new plot, new gardener! help!

hello everyone,.
i've been reading a few posts to try and get info before asking. Arent you lot a friendly bunch!!!! im so glad i found this site!!!!

right, so today i finally got my first ever allotment plot in london!!! thought this would be great for my little boy (nearly 3)
so i havent got a plan as to where things will go as i dont know if there is a rule as to what goes with what?
im planing to grow the following, so if anyone has any time if they could guide me a bit as to what would go next to what.....:
peas, peppers, tomatos, apples, lettuce, cabbage, leeks, carrots, broccoli, spinach, salads, and parsnips., plus maybe some herbs.
my plot is a big rectangle, so its like a completely clean slate.
also i literally got it today ans havent been there yet. so do i need to do anything to the soil beofre i plant anything????
as my name says im a total beginner!
thanks
xxxx

 

Hi and welcome.

I like the idea of getting your young son out into the garden from a nice early age. It will do him a world of good and I'm sure he'll love it.

You'll need a greenhouse for your peppers and tomatoes (although there are some that grow outdoors in a sheltered but sunny spot). All the rest will be fine outside as long as you keep the ground weeded and well free draining.

The 'traditional' arrangement in allotments is to have everything in rows, with all plants of a particular species together (like 5 rows of one thing then 5 of another etc), but that leaves the crops wide open to attack from all manner of pests. There has been much research into 'companion planting' over the last few years. Maybe google some of it for more info, but as an example, some say to grow Marigolds near Tomatoes as the Marigolds repell the aphids that would otherwise have your toms.

As for doing stuff to the soil before use, that all depends on what it is already like. If you are really, really lucky, it will be a freshly released plot that has already been well dug over and is weed free. If it is like my allotment was when I first got it, you will be looking at several days hard graft with a comprehenisve ****nal of tools (which included a pick axe in my case, as the ground was pretty much solid clay that had been compacted and sunbaked over a period of years).

Good luck, and keep us posted as to what's going on

 

thanks!!! ill certainly look into that then!
ive just been buying my seeds and im very very excited!!!!! ill keep you updates as soon as she sends me the keys!!!!

 

My kids, when young, were only interested in two things:

Gourds - trailing all over the place and hiding their pock-marked fruits - which keep for ages.

Sunflowers. I bought some seeds one year that came in two little packets, with a tape measure, and the kids set up a competition with their Granny.

Got them interested, at least.

Mind you ... pulling a young carrot, or picking some peas, or Strawberries / Raspberries and letting them eat them there & then has quite a high appeal for them too. (And me!)

 

yeah , in the summer we went to this little farm cottage where they basically let you pick your own fruits, and my little one loved it!!!!
he ate most of the berries before we actually put any in the punnet!!!!! thats what got me into gardening, seeing how much he got out of it!!
we only have a small patio so this is just great for him to see worms and snails etc. he is a boy after all!!! LOL.

 

Wonderful news now you are an Allotmenteer!:yho:

It's no lie to start with it's really hard work more so if your plot hasn't been worked in years but fear not it is possible to get things in order, our first plot which we got last year hadn't been worked for 35 years and our second (The Paddocks) 15 years or so.

As a NEWBIE myself I have hunted around and also got plenty of advice from the old guys down on the plots about what to do and when I have been able to give some advice to them in return!:hehe:

Some vegatables can help one another to fight off pests like planting Umbellifers (the carrot family) in between rows of Onions will get on fine because the carrot fly which attacks the carrots (lol) doesn't like the smell of the onions and like-wise the onion fly doesn't like the smell of carrots!

Marigolds are a godsend as Clueless has already stated again because of their none too nice smell.

If it's a only one small plot you have then you really need to have some kind of crop rotation which will reduce risk of repeat pests/disease a little three year crop rotation is good to start off will.

You really need to find out what your main vegatable families are so you can plant them together in their groups again to stop disease they are; Umbellifers ( Carrot, Parsnip, Parsley, Celery etc.), Potato (which includes tomato as well), Onion (garlic, Shallot, Leek), Legumes (Pea, Bean broad & runner), Brassicas (Cabbage, Cauliflower, Radish, Swede, Broccoli).

You may want to think about getting yourself a rotavator or tiller you should be able to pick up a second hand one cheaply this will save you loads of time and also less back-ache.

Make sure your little boy is secure because there can be so many dangers down on the plots for young'uns water butts and baths full of water etc. A little patch of his own will surely make him smile and he can dig for worms to his hearts content!

Good luck and happy digging.Hel.xxx.

 

this is so helpful!!!! thank you very much!
im going to have a proper look today as i got the key now so i will try and work out what i need toold wise etc.
i dont want to start buying everything and find i only use 3 things!

 

Tools are just toys for big kids. You will soon find you need every tool you see in the garden centre. Especially the cool looking more fearsome ones. You'll definitely need a pick axe, how else will you get those tiny weeds out

 

Hello again Totalbeginner!

To help you save on the pennies you could do as Bob and I do and go to car-boots in your area to buy cheap second hand tools etc. to aid you on your plot.

We have done this and when the weather is nice we always try to go out on a Sunday morning to pick up some car-boot bargains.

I have brought spades & forks for £1 each, nice well made old ones too that have lasted my abusive digging habits far better than brought ones for £10+.

I also like to pick up stuff that is not intended originally for the garden and plots, like plastic venetian blinds which can be cut up and used as plant labels one blind I brought for 50p made over 500+ labels out of it!

Above all if you are indeed able to go to a couple of car-boots remember the golden rule don't be shy and give it a haggle to bring the price down! Hel.xxx.

 

thank you so much!!!! i was there today and figured exactley from where to where is mine and its huge!!!!!!!!!
its all grass thank fully which i think its kinda easier??? the guy who runs it looked at me as if i was hopeless when i was asking lots of crazy questions!!!! LOL. he was very nice and ended up giving me a big bunch of his daffodils!!!!!!
so im guessing i have to dig it all up, i tried digging the border today( gotta start somewhere!) and thought i done quite well until i looked up and realised what a small patch i had done compared to the rest that i need to do.
its got a lot of big stones and glass, so will i need one of those siefs? (dont know how its spelt) and do the whole thing ?
im actually having a car boot sale this sunday myself so will def keep an eye out!!!! that is such a great idea!!!!!!!!!
xxxx

 

Lol it's if is HUGE then that could be a blessing and a crime all in one:hehe:, a blessing because you have so much room to try anything you like and a crime because of how much hard work it will take!

One thing you could do is to measure out one bed at a time done quite simply with a couple of sticks or tent pegs (lol I use these) and string these give you a lovely straight edge and makes the beds look nice and neat, depending how much you want to tackle at one time maybe starting off with a little-ish bed say 10ft x 10ft would be ideal to start off with and will break you in slowly :wink:. As you find your feet (so to speak) you can do bigger beds if you like.

Edge the bed and do a first dig you could weed at the same time if you wish but I like to just do a first dig and weed afterwards when I turn the soil over the second time round, I am trying some advice I picked up by bagging up any weeds in strong plastic bags and leaving these to break down for a year then turning them out into a compost bin.

I will not lie to you grass may seem ok but I find it worst than nettles and dandelions because at least with those two you can get most of their roots all in one go where grass is quite a tricky devil but saying that I'm keeping grass paths on the paddock plot!

You don't have to sieve the whole plot in fact I would only do that for your carrot section, just have a couple of buckets one for the stones and the other for the glass and dispose of them accordingly.

By the way if you're able to get hold of some wooden pallets and make at least one compost bin because you are going to need it.

Good luck at the car-boot and if you do manage to get some bargains, don't forget to tell us all what they are.Hel.xxx.

 

Just wondering whereabouts in London Totalbeginner? There are a few of us Londoners on here who would probably be more than happy to help advise if local to us.

Welcome to the world of allotmenteering!

 

*****HAVE FUN*******

 

im in hounslow!!!
iv met a few of the people there, and they all saw i was obv new, and they all came up to me and were soooooo nice!!!!!!
so i think between you guys and them i think i might manage it!!!
yes im thinking maybe leave the grass for the little inbetween paths. plus it really is that huge( to me anyways) that im going to leave a patch and make it a little playground for my little one. because his ''helping'' is really NOT!!! bless him. plus it will be good in the summer for him to play when he gets bored of looking and playing with worms.

 

Why dont you join 'freecycle' in your area this is well worth it. I managed to get tools, wood, guttering and two water butts from 'freecycle' you dont have to pay them a penny just treat them to a box of chocies.