New allotments Autumn 2010 Chat

radiohelen

JoeBlack - don't plant too many courgette plants... we did last year and were heartily sick of the beggars by the end of the year. I still have them in my freezer now! I'd say four plants would be ample for a family of four people. Plant some winter squashes instead. At least they keep well through the winter.
Bit of advice for free - only plant things you like to eat! I don't like runner beans, radishes and cabbage so why did I plant them last year? I have no idea either

charlies-aunt

OOOhh! can I join this thread - we got our half allotment on 01.01.11 so we are very much the newbies
Ours was very ovegrown - but luckily a friend offer her OH to rotovator it for us - went over it twice in different directions and it looks fab now! Spent a couple of hours this afternoon putting our early and late potatoes in and looking forward to next weekend to start sowing seeds.

Not aiming to do anything fancy - just basic fruit and veg but we are embarassingly keen! (must be a sign of middle age! :rotfl:) we have got a lot of innocent pleasure doing the potatoes today

We have inherited a strawberry patch, raspberry and blackcurrant bushes which are a bonus but a bit baffling as we haven't has any dealings with these before.... all doing great guns but they are all entangled in big clumps of grass - not sure what to do as getting rid of the grass would entail digging the plants up too and the raspberries and strawberries are throwing suckers like there is no tomorrow...again not sure if they should be dug up and discarded - or dug up and replanted elsewhere! A visit to the library is in order next week to get books to find out how to go on and a close inspection of the plant labels as didint realise that a lot depends on what variety they are

We think that we have been lucky as our half plot has lovely soil - quite fine but not sandy . . . . but very dry at the moment.

Looking forward to getting some of the rhubarb from our inherited clump into a crumble next weekend too! The credit crunch may be happening but we feel happier that, with hard luck and a bit of luck, we will be self sufficient more or less with veg this year

scotsaver

charlies-aunt - welcome on board, you'll soon be hooked like the rest of us.:D

I can't get up to the Allotment until Wednesday and on checking the Forecast it looks like we'll be getting heavy rain all day.:mad: I want to get my Spuds in but may have to spend the day in the Greenhouse sheltering, but at least I can get on with sowing more Seeds.;)

dogstarheaven

got my spuds in today, about 20 tubers of earlies in the hour after i got back from work, before the rain came down. the main crop pots (about 10) will go in later in april when i've got the bed dug out more. some of the varieties i lost the names to (that'll teach me from buying about 10 varieties from the Potato Fair!)

other things that have progressed -

pricked out - salad leaf, mustard, globe artichoke (and sown some more), tomatillo, tomato 'roma'

planted in pots and put in unheated greenhouse - broad bean and sugar snap.

just found made enquiries about a 2nd hand wooden 8 x4 shed for £50 and 18 slabs for a £1 each, and we're viewing it tomorrow.. can't wait!!

dogstarheaven

also got my T&M flower seed order thru' at the w/e and sown -

agastache, gaura, helichrysum, mina lobata and verbena hastata. most of these are perennials, so i'll be glad when they'll come up year after year for me... the mina lobata looks lovely as a climber so am looking forward to that in flower.. anyone growing these btw? xxx

CommitedToChange

Well I have moved plots AGAIN - I'm now plot number 50. :rotfl:

This should be the final move (for this year at least) This plot has pros and cons - it does flood in the winter rain, though they are supposed to placing the final drains down the path by my plot so that should resolve that. However unlike plot 105 this one had been worked on recently and that will save me many many hours of back breaking work :j

It even has semi raised beds already in place. :beer:

Should be able to start on Saturday and get my spuds in :T

Sally_A

CommitedToChange wrote: »

This plot has pros and cons - it does flood in the winter rain, though they are supposed to placing the final drains down the path by my plot so that should resolve that.

Bet you're really excited :T Does the whole thing flood in winter?, if it's only a part of the plot, don't plant parsnips, leeks, sprouts or purple sprouting broccoli down that end - or anything else you may wish to harvest over the soggy months.

CommitedToChange

Yeah I think its just the bottom end - the previous tenants dug a drainage ditch and I think I'll keep that up.

WIth that and Raised beds at the top of the plot I'm hoping I should be ok - can't wait to get started this weekend

Sally_A

If the "wet end" retains moisture in summer after rainfall too, it would be a great place for runner & french beans, they like moisture; on the downside too much could wash out the nutrients you've dug into the bean trench, so if you can line this with old newspapers (2 or 3 sheets thick) before putting the "good stuff" in the trench, it might help retain it a bit.

Even better if the end is on a North to South aspect too, as beans seem to be more prolific on the western facing side of a frame mostly, and eastern secondly.

CommitedToChange

great tip, thanks I will defo be planting those there then, would be rude not too ;D

Getting very excited now