New Allotment - The Shire

[SarrissUK]

Well done! It's lovely when you find stuff hidden in the jungle isn't it!

[broadway]

Morning Folks

Quick update and some questions, due to weather, holidays, popped rib, etc I've not done as much as I'd like.

New pictures below, one compost bin started today. Water butts in place but need attaching, about 95% of the plot now covered in membrane.

My priority now is to work on the area where the wheelbarrow is. This covers 5 x 7 metres and my plan is to have this up and running with a number of raised beds for this / next year. (Was thinking about 5 raised beds, 3 x 1 m each - One will be dedicated to strawberries).

My plan is to plant green manure is these beds and once cut turn these into no dig beds after covering with cardboard, various mulches I can obtain, then a layer of MPC.

Does anyone see any issues with my plan or perhaps suggest different approaches?

[SarrissUK]

It looks very tidy! Much more so than my plots lol

Personally I wouldn't bother raising the beds - I have created beds simply by laying out cardboard, and added well rotted horse manure on top and planted straight into that.

[broadway]

It looks very tidy! Much more so than my plots lol

Personally I wouldn't bother raising the beds - I have created beds simply by laying out cardboard, and added well rotted horse manure on top and planted straight into that.

Thanks for the response Sarriss

Fair point re the beds considering the cost of the timber.

I'm more interested in your comment re the horse manure. Apparently although still to be confirmed I have access to a limitless supply of horse manure. When you say well rotted how long did that take and was it a case of just leaving it lying around of piling it up?

Also, any compost used or did you plant directly in the muck?

[broadway]

Morning Folks

Well I finally got something done on the plot!!

The beds are 3x1.5 metres, rain predicted tomorrow and tuesday so the cardboard should hopefully get wet through. The plan is to then fill half the beds with spent compost/soil then top off with MPC.

The beds are for my broadbeans, strawberries, and onions which are all growing in modules in the yard. (I'm hoping to get these into the beds within the next two week.

Most of the linkbord bits are about 10-15 years old, just had to buy a few extra pieces to make up the 3 beds.

[broadway]

Well after what seems like years I planted the first bits in the allotment, 21 strawberries

Tomorrow will either be the onion/garlic or broad bean bed.

Social distancing stats - Saw one neighbour when walking there, 10 metres away, allotment 2 - 3 people 5 plus metres, walking back no one.

[nickdub]

Thanks for the response Sarriss

Fair point re the beds considering the cost of the timber.

I'm more interested in your comment re the horse manure. Apparently although still to be confirmed I have access to a limitless supply of horse manure. When you say well rotted how long did that take and was it a case of just leaving it lying around of piling it up?

Also, any compost used or did you plant directly in the muck?

Fresh manure can be used, but with caution say around soft fruit or trees, definitely not seedlings. To rot down fresh manure takes about 6 months, the bigger the heap the better - if you can get enough you can grow mushrooms on it :-)
One issue is that a lot of the nutrients in manure are water-soluble so that a heap outside in the rain will lose a lot of the goodness, particularly over winter - bests bet either rot down inside or cover it with something like a tarpaulin or plastic sheets.

[broadway]

Fresh manure can be used, but with caution say around soft fruit or trees, definitely not seedlings. To rot down fresh manure takes about 6 months, the bigger the heap the better - if you can get enough you can grow mushrooms on it :-)
One issue is that a lot of the nutrients in manure are water-soluble so that a heap outside in the rain will lose a lot of the goodness, particularly over winter - bests bet either rot down inside or cover it with something like a tarpaulin or plastic sheets.

Thanks Nick

Since I posted I visited the stables that was no more Was about to reach out for others but then the virus kicked in, we are where we are at least I'll have 3 beds planted up by Friday

[broadway]

Ok a couple of quick updates.

The three beds up the top are now finished, near one strawberries, fleeced one potatoes(20 each of King Edwards, Int Kidney, and Spunta), far one a mixture of broadnbeans, red/yellow onions, and garlic.

I half also started tackling the rest of the plot in sections, they are roughly 7x2metres. Skimming the top with the grub hoe took about 3 hours in total (although that was 3x1 hour slots as I get knackered) Next step is a bit of racking and levelling before using it for no dig beds.

[broadway]

Strawberry cage put in place today (Thanks to number 2 son for helping me to carry it to the allotment), a bit of fine tuning required but should do the job