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[Doug]

Thanks for all the replies,

The nettles have all been cut down and will be in the compost bin thing this week sometime. I can verify that by the blisters on my hands from 5 hours last Sunday, well my hands haven't seen any real work in donkies ages bar typing on a keyboard.

My location is in Devon just inside Dartmoor National Park so I don't have the luxury of taking the roots out and the sun baking them. What I see happening is the roots comming out and and then being washed away into the farmyard.

It's one of the wettest parts of England.

I think we should grow rice as it's that wet but my wife says "Don't be Silly"

The wife (Rose) wants raised beds, I need herbs Corriander as that's our staple. we have 2 apple trees at one end and some blackcurrant bushes which I think we want to move to hide the 3.5 tonnes of horse manure that's at the opposite end of the allotment, The horse manure is in ready supply as the allotment is next to a field that usually has a horse or 2 in and a stable next to the allotment.

The alltoment is basically accross the farmyard from our cottage.

I suppose the best things to grow are easy crops for a while (if there is such a thing?)

Carrots,potatoes. Hoo and I love broadbeans.

I suppose I will now start looking through the post to get some insight into what to do next.

Cheers

Doug
(total allotty noob)

[Glutton4...]

Sounding good Doug. Free Horse sh*t is fab - I have a ready supply of it too. Although, thinking about it, as the bladdy Horse is mine and I pay for the feed, the manure isn't really free is it? D'oh! It's still good stuff though.

Great that you don't have to go far to your Lottie - if you wanna just pop across the yard you can - excellent. Personally, I favour raised beds too, and I'm filling mine with layers of stable manure, grass mowings, chicken coop manure and old compost. When my compost is ready, that'll be added too. I'm too tight to buy in soil like my Dad did!

Good luck with it, and hope you enjoy it.

[rustylady]

Sounds idyllic Doug. I know what you mean about the rain though, I grew up in Cornwood on the south side of the moor near Ivybridge.

[Two_Sheds]

I'm from near Dartmoor too and can confirm it is the wettest place in England (I read it's because the moor has 9' of water under it at all times)

You can drown/steep your nettle roots in a barrel or water butt until dead/stinking. Then use as a liquid feed or a compost accelerator

[Florence Fennel]

Hi Doug, make friends with Percy Veer and you'll be fine. Enjoy and good luck!

[Comfreyfan]

The nettles have all been cut down and will be in the compost bin thing this week sometime. I can verify that by the blisters on my hands from 5 hours last Sunday, well my hands haven't seen any real work in donkies ages bar typing on a keyboard.

Excellent start! I know exactly what you mean - I'm lucky enough to have enough space to grow my veg at home, but I still creak back to my computer most monday mornings. And I'm not alone there's plenty of moaning and clutching of backs!