First allotment

Hey every one I have just managed to drop straight on a allotment about a minutes walk for my house
So when I aranged a meeting I called a mate who is on here as dan the man as he also was after one too so he came and we managed to two allotments end to end so bonuse
The plots have been empty for a wile so are a bit over grown but nothing we can not Handel I don't think
So the plan is to get a turf cutter to take the top off and the dig over and weed as we go along pulling out and roots and bits as we go
We have been up for a second look today and my plot has a cherry tree and some rhubarb growing the plot is 20m buy 10 m wide each and we also have a couple of meters at the end for compost bins and some other bits and dans little girl a plot all of her own too to grow bits in
Any pointers welcome or tips thanks for looking guys

 

I have a photo but can not get it upload from my I phone

 

Well done to both of you, I hope you enjoy your allotmenteering.

My first piece of advice is don't just dive into it, give it a bit of thought first i.e. what you would like from your allotments.

You don't mention if you have any gardening experience but if not,you have come to the right place to find out.

May I suggest you have a look at this link and it's related links then take it from there;

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Allotments/Allotments.htm

 

Well done - great news!

Dan's thread (asking similar questions ) is here:
http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/threads/dropped-lucky-got-a-plot.50246/#post-653605

 

We both have a limited gardening experience but have grown small amounts of veg in our gardens for the last couple of years. I think between us we must have read a million pages from the web and books on allotments and veg growing so we are quite clued up now. But that said nothing counts like experience so I'm sure their will be some ups and downs. And questions to ask the experienced growers on here

 

Over the years I have heard so many stories of daft things that people have been told by seasoned growers working nearby allotments Maybe its like the young lad being sent to stores for "a long weight" or a "sky hook" ... or maybe it was ignorance ...

I think a great feature of forums is that all advice given is open to scrutiny and contradiction by peers

 

Agree with that kristen also I like the fact with forums you get an array of answers some times to form your own opinion

 

Thanks for looking guys any advice is welcom thanks tee gee I have already read that cover to cover and currently reading
The allotment book by Andi clevely and has a load of info on the veg
One question guys are you putting potatoes in yet some things I have read say they have and just cover them if the leaves appear and the frost comes but I was hoping to put them in Sunday as I will dig that bed first I have them out chiting And gave got roots going or are you waiting a few weeks I can put some horti cloth over them too

 

You don't mention if you have any gardening experience but if not

Hey sorry should have said I have always loved plants and gardening even when I was small I would help my grandad who was a gardener for a large public garden in his day and has always grown his own veg

I have had my own garden for the last 5 years at three houses that was rented and always done them in to a propper garden
I have just bought my own house and currently doing the garden up but have grown veg in some raised beds for the last few years but still a a amateur
I am not afraid of hard work or digging as I am a builder and offren dig drives out by hand or even foundations so not afraid of a shovel

 

Don't know that one, seems to have good reviews on Amazon

"The vegetable and herb expert" by Dr D G Hessayon is an excpetion reference book - won't tell you how to grow the veg, but has great info on planning / spacing / timing / diseases etc.

I used to plant mine early, and after some years I got fed up with having to earth them up, cover them with fleece and grass clippings to keep the frost off ...

For First Early its worth planting them early, to get spuds when they are expensive in the shops - and they taste better (sweeter) fresh from the garden anyways (something about Sugar turning to Starch from the moment they are dug until they are in the pan and cooking )

But for Second Earlies and Mains I think planting early is making work [keeping the frost off]. Having said that, 2nd's and Mains take longer to get above ground, so they will be less effort to have to keep the frost off them, in that sense. If we get a frost towards the end of May (that doesn't happen often, maybe once a decade here) there is no chance of covering First Earlies ... other than with fleece, and a few years back that wasn't enough to stop the tops getting blackened ... however, that doesn't happen often

But now I grow a few bags / tubs [in greenhouse] of first earlies for the first couple of weeks of harvest, and I plant mine a bit later so they are less effort to keep the frost off.

The outdoor ones get planting around middle of April.

Note that you can plant them all at the same time, the First Early / Second Early and Main just refer to how long they take to mature

I suggest you crack on with the digging and delay planting spuds a few weeks

 

Thanks for that Kirsten I will leave putting the tatties in yet and get the plot turned over this weekend hoping that we get the key and contract sorted out

 

My thoughts exactly!

To be quite honest when I compare my crop with those plot holders that plant out early, some years there is only a couple of weeks difference in the harvesting time.

Which proves the point!

Why go to all the hassle / concern about late frosts, double earthing up & fleecing?

 

Ok guys so final got a key between us today so had a couple of hours digging and a good look round I have got 4 massive rhubarb s and wile digging got about 5 lb or new potatoes all look fully eddable they are firm and crisp white inside so done well to get a bumper crop with out even planting any thing I can not seam to get photoes up will keep trying

 

Brilliant! (Best not to re-plant them in case they carry any Blight from last year, but they will cook and eat well )

Hope you like Rhubarb I have just one plant and that produces plenty. You could stick an upturned bucket over one plant to "force" it to come ready early?

 

I am going to eat them just washed them all they look like good new potatoes so that's good real bonuse
I have got some seed potatoes chiting at the min ready to go in next month
I will try that with the rhubarb I have dug them up at the min till the plot is cleared so they are in buckets at the moment