Tweet
Alright?
I'm a 30 year old part time (sort of) professional gardener and allotment holder based in greater London.
I grew up in an allotment messing about with my mates and occasionally helping my dad out but only really took a proper interest in all this stuff in the last 8 years. The thing that kick started it all was an interest in growing chillies, which blossomed into growing pretty much every vegetable and now wanting to buy/build a farm whilst spending every non working day out on the allotment.
The allotment plot is south facing, very clay based and surrounded by couch grass and bindweed with a creeping threat of mare's tail on the other side of the path. We've always been pretty traditional in our methods using beds with grass paths, single crops in beds, rotating every year etc but I am moving towards using more permaculture and no-dig methods so that we can cut down on the laborious digging.
This year we struck absolute gold, one of the plots became available and wasnt taken for half a year so we thought "why not?" and took it on. The guy who had it previously had spent ages digging out the stream that goes through the allotment and dumping the alluviam soil from the bottom of the stream onto the plot. As a result the earth is lovely and loamy and nothing like the soil on any other plot. He didnt even eat the veg he grew; just seemingly grew stuff for fun and let it go to seed. Anyway his loss is our gain and the crops we grew this year were brilliant; fantastic leaves, big radishes and amazingly quick growing beetroot.
Anyway I dont want to drone on, but very happy to be here and start contributing. I've just been lurking and reading this place for a year and it's a great resource; I look forward to getting tips and providing them too.
Projects for this year:
Hugelkultur bed - mimics a natural forest by burying wood and organic matter. This then breaks down over years to provide nutrition and retain water (not that I need it in a clay based soil). Also can be a bit of a windbreak if it's nice and high
Combined Munti & no-dig runner bean frame with squash growing underneath. Sort of like 3 sisters method with the squash growing underneath
A load of fruit trees - mostly apples + some pear and cherries, most on cordon.
cheers
I'm a 30 year old part time (sort of) professional gardener and allotment holder based in greater London.
I grew up in an allotment messing about with my mates and occasionally helping my dad out but only really took a proper interest in all this stuff in the last 8 years. The thing that kick started it all was an interest in growing chillies, which blossomed into growing pretty much every vegetable and now wanting to buy/build a farm whilst spending every non working day out on the allotment.
The allotment plot is south facing, very clay based and surrounded by couch grass and bindweed with a creeping threat of mare's tail on the other side of the path. We've always been pretty traditional in our methods using beds with grass paths, single crops in beds, rotating every year etc but I am moving towards using more permaculture and no-dig methods so that we can cut down on the laborious digging.
This year we struck absolute gold, one of the plots became available and wasnt taken for half a year so we thought "why not?" and took it on. The guy who had it previously had spent ages digging out the stream that goes through the allotment and dumping the alluviam soil from the bottom of the stream onto the plot. As a result the earth is lovely and loamy and nothing like the soil on any other plot. He didnt even eat the veg he grew; just seemingly grew stuff for fun and let it go to seed. Anyway his loss is our gain and the crops we grew this year were brilliant; fantastic leaves, big radishes and amazingly quick growing beetroot.
Anyway I dont want to drone on, but very happy to be here and start contributing. I've just been lurking and reading this place for a year and it's a great resource; I look forward to getting tips and providing them too.
Projects for this year:
Hugelkultur bed - mimics a natural forest by burying wood and organic matter. This then breaks down over years to provide nutrition and retain water (not that I need it in a clay based soil). Also can be a bit of a windbreak if it's nice and high
Combined Munti & no-dig runner bean frame with squash growing underneath. Sort of like 3 sisters method with the squash growing underneath
A load of fruit trees - mostly apples + some pear and cherries, most on cordon.
cheers
Hello & Welcome 
Comment