Just got an allotment (Merged)

kentdeller

Try www.alanromans.com

I have successfully germinated the following already this year.

tomatoes
beans
peas
kale
coriander
parsley
chard

mikeywills

Well, allotment digging started but hold off on any tips for seeds. I have a lovely big plot about 30ft by 70ft, which has been left for about 3 years. As such it is currently the worst plot there, and needs double digging throughout.
I am still hopeful that I'll get something in this year, but the clay may have other ideas!!
many thanks for tips and support though.

MONEYMAKINGMUM

Firstly, don't get a fold away wheelbarrow

Why not? I've got one and it's great. I got it for my birthday so had it over a year now.
I can fill it with soil etc and it holds the weight, also enough for me to carry.
I wouldn't chance it say full of bricks but I wouldn't be able to push it then anyway.
We have had theft and vandalism at our plots so I take it home, put in car boot when I need it for allotment.
The only down side is the kids can't have wheelbarrow rides to the leaf pile anymore.

Good luck you newbie plotters, how are things progressing?

zebedy

Hi,

I've been on the allotment waiting list for a while as I like the idea of growing my own veg and maybe fruit and working outdoors in the fresh air instead of sitting on the sofa watching telly.
However, I am a total novice and my experience to date is growing cut and come again rocket on my windowsill in my flat (I've had it in 2 packed lunches so far - so not much experience yet) and growing some flat leaf parsley.

I'm off to take a look at the allotment on saturday and then need to confirm if i want it.
What kind of things should i be looking at?

And then where do i start!!!! I'm a bit scared now and wondering what I'm letting myself in for but also very excited.

I think I'm going to try and find an "allotment for beginners" type book in the library tomorrow

All suggestions/hints/tips/advice welcome

Pink.

Hi zebedy,

I'm thinking about getting an allotment and found this thread helpful:

Just got an allotment

Pink

Lotus-eater

Hope you have been watching gardeners world with Joe swift starting his allotment
The info is out there tbh, its a question that has been asked loads of times. Look in the sticky links thread, kitchen garden website forum, grow your own website forum.
You think its scary now, wait until you get to the allotment and see how big it is.

What should you be looking for, well, if I was me and indeed I am, then I would be first looking for volunteer bushes and trees which were already there, gooseberries, raspberries, even an apple tree if you are lucky. Then I would be after a plot in a good spot (weeds you can change, location you can't. By good I mean in the sun alot, away from trees (they take the moisture out of the ground), next to a tidy plot would be nice.
What else....... a shed, greenhouse, raised beds, close to a pond (good for frogs (they eat slugs))........ you never know......... however the likelyhood is you will be offered a horribly overgrown piece of soil with old prams and rotting sheds stuck in it, it will also have loads of perennial weeds to remove.

Ask the person showing you round which plot he thinks is best for you and why, but make up your mind yourself. You may not even get a choice.

When you get it, start small, digging a huge plot and chucking seed in the ground is relatively easy, keeping it weed free and looking respectable isn't. Alot of newcomers use raised beeds on allotments now and I would advise you to do the same.
Books, I advise Bob flowerdew's "No work Garden" its not about allotments, but how to cut out the hard work. However I can cut to the chase for you, use raised beds, grow bush fruits, grow fruit in general, mulch alot to keep down weeds, keep on top of weeding, enjoy it!

And cardboard, use lots of cardboard as a mulch

edit and look for rhubarb, or plant some as one of your first thing to do.

arkonite_babe

This site should be of help also:
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/

Freebs2008

Go to the It's Not Easy Being Green website. It has a forum and it is absolutely surperb. All about green living with gardening, home, health, ranting (!) sections to name a few. It's amazing. It goes with the series that was on the BBC.

Zazen999

Hi

Cover what you can't tackle this year; and take it in stages.

Dig, weed, research, plan...and join some forums for advice; the Grapevine Forum is a good one.

Remember, it's not a race! the old boys on the other lotties will probably have a load of advice, but it your lottie so do it your own way if you want.

Also, think of year 1 as your experimental year; if you have no firm expectations, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Lotus-eater

I think every year is an experimental year