New allotments Autumn 2010 Chat

dogcat_2

Hi guys....have been to my allotment today...first time since I got it.....(just haven't had time). Met a lovely lady who came up and introduced herself.:D Was asking her about her chickens..as the guy who is in charge of the allotments told me that my plot wasn't big enough to keep chickens and she said that he can be a pain! My plot is 3.5 rods and she reckons that I could keep a couple on there..what do you guys think?
I did a lot of digging today....quite please with what I achieved...although the weeds seem to grow so fast...when I went up there a couple of weeks ago...there weren't any.:eek:

loucroft

Some people who run allotments can be lovely, some a pain and a bit gossipy but they're all good for the place so hope for your sake he changes his mind about your chickens, I'm not sure but somebody will know the recommended size for you...

loucroft

Ooh forgot to ask, how easy is it to grow celery for next year, and asparagus? Quite fancy a dabble with some more things we will actually eat!

What type of beans can I grow - like to make bean stews and put them into allsorts of meals so would be good to have my own supply!

Might like to try melons but thats too adventurous knowing the space they need!

Denno17

loucroft wrote: »

Ooh forgot to ask, how easy is it to grow celery for next year, and asparagus? Quite fancy a dabble with some more things we will actually eat!

What type of beans can I grow - like to make bean stews and put them into allsorts of meals so would be good to have my own supply!

Might like to try melons but thats too adventurous knowing the space they need!

Can't help with the celery cause i hate it Asparagus don't cut any for the first year and it spreads like wildfire so may pay to put in a raised bed, Asparagus is a perennial so will come back every year, from one crown planted you could harvest it for 15 years or more. If you like beans then the world is your oyster broad beans, kidney beans or french beans you choose. Hope this helps

loucroft

yes that helps, there are things sometimes you think you can't grow here, want to be adventurous. As for the celery, my little boy eats it until it comes out of his ears!

What about butter beans, chick peas things like that?

miss_peekaboo

hey,

i started growing my own in stacked tyres in April and had a really successful year apart from caterpillar getting to my cauliflowers and my postman bursting my plastic green house

so there had been alot of activity a few miles away on a bit of land and being nosy i stopped and asked what they were up too!! turns out the chap had bought the land and was turning it into allotments!! now its not as cheap as a council one but by golly i really wanted one:rotfl:

some folk had obviously stopped and asked too cos their patches were already doing grand! so i jumped right in and booked a double plot 10m by 25m - i know this huge but how often will a chance to have an allotment come up?!

so the last time anything was on it was Christmas trees about 3 years ago so its pretty over grown. the chap has offered to dig it over with his jcb for £100 and cover it in free manure for me! :T he also puts up the fence and there are free slabs too:T

so im pretty much gonna take a back seat and let the manure and winter do its job, do my planning and then head up in jan and start digging! i am going to build my own poly tunnel cos no way can i afford to pay £500 - £600 for one! already got some barrels for water butts and some poles for the start of my poly so getting there :T

so since i have freed up some plating space in my garden i have made room for chickens!!!!!!!! im adopting some battery chooks next week so been busy building a coop and run for them

sorry for the long post but im super excited :j and the kids(6,5 and 2) and i have been well and truly bitten but the 'grow ur own' bug.



i'll keep y'all posted and any ideas or suggestions would be great!

thanks

CommitedToChange

Miss Peekaboo - glad you're so excited, but I have to know - how did the postman burst your greenhouse?

miss_peekaboo

well , its just a little one but was doing a good job of starting the seeds off. anyway, he opened the zip to leave a parcel for me and pulled it right off so he tried to put it back on and burst it!! lol

so now its just a sort of storage bit and mail/package drop of point!!

dogcat_2

I know I've post this before...but does anyone know roughly how much space is needed for a couple of chickens...? Thanks.

redsam

not much at all...but the more space the better, get a small electric fence with an energiser then you will be able to move them about then the land wont get nasty and better for your plot etc....