New Veg Plot

[meggiemoo]

Hi

I have just recently got myself an allotment, I cleared the site of weeds..... what do I do next? Sorry for such a basic question but your comments / advice would be greatly appreciated?

[Tripmeup]

Hi Meggie and welcome to the Vine...

It's possible that you will get more replies if you post this in the Vegging Out or Allotment forums..

Have you now got clay soil to work with or what kind of shape is the ground/soil in, now that you have weeded it... If it is in workable condition, you need to assess what kind of soil you have and think about improving it if needs be..
Also if you can prep some of it now, you could think about planting shallots or onion sets or broad beans... Just for starters..

[Feral007]

Hi Meggie, there are loads of answers to your question if you go into the allotment and veg threads. And there are some really good blogs mentioned there so you can see a lot of photos before/after as well as hear what people did.
What part of Essex are you in?

[Two_Sheds]

I cleared the site of weeds..... what do I do next?

Why did you get an allotment?

To grow veg, you say? You'll have a list of stuff in mind then. Make lists, buy seeds.

Make a plan on a sheet of A4. Mark in your paths, shed, waterbutts etc. Mark north and south. Tall things get planted on the north side, so they don't shade everything else.

To be really simple, just plan out places to put the veg you want to grow. Don't worry about crop rotation at this stage, just get your first year under your belt.

I wouldn't bother testing your soil, or worry about "improving" it. Improvement comes in the form of garden compost, which you'll be adding every year as you make it.

[Samurailord]

I have just recently got myself an allotment, I cleared the site of weeds..... what do I do next?

Hi Maggie and welcome to the Vine.

If you are like me when I started my allotment last year you might be a little unsure of what you can plant and when and also whether they need to be started indoors or outdoors.

To help myself I created a Planting Calendar - the thread below will point you to it.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...dar_69843.html

Please feel free to download and use it if you want - I hope that it helps.

Andy

[Harrod Horticultural]

Hi Meggie

Congratulations on your new allotment. You have some exciting and rewarding times ahead, but also a lot of hard work! As well as working the Harrod Horticultural Kitchen Garden, I also have my own allotment which I took on 5 years ago. It started out as a field of weeds. My advice to you is potatoes. Potatoes are so easy to grow and help to clear the ground. They also help to keep the weeds down as they shade them out. You can cover a good size piece of ground with potatoes and apart from planting and earthing up, they pretty much look after themselves while you can turn your attention to the rest of the plot.
Also, have a chat with your fellow allotmenteers. They will be able to point you in the direction of a local source of manure which is a must for improving your soil. Also they will have a wealth of knowledge about what varieties of veg to grow on your site.
Once you have cleared a patch of soil, cover it with black polythene or weed membrane as this will help stop the weeds from taking over while you are waiting to plant it up. Invest in a hoe. Regular hoeing is the best way to keep those weeds from taking over.
Take it one step at a time and try not to get too disheartened when things go wrong or the workload seems like a mountain to climb. What I love about vegetable gardening is that every year is a clean sheet to start again, regardless of what happened the year before.
There's some great advice from fellow allotment holders in various threads on this site. Soak up the info and enjoy your allotment!

Keep us up to date with your progress.

[meggiemoo]

Didn't know about the veg plot thread - so I have had a good look on there too thanks!

Thanks for the sowing calender! Very useful. I am an amateur but keen to learn - thanks to all
Meggie

[lolly2012]

First thing I did was get my shed up so I could make a cuppa onsite, invaluable when lots of work to do.