help - have the chance of an allotment and not a clue!

skintbint_2

hi folks - hoping for some advice. i have the chance of an allotment complete with greenhouse but it is in a bit of a mess, whats the best things i can do - plant the whole lot in potatoes for the first year to clear the ground? i have no seeds planted so am wayyyyy behind from what i can gather and cant afford to spend lots on plants, any advice or ideas would be fantastic

thanks

angelavdavis

Congratulations!

Well the first thing to do is not panic! Regardless of the threads on here, there are still plenty of things to plant this season - you aren't too late for most things.

You could plant potatoes, but I am not 100% in favour of limiting yourself to just potatoes. I took over an allotment in mid-June last year and we still managed to get squashes, courgettes, strawberries, cabbages, chard, beetroot and lettuces out of our plot before end October. You are taking over a plot at a great time. What do you like to eat?

When you say it is a mess - in what way? It sounds like an established plot that needs weeding - if that is the case, then the best policy is to pick a small area and get cracking, loosening the soil to shake the weeds free.

Get hold of some well rotted manure free from a stables close by and dig some in ready for planting.

Cover any areas you aren't likely to develop this year with some layers of newspaper well wetted and covered in manure. This will rot down while you are working on the parts you do have time for.

If you can get access easily to the greenhouse, you can start off some seeds off in there in multipurpose compost and a few yoghurt pots (with drainage holes added to the base). There is still time to start off almost everything from seed except possibly tomatoes and chillis. These can easily be bought as plants cheaply from a garden centre or market.

cootambear

spuds dont break up the ground, breaking your back digging them up does

go for easy to grow stuff

misskool

you're not behind at all! Lots of things still to sow. Clear a small area and plant it. Don't try to clear too much as the weeds will grow back before you plant anything in it.

soupdragon10

Sowing seeds for many varieties of veg is only just beginning. Beans, peas, cabbages etc etc... don't spend a fortune - Lidly do packets of seeds cheaply, Morrisons have veg seeds on offer as well.

Don't try and grow too many!! I've been down the road of loads of cabbages all ready at the same time and no plans for cooking/freezing etc. You might find that fellow allotmenteers have spare plants that they'd let you have - it's easy to sow too many tomatoes etc.

Think whether you want to grow in rows or blocks; do you want raised beds in the future? Things to mull over while you are tackling the weeds. Make a note of which way the sun is in relation to your plot as it may determine what you plant where.

Best of luck with it.

mrbadexample

Agree with above. Clear a small area to start with, and get it planted with a few things you like. That'll get you going, and provide impetus to your subsequent efforts.

skintbint_2

well its not been touched since last year so its overgrown and will take quite a bit of work to get into shape, (so do i so that wont help) i can get hold of manure no problem =BIL is a livestock haulier so have it on tap if you like! the committee is quite strict and wants it tidied up as soon as possible - it is a half plot but still big - they do not give ladies full plots as its too much work !!!!! only thing i have ever grown before is lettuce, spring onions and tomatoes but even if i can get those on the go that would be fine. We eat just about every type of veg and fruit going - was buying organic for a while or going to the farm shop as the taste is totally different to the shops but just too expensive now so would like to grow carrots, leeks, onions,
with being so far north on the east coast we are normally a few weeks behind so hopefully wont hinder me to much, was thinking of putting an ad on freecycle to see if anybody has spare plants

splodger_seedswapper

just clear it a bit at a time - you can always cover weedy areas with carpet/cardboard or plastic - to make it look as it it is better condition that it actually is (and that will actually weaken the weeds anyway)

don't go mad on spuds - especially if you haven't had a chance to chit them yourself

get a load of manure - lay down some sort of membrane (any of the above mentioned will do) pile the muck on it - then slowly start to clear the plot - and plant as you go - take your time - a good plot is only as good as the soil - so it is worth taking time and effort to get that soil just right - so what if you can only actually cultivate a small part of it for this year (next year you will be rocking if you get that soil fed right )

Mojisola

skintbint wrote: »

well its not been touched since last year so its overgrown and will take quite a bit of work to get into shape

Many allotment groups have some equipment which the members can use. If the group owns a strimmer, you could go over the lot a couple of times and soon get it tidy. You can then take your time digging over a piece at a time and getting it into production.

When you've got a bit more experience, get on to the committee and tell them that other groups keep the spare allotments tidy until someone takes them on. It can be very off-putting for a newcomer to be faced with an overgrown allotment full of perennial weeds.

skintbint_2

ahah have got an old carpet waiting to go to the skip! and also a roll membrane stuff that goes under roofing tiles - would never have thought of those for ground coverage, thanks. have also just checked freecycle and someone is offering seeds that they no longer require so have emailed them, they havent listed what they have but am sure there will be some that i can use, even if just in the greenhouse.

am quite excited about this now, wont be thinking the same when i've aching back, legs and blisters.!

Mojisola

skintbint wrote: »

they do not give ladies full plots as its too much work !!!!!

This is mind-boggling in 2011!

It makes good sense to offer either half or full plots to any new member. I know men who would struggle with a half allotment because of their health and women who could take on two full allotments with no trouble.

I hope not all their thinking is this old-fashioned! Are women allowed on the committee or are they only there to make the tea?