Feeling overwhelmed by the new plot

[KateG]

Before I start, I do suffer terribley with stress so this hasn't come as a shock to me or my family but I'm feeling a bit stressed by the task ahead.

A bit of background - i'm a stay at home mum with a part time (evening) job. My children are 2 and 3. Our new plot is 10 miles away and I've taken it on with my Mum (who is the brains behind this but wants me to take on the bulk of the organising/donkey work).

The plot is 10 poles of clay like soil. It was cultivated last year I believe but only half heartedly and before that it wasn't used for years and years. It was recently tilled so is mud topped currently. We have a fairly large amount of well rotted manure to use too.

So, what on earth do I do now?!! We've been up today and marked out 2 beds, each 4ft wide and 11ft long. I think I'm planning on having 8 beds like this and then several beds the full width of the plot (25ft) for things like runner beans and spuds. Next year I'd like to grow things that boost my confidence.

My mum bought some main crop potatoes today, half price. I believe these need to be put in asap? She also has some butternut squash for us to plant up there.

With all of this in mind what would be your 'to do' list for the next week? and on from that a to do list for the next month.. I have no idea how much time I have to allot to this yet, it depends greatly on how the children cope with being up there. I would like to get the bulk of the work done asap so that I can pootle up there over the winter and I'm sure mum would baby sit while I got going. Thing is, I have no idea what the to do list would entail.

Please help, I need a plan of action to get me going so I can enjoy this new hobby There just seems like too much to learn at the minute

[Finedon.Dandy]

First of all Kate I would like to congratulate you on taking such a huge step in your life. I know alot of people on here will tell you NOT to stress and just enjoy it. This will probally be quite good therapy if you can not let it get on top of you. This is a great forum, a real community - they have helped me through so much recently so there are plenty of people to talk to if it starts to get too much or if you need any advice.

I would think that planting spuds would be the priority then possibly the butternut squash but why dont you cover up with plastic, or the like, the ground which you wont be using straight away as this will save you having to weed it. It sounds from the way you talk that you have alot of knowledge already but just need some confidence - you go girl its right there in that plot once you harvest the first of your grown your own.

Try and get the kids involved if they are up there (not easy sometimes I know - mine are 2 and 4) Carrots are easy as are marigolds which will make the plot look pretty - plant the two together as the smell of the marigolds will deter the carrot root fly. Also get the kids to water - there is nothing that my two enjoy more - some gets wasted but they do help alot in the end!

Lastly - I hope you wont mind me saying this but please dont let your Mum be the stress factor in this venture. I know what my Mum is like - she is ready to point out what I havent done, forgets to praise what I have done and then tells me I should take time out for myself (yeh like when!) Perhaps she is seeing this as an opportunity for you to have something to acheive yourself - in which case yes get her to babysit all you can!

Here for you if you need me, good luck

Tammy

[KateG]

Thank you Tammy, wise words indeed. Do you know me already? My Mother IS a huge stress factor in any part of my life lmao

Water is a great idea, they both love watering at home.

I think you must live near me, or there must be another finedon in the county - my plot is in Ringstead (andI work in Wellingborough )

[Finedon.Dandy]

Brilliant to have someone nearby! Yes we do sound very similar!

PM me if you would like to meet up sometime.

[Novice Gardener]

Hi Kate, I've just got a lottie in the past couple of days and although it looked big when I viewed it, now its mine its HUGE (well only 125 sq meters) and I wasn't sure where to start, but everyone on here reckons the best thing to do is just work on a bit at a time. I'm working on a bit that I think might be about 30ft x 25ft. I cleared it yesterday and dug it over. The soil seems pretty good so I'm gonna get some potatoes out pretty quick along with some PSB, sweetcorn, tomatoes and whatever else I've got on the windowsill ready to go out. The rest of the plot will be covered in black plastic and just worked on bit by bit. I'm going through a huge amount of stress at the moment ( I won't bore you with the details) but I've found that the two hours there yesterday were so relaxing (in mind not body) and I'm loving sitting on my own just thinking about what I'm gonna do with my plot. Good luck to you, but remember, its something you should be enjoying, not worrying over.

[rainbowminx]

I wrote a similar post only three weeks ago and you would not believe what has been achieved since then, honestly! I was advised by the good people on here back then to just chill and take it one small step at a time with clearing an area and planting an area. Here's what I did;

1. Put string around exactly half of my plot. I don't intend to even look at the other half this year - it's just too overwhelming! (my plot is 10m x 27m)

2. I got a pencil, ruler and some paper and drew what I wanted my plot to look like eventually. Then I took some canes and string to the allotment and marked out three beds with one metre paths between.

3. I cleared the paths with a rake to get up the grass and weeds etc, and then used roundup on the paths.

4. I dug Bed 1. Then dug it again. Then raked it. Then edged it with some old fence slats. I made some chicken wire cloches (we have a rabbit problem, and the patch isn't fenced off yet - another job for next year).

5. I planted cauliflower, sprouts, broccoli and a few lovely orange marigolds in Bed 1.

6. I borrowed a rotovator and rotovated Bed 2, Bed 3 and Bed 4, raked the obvious weeds and grass from them, and then covered them all with black fleece (Wilkinsons £3 for 8m x 1.5m)

7. I planted French Beans, squash, onions, garlic and shallots in Bed 2 (I also intend to put my sweetcorn in there this week).

8. I planted potatoes (half price Wilkinsons £1.50) in three rows in Bed 3.

9. I visit every day or two to hoe off weeds, dig out perennial weeds, water stuff and generally to admire my handiwork! Often it's just a quick 15 mins, sometimes an hour.

10. I have since made Bed 5 and this evening planted carrots and pumpkins (at either end).

In between doing this I acquired a shed on freecycle and erected it. All of this has been done mostly single handed. My hubby does help with the heavy work a bit, and our children age 4 and 5 just play, finding sticks and digging in the unused half of the allotment.

Three weeks after getting my allotment which was mostly weeds and grass I now have a fully working allotment which I never in a million years thought I would have! I tend to nip to my allotment for an hour after the kids are in bed and before it gets dark. It's nice and quiet and I get loads done.

Anyway, I hope that helps to give you some enthusiasm that you CAN get stuff done and to say that I do totally understand that overwhelming feeling of OH MY GOD WHAT HAVE I TAKEN ON HERE?? !!

I have just downloaded the before, during and after pics I've been taking and if I can work out how to add them I'll post them here for you.

My allotment neighbour took his on at the same time as me and his method is less regimented (I can't help it, I like to plan!) and he just digs a random square and then plants stuff in it. His plot is coming along nicely too and it's nice to see how others are getting on - you gain confidence that way also.

Big hugs and remember it is meant to be fun, and it IS fun!

Kris

[yoanbob]

slowley slowley cachee monkee, first lock your mum in the cellar with enough food for a couple of years then cover whole plot with weed fabric or whatever, then take your time bed by bed you will surprised how quickley it comes together, your plan sounds fine but it wont happen overnight, thats why you need your mum in the cellar.

[Alice]

Welcome to the Vine KateG. If you want to have the allotment - great - but don't do it for your mother. Only do it if you want to do it for yourself. Think about that before you go any further.

Beyond that. do the work a small bit at a time. Clear a small patch and plant it with what you want to grow. The rest can wait - it won't go away.

[piskieinboots]

Fab advice from Kris there KateG!

I took over my plot in January, I didn't cover it - I have now , although having said that I now have most of it given over to the job in hand of growing stuff for me

[Finedon.Dandy]

slowley slowley cachee monkee, first lock your mum in the cellar with enough food for a couple of years then cover whole plot with weed fabric or whatever, then take your time bed by bed you will surprised how quickley it comes together, your plan sounds fine but it wont happen overnight, thats why you need your mum in the cellar.

Rolling on the floor laughing

Kate - I would have suggested that you lock the kids in with her but after the unfunny Austrian case maybe not - maybe put them on a bungee rope and keep them down the end you arent working on?

[Two_Sheds]

Kate,
It doesn't sound like you want to do this allotmenting thing at all. If your heart isn't in it and you get no pleasure from the 'work', for goodness sake don't do it. If your mum wants to, let her find some other mug to do the digging.

[jackie j]

Its got to be something you want to do, if not leave it to your mum, As a mum of five kids all but one grown up now I would never have taken on an allotment. Now I am in my fifties I can take all the time i want to do what i want. I got my allotment last september and its great fun and hard work but its for me if anyone wants to help i will let them but i wont make them.
Think about it maybe try it for a while and if its too much just say sorry mum I cant do it but will help occasionally.
Good luck with it.

[middlefield]

I found a great labour saver is to cover an area with black plastic and cut holes for squashes, pumpkins etc. This will suppress the weeds but still allow produce to grow.

[robD]

So, what on earth do I do now?!! We've been up today and marked out 2 beds, each 4ft wide and 11ft long. I think I'm planning on having 8 beds like this and then several beds the full width of the plot (25ft) for things like runner beans and spuds. Next year I'd like to grow things that boost my confidence.

Can I just say DON'T plant 25ft of runner beans, you'll be eating them for ever

Having taken on a plot just over 18 months ago, it's still not fully cleared. At this time of year I have to accept I'm not going to clear any more until autumn as I'll be spending most of my time looking after what has been planted (i.e. weeding, weeding, weeding and with some luck harvesting!).

Just do a bit at a time and don't worry about what you haven't done. Take some photos of how it is now and as you clear more space - it's a great motivator to see how much you HAVE done. There's always more to do, but stay focussed on the positive.

[Winged one]

We got our plot last year and it was uncultivated for some time. We dug what we could in spring, lashed in some spuds (which I followed with carrots and beans and peas), some brassica plants from shops, and some onions and garlic, and a few peas and lettuce. We didn't get huge amounts of stuff back last year, but we got fresh new potatoes, some cabbages and brocolli, and a handfull or two of peas every once in a while. As well as enough onions and garlic to last all winter.

Don't stress about it - it can take a long time to get a new plot up and running. This winter we managed to dig over most of the rest of it - but there is still some left for a quiet time! The best plan is to dig and plant.

But I would also echo others - if you are someone who is not enjoying it, don't do it. We look on ours as nice to have but we are not pressurising ourselves to have a show plot - just grow as many veggies as we can ourselves in the very limited time we get on there. So we do lots of things that can be ignored rather than needing lots of maintenance or watering. (Our plot is about 6 miles away and takes about 20 minutes to drive to - so just not conducive to do for just a few minutes - we try to spend a couple of hours there about once a fortnight and it seems to be working).

If you want to have something to do, great, go for it (but don't worry about doing it too fast). If it is just your mum who wants to do it, let her off to do it and remind HER that it doesn't need to be fab from day 1.