First allotment

[Dyl]

Hi all!

Hopefully this is an ok place for an intro post?

I plonked my self (family) on a waiting list for an allotment a while back. They are the only ones in my entire county and happen to be on my housing estate, so very close! Recently found out there was a half plot available and jumped at the chance to take it on. Truthfully though I'm quite clueless, I've done a bit of growing at home each year but my knowledge isn't good- hoping this won't be a problem with Google on our side.

It's completely overgrown, but we have roped in some help to get it strimmed and cut into sods next week. I was planning to turn these upside down and cover with tarp for soil next year as not sure where else we can put it all ! But it's possible that when it's strimmed we might see remnants of old beds etc which could change the plan.

I have acquired some yellow raspberry canes I was hoping I could plant soon, but I'm a bit overwhelmed as to what aims I should have for this month due to the time of year. Need to really see what is under the weeds first, if the ground is clear then we will get on to making beds, but if there is anything there to repurpose then is there anything good to sow directly in September ?

This is a family project and we have two very young boys we want to involve. We want to convert our after dinner walk into a trip to the allotment!

[Jay-ell]

Hi Dyl and welcome to the vine.

Sounds like you have a plan to start. What's your location as advice might be different for Surrey rather than the Shetlands.

Piling up the sods upside down will give you some very nice soil when it breaks down. You will probably find perennial weeds like dock and nettles - the roots of these are best dug out with a fork so you don't break them up.

Good look prodding around - be careful with the strimmer as there may be hidden treasures (e.g. strawberry plants, fruit bushes, rhubarb) or hazards (piles of rubbish, bricks, etc)

You might look to getting some cardboard - some of which to add to the strimmed grass to start another compost pile (you don't really need a bin but it does help to keep it tidy later on) and water it well so that it'll start breaking down.

Some people like to plant as they go, others like to just rock on and clear the site before thinking about planting but either way you need to cover the ground when you clear it.

More cardboard can be used to cover the ground as you clear it so the weeds don't get a chance to grow back. You can also temporarily cover it with taurps, black plastic, ground sheets, or anything that will block the light.

As for planting then there's a few things you can think of now.

Overwintering onions can go in later in the month - you can get these as sets from garden centres or online. You might also be able to get some leeks and garlic can go in from October onwards.

Depending on location broad beans (Aquadulce) can be sown in October/November to overwinter for a crop early next summer.

[Chestnut]

Hi Dyl, and welcome
This is a great time of year to get a plot- weeds don’t grow so fast now as they do in spring, so you have a sporting chance to get it licked into shape

I was in the same position 2 years ago. I cleared junk, strimmed, covered with cardboard/black plastic, and double dug the whole plot over the winter/early spring.
If I took another plot tomorrow, I would go ‘no dig’. Clear, strim, cover with card then a thick layer of organic matter, Charles Dowding style

I have also heard of people strimmig, then rotavate fortnightly for a season (the weeds give up eventually), or using weedkiller to clear the plot - but that’s not my style...

In terms of knowledge, google is your friend . The grow guides on this site, rhs website, backs of seed packets, and odd bits off google, other plot holders and this chat forum saw me through the first year.
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables

Several seed Company or allotment society websites have a what to sow now section eg Buy quality Vegetable Seeds - The Real Seed Catalogue UK.
Royal Paddocks Allotments, Hampton Wick
Both have month by month guides which I refer to sometimes.
And this one lets you work out planting dates based on predicted last frost dates of your nearest town!
https://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/adjust-dates-uk.php

Have a think about how you want to use the plot, and what you and the family enjoy eating. Do you want/are you allowed a bit of grass for picnics/games? Fruit bushes/trees (bareroot plants go in over winter)? Shed or greenhouse? Or playhouse?

[Jay-ell]

One thing I forgot to say is that you don't clear the plot. You only clear a patch.

Each time you're down give yourself a realistic patch for the time you have (and the energy you have as this can vary as well) and just think of that bit. If you don't get that totally clear then revise what is realistic for the next time.

When you work try and look at what you've done rather than the rest of the garden. I find seeing what I've achieved helps spur me on more that what still has to be done.

[Dyl]

Thanks for being so nice, I always wonder if I'll get stick for taking something so big on with no knowledge!!

Biggest difficulty I'm finding so far with google is probably conflicting info on planting times and not always being able to tell if people are talking about sowing directly or using seedlings but it's possibly because I'm looking for general advice when there are so many different varieties of plants with specific planting times.

Anyone know about yellow raspberries then? Found them free online and ended up belonging to someone in the next row! So hoping they'll have no issue thriving here. Been given loads of canes tied into about 3 bunches, very tall with some old raspberries in tact, can these be cut right down to maybe 10 inches and planted this month? Trying to decide based on what I've read .

I'm in south east scotland, we get very rough winters at times but the allotment is lined with trees either side and seems relatively sheltered.

For some reason I had visions of a completely clear lawn but it's most likely going to have something under there rather than a plain empty plot! So I'm excited to see what's there!

In terms of what's allowed it doesn't seem there's any unreasonable rules, but it must be 75% cultivated with 3 annual inspections. One in November... Hope we can sort a decent amount by then!!

[Greenleaves]

Welcome to the vine, enjoy the benefits of the advice and humour

[Jay-ell]

In terms of what's allowed it doesn't seem there's any unreasonable rules, but it must be 75% cultivated with 3 annual inspections. One in November... Hope we can sort a decent amount by then!!

Most sensible allotment sites have a grace period and wouldn't expect you to come up to scratch straight away if it shows that you're working towards getting it done.

[Bluenowhere]

Raspberries. I’d plant then as quickly as you can. In large cheap pots if necessary. Even where you are they won’t be dormant yet I wouldn’t have thought.

Then cut down in Feb time, if you want an earlier crop you can double crop them. That means you leave about half of the old canes and cut down the rest. You will get a small crop on the old canes and then new canes will grow which will also crop. Yellow raspberries are autumn cropping, so they crop on the same years growth.

We were also in a similar position last year (although took on in Feb) strimmer, dig up any perennial weeds (those with fat roots is the easiest way to tell the difference). The grass is likely to be the invasive couch grass rather than garden grass so you need to dig out the roots, unless you want to manure over them then cover with weed matting (our choice) or cardboard (if you can get it easily and weight it down) and leave for at least 6 months then dig out the surviving roots.

There are likely to be some fruit bushes or something we found gooseberries on ours but not much else, apart from what turned out to be garden shrubs?!?

[Bluenowhere]

Sorry meant to say about the raspberries the other thing to do would be to dig a quick trench at the side of the plot somewhere and leave then in the bunches and plonk then in the trench, to about the depth they were before and fill in the soil around then until you are ready to make a permanent bed (this is called ‘heeling in’ as you firm the soil around them with the heel of your boot). Then you can move them in Nov to Feb time when they are dormant and have got a bed sorted for them.

[Bluenowhere]

Also don’t make the mistake we did and think. Well I can just keep the grass under control in the bits I haven’t turned into beds yet - you won’t or at least we didn’t working full time with a family!

We had a full plot just to make things more challenging, I’d never grown anything to eat before, except a tomato plant or two from the garden center. I went the whole hog and grew everything from seed, mainly in modules in a small growhouse, the £15 type.

The robust weed matting - not the fabric woven stuff that is cheaper - is your friend, once you have strimmed it anywhere you want a bed to grow in that you can’t deal with immediately cover so that you have half a chance to deal with it before the grass grows high again. Then uncover and deal with one at a time, until it gets too wet to dig over winter. Also helps the committee see you are getting the plot organised which should tick the box on the inspection.

The first 60-70% is easiest the final third is hardest as that always comprises the most difficult bits, roots, worst weeds, poor soil, that you will leave until last. We are getting those sorted in our second year.

[Logunner]

Got my first allotment in May this year, it had been abandonded and covered in horsetail so thick you could’nt walk throught it. My only advice would be to show patience...

I took the decision to use weedkiller (ammonium sulphamate) and then wait 6 weeeks before beginning to turn the soil and lime it. Luckily I hed 2 raised beds which where empty of soil, so it was a case of weedkiller then fill to the top (3 tonnes of compost) and today I’ve harvested my first carrots and calabrese

Still digging out horsetail roots (dead and alive) but not seen shoot since july and the plan is to have it all dug/root clear by the end of september. All planned out for next year be warned it is addictive... even selling my beemer to buy a pick up So I can move manure and stufff without ruining a car lol

Wish I could post a pic, so you can see the cleared plot

[Jay-ell]

Logunner - keep posting. Once you have 10 posts then you can post photos (you will probably have to resize them first as there is a max file size). Or you can host them on a photo sharing site and embed them in your posts.

[Logunner]

Thanks for the tip

[Dyl]

Thanks all! Loving the advice

Hope I've not killed the raspberries yet, it's been manic so I've laid them over some soil at home and half heartedly watered them (had them since Thursday). Very interesting to hear they are autumn raspberries, the people we got them off basically said they'd had loads this year, is that what you mean by an earlier crop?

I need to check out the notices and see if there's more info, I didn't receive much at all. I don't know if there's anything that's communal or that's expected of me other than what's in the rules. We noticed there's a huge container at the entrance to our allotment that ive heard nothing about, and a big greenhouse which doesn't appear to be on a plot, is it possible these could be communal? Didn't actually get much info on that and haven't had a chat with anyone yet. Obviously i wouldn't go snooping until I know for sure they are communal.

Provided it's a fairly clear plot is cutting it into sods for soil next year a bad idea because of couch grass roots?

I really can't wait to get a decent walk around. It's only a at the back of my house but it's been I've of those weeks! I've been trying to do a lot of research especially on budget ways to run an allotment or source plants and seeds etc. Any further advice appreciated!

[Logunner]

Thanks all! Loving the advice

Hope I've not killed the raspberries yet, it's been manic so I've laid them over some soil at home and half heartedly watered them (had them since Thursday). Very interesting to hear they are autumn raspberries, the people we got them off basically said they'd had loads this year, is that what you mean by an earlier crop?

I need to check out the notices and see if there's more info, I didn't receive much at all. I don't know if there's anything that's communal or that's expected of me other than what's in the rules. We noticed there's a huge container at the entrance to our allotment that ive heard nothing about, and a big greenhouse which doesn't appear to be on a plot, is it possible these could be communal? Didn't actually get much info on that and haven't had a chat with anyone yet. Obviously i wouldn't go snooping until I know for sure they are communal.

Provided it's a fairly clear plot is cutting it into sods for soil next year a bad idea because of couch grass roots?

I really can't wait to get a decent walk around. It's only a at the back of my house but it's been I've of those weeks! I've been trying to do a lot of research especially on budget ways to run an allotment or source plants and seeds etc. Any further advice appreciated!

If you have no aversion to using weedkiller then I’d spray it and leave for a week before turning it over. Google ammonium sulphamate, it breaks down nicely. Once turned over cover with cardboard.