Just got an allotment (Merged)

inkie

Seeds 19p per packet in Netto

katskorner

albacore1854 wrote:

They do, which is why I guess the system appeals to the more lazy individuals.

Well I use that system and I am certainly not lazy!!! I love my allotment and have no intention of giving it up. It is too much fun and good exercise, plus a good education for the children. So go and slate someone else!

charlies_mum

I've been and looked at my allotment this morning, and it looks quite small (about 60 x 20 feet), and wonder how many things I can grow in there. I don't want to grow flowers, but have bought lots of packets of veg.

Can anyone advise how many different types I am likely to be able to grow in that space ?

albacore1854

There are good and bad in all, some people don't run 5 rods properly, some people put 10 rods to beds and do really well.

I prefer the traditional approach, I believe overall my yields are higher, I mulch heavily, and enjoy digging.

Allotments by their nature are available to all, however, I wish they would stop publishing books such as the ''half hour allotment'', just encourages the wrong sort.

The fact is that a 10 rod plot is that size, because during the war it was deemed that on it a family of four could become self sufficient.

albacore1854

charlies_mum wrote:

I've been and looked at my allotment this morning, and it looks quite small (about 60 x 20 feet), and wonder how many things I can grow in there. I don't want to grow flowers, but have bought lots of packets of veg.

Can anyone advise how many different types I am likely to be able to grow in that space ?

you can grow the same variety as a ten rod plot, just less of it. Which emans you need to pay attention to 10' row yields, and balance that against what your family consume. I'm amazed at how many people grow things that they don't eat, why? its just a pointless exercise.

Gabriel-Ernest

We have an allotment about the same size which is divided across the middle with a chicken-wire fence which we're currently growing peas and broad beans against. When they're done in Spring, we're considering putting in some cucumbers, tomatoes or courgettes for the summer.

The bottom plot we've divided into 6 beds and rotate the stuff we grow in there. For example, the 'onion' bed currently has two types of onions, some shallots and some garlic growing in it - 4 rows. The potato bed (when the seed potatoes arrive this month) will have 3 types for the summer, plus an autumn crop which we'll put in in August.

The top plot is still at the planning stage as we only got it a few weeks ago and it all needs to be dug over and have the rubbish removed.

We went down to the allotment yesterday to do some digging, but ended up supping home-made cherry vodka and being given freshly-dug leeks for dinner - the smell as they came out of the ground was heavenly!

Your best bet is to look up 'crop rotation' and divide your seeds into groups. You won't be able to grow it all but you can decide what will be a priority for this year. Do too many varieties and you risk only getting a mini-taste of each or even some varieties not coming up at all.

charlies_mum

So if I grow peas / beans up a fence in the middle, I could have 6 beds either side, meaning I could probably grow 12 different veg - is this right ?

albacore1854

charlies_mum wrote:

So if I grow peas / beans up a fence in the middle, I could have 6 beds either side, meaning I could probably grow 12 different veg - is this right ?

Look up square foot gardening.

Whilst I don't like the bed method, the plan above would be wonderful for kids.

albacore1854

Year one is always tricky, you need to keep your enthusiasm up, but realise it'll be hard.

1st, get a shed up, you can't do a plot seriously, if you have nowhere to get out the rain, or have a pee.

If it were me, i would run a path in the middle of the plot, top to tail, and side to side.Giving four manageable beds, and easy access to each.One of the plots I would immediately clear of weeds, manure heavily, and plant Rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries.These are proven high yielding crops.If you have some room and want variation, try gooseberries or currants.With all fruit, it takes time to produce, so you are planting now for harvests year 2 onwards.Each year mulch heavily.

Bed 2, I would rough dig with a spade, taking out large weeds, and digging in muck as I went.This is your spud plot.Weeds will be killed gradually as you earth up and harvest etc.

bed 3, I would cover with cardboard and muck or straw.top up the straw if any weeds appear.plant courgettes, beans, pumpkins, squash, module grown stuff like fennel, celeriac, SB celery, onion sets, tomato etc through the straw and cardboard into the soil beneath in the summer.You could transplant leeks, and winter cabbages etc into the this plot later.Making sure you move them the year after.

Bed four. make at least one raised bed, this is a nursery bed, sow transplantable seeds here saving all the faffing about with seed trays, and pricking out.Make another bed if you must, and dig throughly, you could sow carrots, parnsips etc here in year one.Use the rest of this space for storing useful stuuf taht you acquire.Useful things are, window frames to make a coldframe, water butts, wood for building beds supporting crops etc, straw, muck,

At the end of year 1 you should have one bed heavily mulched with a nice amount of fruit, one bed full of winter veg which you leave, and dig in spring.Bed three can be manured heavily and used for spuds in year two.

Bed two can be covered with cardboard/newspapers etc ready for courgettes etc in year 2

albacore1854

Add asparagus, horseradish etc into bed 1