never done anything with manure before.., so don't know how u deal with it, what u are looking for except that it should be well rotted.., whatever that actually means lolol. The guy I was talking to says u get it delivered at the end of the growing year and leave it on your plot over the winter (and then presumably dig it in) but this is a whole new territory to me lol.

Amended.., I've found this so hopefully it'll give me an introduction into how to get started lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAaC876l-u4

[Deleted User]

I can not believe how well this has gone. I was a bit nervous about applying for an allotment cause I thought it would be a bit clique but an older man and his son seem to have taken us under his wing. The allotment was terribly overgrown but he saw we were keen (I hope) and has offered to loan us cutting equipment, then cut down a load of stuff for me when I had to rush off cause my older son had problems in school. I got back to the allotment at 7pm, worked til there was only streetlight clearing what I could and things have just mushroomed since then, with them giving us an awful lot of help.

The ground is now cleared after a hard days work today, the soil has been rotivated today (by my other half who has blisters on his blisters and doesn't have an unsore part of his body lol.., the rotivator use given by the neighbouring allotment owners for a paltry sum - and they rotivated it for hours too), stone clearing going on and will be ploughed tomorrow. He's said we can have some of the nets he's getting from a building site tomorrow, and wood for brassica cages and he'll let us have excess seedlings for a ridiculously low price. Basically, I'll give him a list tomorrow and he'll see what he's got as excess.

I have got chitted potatoes and seedlings of my own, but of course not enough to fill this huge plot lol. Savoy cabbage and broccolli etc here I come lolol. To think we have gone from a jungle to soil in two days is amazing but wouldn't have been possible without the help of these two gentlemen. Mind u, I got in today, needed to start dinner but it was straight up to the shower lol.., not nice .., never seen water that colour from washing my hair before ha ha. Think I brought half of the allotment home with me.

But I hope this post encourages other nervous potential allotment owners. Obviously we have been extremely lucky getting all this help, but I have heard its not an unusual story altho I didnt actually expect this kind of support.

Quite makes the world seem a rather lovely place again (no I'm not high on something lol.., just astounded at the kind reception). And yes, I might have spent the better part of the last two days pulling nasty things from the soil and stones etc.., but oh dear, I am having SUCH fun too lol.

[Deleted User]

OK, ground is cleared and plowed and stones removed as much as possible for now (continuing process I know lol).

Tomorrow I start planting crops. I have planned out best as I can what will go where altho I'm sure I've underestimated or overestimated exactly how much space I will need. Planned for crop rotation so peas (notrogen fixing) & runner beans are followed by brassicas (nitrogen needy) followed by potatoes and roots. I will also be planting tomatoes, sweetcorn onions etc.

I have been told to soak my peas overnight to get them to chit sooner.

Does anyone else have any other tips?

I am totally out of money now. Someone is going to help with timber and nets for brassica cages, I have a small amount of fish blood and bone (my neighbours may let me have more on a use now pay later basis which is extremely kind) but have no compost at all and a small amount of growmore. My allotment is 40ft by 90 ft so I definitely don't have enough fertiliser. How do I prioritise what I do have rather than use my neighbours (want to see if I can avoid it).

I know I sound useless but I was given this allotment unexpectedly and unfortunately have had a large drop in income which its going to take a month to recover from. So I'm a bit short of cash right now, altho I do have the crops to plant. I'm even going to have to borrow hoes lol (do have a fork, spade, trowel etc lol). I have tried to put posts on Freegle but having some problems with getting messages to appear on there, in case someone has some spare equipment.

Many thanks

soul619

your local council may give away free compost

Yorkie1

I really wouldn't worry too much about fertiliser for the time being. I'm very ad hoc in what I remember to apply to my lotty and the crops still grow! I'd save the FBB / growmore for the sweetcorn / peas / beans areas, and you can weed with a trowel if need be.

Just enjoy yourself and it will all come good!

nedmundo

Might be worth buying a petrol mini-tiller. Now it's been rotovated, you should be able to keep on top of it and it makes digging compost in so much easier!

[Deleted User]

I have managed thank goodness. Only a third of the allotment to fill now. My neighbouring allotment holder had lots of spare brassica seedlings he couldnt find room for, so I filled my brassica section with them lol (he also lent me wood and nets for the needed cages). Don't worry tho, we're not taking advantage, my OH has fixed both his rotovators and a lawn mower and we water for him as needed so its swings and roundabouts. They've been very kind to us.

I still haven't bought any lime, but managed to eke my growmore out so all the plants that need it got it. Managed to find some 8ft canes, enough to supply my runner bean needs and just about breaking even financially so we are still eating lolol.

I must have gone to 5 different shops to find a sieve I could afford so I can create a stoneless trench for carrots (had experiences with short and warped carrots in my own garden thru stones, not having that again lol).

Even found some boots (pink for goodness sake) for half the price of cheap new ones.., on ebay. They will get very messy which isn't good for suede timberland boots but they'll do for now as long as I don't look at my feet lol. My trainers have been destroyed by the dirt lolol and I was getting sick of finding half the allotment inbetween my toes ha ha.

So its all good. Some things are starting to come thru .., and the things that should be growing are. My courgettes in my raised beds at home are ginormous.., must be two feet across (leaves) lol.

The sharing arrangement hasn't been taken up.., I suspect the people involved felt a bit guilty at the hours we were putting in (and they are both very busy) so didn't pursue the original arrangment. If asked, I'd have kept to it but I have to admit (guiltily) that I'm rather glad.., the allotment as it is doesn't seem big enough lol. I'll give them the grown produce instead. I suspect for a lot of people, the idea of growing your own loses some of its gloss when u actually have to clear an allotment to do it lolol. Mind u, I've thoroughly enjoyed every part of the process so far.