growing in new allotment

[chilli_grower]

Evening all.

As a lot of you will now be aware, I am viewing an allotment this Sunday

I have been told that it is not badly overgrown, we'll see....

The plot is 5 perch, but I could end up with a 6 perch.

My question is:

Assuming I take the site on, and get stuck in and clear all the weeds etc before say end of February. (Manually by digging of course).

How would I then go about improving the soil, so that I can get sowing/planting out End of MARCH/APRIL As I have no home made compost at all. And assumingly the plot has not been manured or anything for ages!!!!!

I will be starting composting though, as soon as I take on the allotment.

Should I maybe put my hand in my pocket for this year and purchase some bagged compost to throw down?

Short term/long term advice welcomed please...

[Hazel at the Hill]

Well done on the plot, CG - you will be taking a camera, won't you?

I would not worry about improving the soil in the plot this year for two reasons - allotments are generally well fed rather than underfed, so a year without any extra won't do a great deal of harm and secondly, if you leave it manure/compost free this year you will have a free rein to grow your carrots and parsnips where ever you like without them forking.

Of course, if you can get hold of a load of horsemuck, stack it in the corner of the plot an let it rot down over the course of the year, and you can dig it in/put in on your beds next winter when you will have a better idea of what you want where.

[chilli_grower]

THanks Hazel, yes I will take some pics and post them on Sunday...

sounds like 2 good reasons to me!

Ok, so for things like, carrots, potatoes, french beans, I can just plant straight into well worked soil?

Soil obviously dries very quickly though, so I assume a mulch on top of the soil would be needed?

[Hazel at the Hill]

THanks Hazel, yes I will take some pics and post them on Sunday...

sounds like 2 good reasons to me!

Ok, so for things like, carrots, potatoes, french beans, I can just plant straight into well worked soil?

Soil obviously dries very quickly though, so I assume a mulch on top of the soil would be needed?

Depends on your soil type - even though it's relatively light soil at the Hill, I don't tend to mulch.

Carrots will need to be sown directly into nice raked soil - I suggest you fleece over as soon as you sow and leave it there till you harvest the carrots, which is about the only way to avoid the d@mn carrot fly. If you HAVE to remove the fleece for weeding make sure you don't touch the carrot foliage - as soon as it is bruised the little beggars will be there!!

Potatoes, as you say, straight into the soil - don't break your back digging over where the spuds go, just yank out and obvious weeks. You'll be using the fork to fetch them up later in the year, so you might as well only do the job once. You can stick them in using a bulb planter, about 2 to 2 1/2 ft apart. Too close together and it's a nightmare to dig them up without skewering a fair number!

French beans I tend to stick in 3" square pots with New Horizon peat free (which has always worked well for me), then plant them out about 4 wks later when they have a couple of good sets of leaves.

Remember both potatoes and french beans are susceptible to cold weather - beans in particular really want to have temps no lower than about 10 deg - day or night. Don't worry if that means that you don't plant them out until the end of June or so, they'll romp on when then get the right conditions, and if you try to get them in too early they will sulk, and may not recover at all.

[chilli_grower]

THats great, thank you.

All makes sense so far..I will get some fleece for the carrots....

I usually plant beans out in the garden around end of April....

Although I cant wrap my head around how the moisture is actually retained within the soil?

If compost was added, then fair enough, I know that retains moisture....

[Hazel at the Hill]

THats great, thank you.

All makes sense so far..I will get some fleece for the carrots....

I usually plant beans out in the garden around end of April....

Although I cant wrap my head around how the moisture is actually retained within the soil?

If compost was added, then fair enough, I know that retains moisture....

Soil retains water (unless it's really sandy) and if it's clay-like, it may well retain too much water! You'll have a better idea when you get to see it for yourself.

[chilli_grower]

ok got it....

THank you for helping!

Lets hope it is not too much of a mess!

[alldigging]

If it grows weeds it's fertile.

You probably can't dig it all at once - so start at one end and cover as much as you can with cardboard and newspaper. That'll help with the weeds. Cover that with a tarp if you're worried about people thinking it looks untidy or blowing away. A tarp is somehow more acceptable as land cover than natural materials.

Start clearing beds and compost all the weeds.

Make notes on what you pull out so you can think about rotation - but don't stress over it at all. Save any permanent plants you find.

[chilli_grower]

THanks for the advice alldigging.

Also:

I spoke with my aunty last night, and then it dawned on me, that she has a horse and a field!

Long story short, she has as much WELL ROTTED horse manure as I want.

Only problem is, she is 60 miles away.....

[chris]

It takes a few years of constantly growing the same crops to deplete the soil of the same nutrients - so even if you plant whatever was planted in the same spot last time the plot was cultivated you'll still get some yeild returned anyway. Besides, when you do plant the crop you can always feed it. There's always mulching with compost as/when it's ready too (start making some now!)..

I can dig some comfrey roots up for you if you like..

There's also stables near me that our site gets their poo from, no sprays are used either.. I'd not be surprised if people keep horses even closer to you.

[chilli_grower]

Hi Chris, thanks for the info.

My aunty lives in CArmarthen, so it gives me an excuse to visit her!!!! So I am not too bothered about the drive.

Assuming I take on the plot, then the first thing I will put on there is 2 x compost bins.

[crannman]

last year was my 1st year i did nothing to the soli just dug it over and planted all crops did VERY well this year all ready dud in compost

[chilli_grower]

that sounds good crannman. Lets hope my soil is as good as yours!

[out in the cold]

Hi CG.

Good luck with the plot...

Now you can find out exactly just how many chillies one person can grow!

[chilli_grower]

HAHA! Actually I will try to resist the urge to plant chillies at the allotment (if I take it on of course).

I have a small greenhouse at home, and that is great for chillies!

Allotment will be mainly for onions, leeks and beans I suspect.......