New allotments Autumn 2010 Chat

nodwah

CommitedToChange wrote: »

I just paid my rent for my allotment and discovered they have pretty much dug it up to fix the drainage problems!!!!! Thank goodness I didn't do much before christmas! Lol at least this might solve the water problem.

At least it's dug over for you :D

CommitedToChange

Very true - always a bright side

scotsaver

How are you all getting on - I'm up and running again for this Year, put my Garlic in yesterday and netted over it to stop the birds pecking them up again, although I'm not sure if they go for Garlic. Also got some onions to go in and some red onions but didn't have time as it was so cold and windy there yesterday I only stayed for a couple of hours. Back up there tomorrow so will put the Onions in then.

Took some photos when I was up there, this will be my first Year with the whole Plot ready to plant up so wanted to get some "before", "during" and "after" Photos - can you tell that I'm getting excited.:j

I've also typed up an Excel spreadsheet listing everything I want to plant/sow and when it needs done and where I'm going to put it.

Just need to wait for Spring now.:D

smithyjules

Hi all, newbie on this thread, got our plot last year when I was heavily pregnant so this year is our first proper year lol!
Scotsaver - that spreadsheet sounds like a really good idea, i tried a note book but kept writing too much in each section and running over and then got in a muddle.oh and I got it wet too which was none to helpful!:o Any chance we could have a sneeky peek?!I know it's cheeky but I thought it was worth an ask lol!
Jules

scotsaver

smithyjules wrote: »

Hi all, newbie on this thread, got our plot last year when I was heavily pregnant so this year is our first proper year lol!
Scotsaver - that spreadsheet sounds like a really good idea, i tried a note book but kept writing too much in each section and running over and then got in a muddle.oh and I got it wet too which was none to helpful!:o Any chance we could have a sneeky peek?!I know it's cheeky but I thought it was worth an ask lol!
Jules

Hi Jules - it's nothing special, just a few columns listing each seed/plant in alphabetical order, and then a column saying when seed needs sown and another column with where I'm going to put each thing - either on the Allotment, greenhouse, Garden or in pots on Patio.;) Worrying thing is the sheet has spilled over onto a 2nd sheet as I'm becoming a Seed addict but I look at it from the point of view that it's all good for us and I don't have any other bad habits, none that I'm aware of anyway.:o Looks like you are in the same situation with me with this being my first Proper year too - although I wasn't heavily pregnant last year, Allotment was just very overgrown and took me some time to sort it so only got about one third planted up last year. My 2 Girls are 14 and 12 and not interested in getting muddy but I love it up there, it's my little Oasis.:)

smithyjules

Scotsaver - i think maybe something fairly simple is probably best in hindsight as I was writing a novel about each thing I planted and then realised i probably could have just stapled the seed packet in the notebook lol.Just having everything in one place with dates etc would be a good plan for me.

I managed to get a bit dug over and weeded last year (hubby tried to convince me that I was too poorly but I'm an independant madam) before I was rushed in with Pre-ecampsia and had our baby 4 weeks early (yes hubby was right lol!).

This year the little fella will be over there with me and so will my Daughter who's 4 now. I'm sure once she is the age of your girls she will be unimpressed by mud so I am making the most of this lovely time where she is fascinated by everything and especially interested in it if is is messy! Although I am hoping that this year she will understand why I won't let her water the weeds rather than cry!

Enjoy your oasis as I am sure I will do to!!

dogstarheaven

hey everyone! got my plot only 3 wks ago, it's a full sized and is v. overgrown. half full of Japanese Knotweed (yes, you've read that right!) but supposedly killed off by Roundup over last 3 yrs, hence why plot is so overgrown. at the time, when we've ID'd the JK (after 7hrs of backbreaking digging! and coming home to check on the Environment Agency's site) we got v. angry for the council to not had informed us of what was in the plot before... anyway gone past that now, and hopefully, their word about it not returning will be decided on in the coming yr.

we're just digging and digging atm. lots of bonfires built. the ground's been cleared of all the bramble, so now it's just willow saplings all over it and bramble roots to dig up. oh yes, the other side of the plot is JK and mixed with what i think is Rosebay Willowherb seedlings. 3 bed are currently being made. the plot faces North East which isn't a bad spot as it's sloping downwards, so there's plenty of room to shelter things at the bottom end. we've dug the first bed but will make it a lot bigger, it's 16ft x 5ft. there will be paths running thru' all the beds but we've decided to just dig as much as we can then put in the paths later. as these are really invasive weeds (willow and bramble and JK) we wouldn;t be growing much until all or most of it is clear.

got some Comfrey, Bocking 14 put in yesterday. way-hey!! finally, planted my first plants!!! felt weird as i got so used to digging and pulling all the time! got these off a friend and put them in a dedicated 8ft x 3ft patch at the top of the plot so that the sun wouldn't block out any light from the other plants.

slowly, but surely we will get there. will have to go down in a bit, as it got really windy last night (anyone else?) we've built a make-shift tent with tarp, and it might have come down...

scotsaver

dogstarheaven wrote: »

hey everyone! got my plot only 3 wks ago, it's a full sized and is v. overgrown. half full of Japanese Knotweed (yes, you've read that right!) but supposedly killed off by Roundup over last 3 yrs, hence why plot is so overgrown. at the time, when we've ID'd the JK (after 7hrs of backbreaking digging! and coming home to check on the Environment Agency's site) we got v. angry for the council to not had informed us of what was in the plot before... anyway gone past that now, and hopefully, their word about it not returning will be decided on in the coming yr.

we're just digging and digging atm. lots of bonfires built. the ground's been cleared of all the bramble, so now it's just willow saplings all over it and bramble roots to dig up. oh yes, the other side of the plot is JK and mixed with what i think is Rosebay Willowherb seedlings. 3 bed are currently being made. the plot faces North East which isn't a bad spot as it's sloping downwards, so there's plenty of room to shelter things at the bottom end. we've dug the first bed but will make it a lot bigger, it's 16ft x 5ft. there will be paths running thru' all the beds but we've decided to just dig as much as we can then put in the paths later. as these are really invasive weeds (willow and bramble and JK) we wouldn;t be growing much until all or most of it is clear.

got some Comfrey, Bocking 14 put in yesterday. way-hey!! finally, planted my first plants!!! felt weird as i got so used to digging and pulling all the time! got these off a friend and put them in a dedicated 8ft x 3ft patch at the top of the plot so that the sun wouldn't block out any light from the other plants.

slowly, but surely we will get there. will have to go down in a bit, as it got really windy last night (anyone else?) we've built a make-shift tent with tarp, and it might have come down...

dogstarheaven - congrats on the new Plot - good luck with clearing it - just take it a little bit at a time, it's so exciting and so addictive.;)

dogstarheaven

http://i557.photobucket.com/albums/ss15/dogstarheaven/P250111_1239_01.jpg
this was how this looked in the first week, but it's only 3/4 of the plot that's captured on the pic. as you can see, most of the bramble has been cleared, but there's an awful lot that we have to do. we're in the 3rd week and it's got the 7m x 1.5m bed at the bottom right end (of the pic) and on the other side, a 12m x 4m bed at the top end.last week, i planted a big patch of comfrey in there, and shall not touch it until first weed seedlings come in march or so when the weather warms up. today i've widened a bed that i started last week and now it stands at 3m x 2m. as this is at the top end next to willow tree-!!! ('come' spelt the other way as it's a bit rude to MSE rules!)-hedge and sprawling ivy, this shall be mainly ornamentals in here as it faces NE and is partially shaded. the first bed i mentioned will be the hottest part of the plot where it's sheltered and this will be the main area for fruit and veg. all beds will be companion planted with flowers that will encourage the veg to crop well and beneficial insects will hopefully be attracted to it.

it's surprising how different parts of the plot have certain weeds in it that are individually different in their root systems. brambles say, imo are more trickier as their roots are knobbly and brittle, and run for quite a distance. willow saplings are little stubs and shallow rooted, JK is a massive pain as their roots are bright orange but thick long tap roots that if you're not careful, could easily tear a muscle in your body. nettle is a longish running string of matted fine roots (the easiest), rosebay willowherb is stubby brittle white thick roots and ivy has shallow running woody shallow roots that can be quite annoying.

today, i've noticed that shepard's purse have come up and willow shoots as their leaves are poking thru' the soil that we've cleared. that's just more pressure on us as we need to eliminate these before they take hold. it's all over half the plot, so that's some challenge that we must take hold.

what kind of weeds that ppl are dealing with atm? i just hope there aren't anymore new weeds that are yet to come up!:( i've just been thinking about the upcoming Spring and wondering how much of the bare ground will be covered in grass. don't think we'd have the chance to get hold of a petrol mower this yr, so i can imagine the grass will make the plot look unkempt.

what i've noticed since coming onto the site, how other plots look really messy and not v. much effort has been made to cultivate at least 50% of plots that ppl have, most of them have lots of paths, or sheds/greenhouses on them rather than cultivated ground that's only about 1/4 of the plot. is it common on other sites around the country? i just can't believe how ppl cannot be bothered to tidy their plots after harvest-time. or is this the general outlook that ppl have thesedays, where they rather prepare them in Springtime when it's warmer. I know some older ppl wouldn't want to work on theirs in freezing cold winter. ok, so i'm young and i have the time so i can spend 4-5hrs per day on mine. do you think most ppl who are newbies are working ppl with only w/ends to spare? and then again, they might have family or social committments. i have a friend (well sort of) who was given 3 eviction notices on two different plots:eek::eek::eek:, and redeemed herself on each occasion after she's shown some improvements within the month's deadline. it's still a mess now, and isn't going back till it's warmer again. she's used the excuse that she's f/time at work and has teenage kids and a social life that the allot. committee isn't sympathetic in her situation. i said that they are under pressure because of the waiting list and they need the commitment from the tenants to follow the rules and regs of the tenancy agreement. last two yrs, i've done lots of weeding for her and hand-shearing her hedging (v. hard work when they'd not been done in last 9mths last time):eek:. has anyone been thru' this before with someone as lazy as my friend? it makes me seethe with fury:mad: when i hear about her shameful moans about how she's so busy with her life that she's feeling guilty about her plot.

it's great i can share my stuff on here. i always feel v. proud of myself each time i finish on any given day, i always look down onto the whole plot and see the progress that i've made. i stare at it, and marvel just how much work that has been done, the expanse of black, turned over soil that's getting bigger and bigger each time i visit. it's just wonderful!!:T:T:T:T:T

to everyone who don't know me (am a regular on this forum), i have a tiny back garden with only a 7ft x 5ft ornamental bed, about 50 pots and one and a half raised beds for veggies (see avatar). it's been 15yrs since i lived with such limited gardening space, that having the plot is a dream come true....:A:A

btw, are there others on here who are w/o transport of their own have trouble of getting equipment/materials to their plot for shed/path/raised-bed making, manure bringing type of jobs? this is our main problem and we're not sure how to overcome this. i thought of putting up a notice on the notice board advertising our request for such things and bartering/skill swapping (of seeds/seedlings/labour etc.,) as we have a limited income, we can only go for anything that's recyclable as the cheapest option. skip-diving in residential areas is one thing, but w/o transort, it's not an option for us. do you think ppl might help us if they saw a poster like this?

scotsaver

Hi - looks like your really getting stuck in, I can see how excited you are, I was too when I first started and still am now and it's only been 14 months - I too lovingly look back at my Plot each day I leave it and feel so proud of how much I've done and also how tidy it is. Our site is quite small, we have 11 Plot holders and we are a really close-knit friendly bunch. Since I got my Plot 14 months ago they have helped me put up my shed, connect and fit gutter for water butt, given me wood for edging, gievn me plants, seeds, netting - the list goes on. I'm looking forward to this year when I can give back to them as I'll be 100% planted up.

However, out of the 11 Plots, 2 of those are "newbies" who have only joined this year, I've not met them yet as apparently they work full-time and will only be coming onto Site at weekends - they haven't so far.

I think your idea about asking for help is a good one - if you don't ask you don't get.;)

Can't wait to get back up to my Plot tomorrow - weather forecast looking good.