Cleared Lottie - what can I plant now?!

[Sunbeam]

We have cleared the 4 allotment sites we were given by the Parish Council - and have handed them over to their respective owners ( the idea being when they are handed back they are returned in the same state) - the question is - I now have this beautifully turned plot - what can I plant now....

I have transplanted my strawberries into the allotment from my garden where they were getting v overgrown but they are looking very lonely out there... I did have my GYO guide book (the little green one that told you what to do month by month) - but it has mysteriously disappeared!

Any advice/ideas would be welcome??

Also - On aforementioned lottie I plan to dig in a load of manure - but which poo is the best poo?

I understand chicken manure is great - but I have only 8 hens & whilst they might poo alot for 8 chickens they won't do enough to fertilise my plot

Horse manure is readily available, but I have been told Pig poo is the best - I even saw Zoo poo for sale in Corfe Castle the other day!

which is the best for veg growing??

[Two_Sheds]

No, pig poo is terrible.

Chicken poo is very "hot" so it should rot down in your compost heap before you use it, just like horse muck.

don't worry too much about muck and fertiliser. I've been self-sufficient in veg for 5 years now, and have never used manure, just well-rotted compost, which I put in the planting holes (kind of like a bean trench, but smaller - I don't have the strength or energy to cover my whole plot with compost)

As for planting ... fruit bushes? Winter brassicas (check your local nursery)

[Snadger]

I agree with Two sheds...........there are loads of winter brassicas for sale in my local garden centre.......at a price.
You may get away with sowing spring cabbage NOW........I have , it's worth a try, especially if you have chooks as if nothing else the chooks will like em.
Kale,PSB,white sprouting broccoli, various varieties of spring cabbage plants were all available.
Autumn sown peas and broad beans can also be sown along with japanese onion sets and garlic!

[rustylady]

You'll soon be able to plant overwintering onion sets (Japanese onions), sow broad beans for overwintering, and you could still get away with sowing quick salad crops - radish, lettuce etc. May be small, but still worth picking. If you're intending to make a fruit bush area autumn is an ideal time to plant raspberry canes and bushes like red/black/white currants.

[Two_Sheds]

I just picked up winter onion sets (Senshyu) from QD for about a quid

[Sunbeam]

Great - thanks for the advice, I'll be off to our local nursery looking for autumn raspberries & deffo black & red currants (my favourite!) I'll also keep an eye out for the brassicas, b/beans & onions too - plenty to be getting on with then!

[fwuffydragon]

Wyevale seeds currently 50p per packet

THINGS TO PLANT IN AUGUST (from stuff I currently own!)

Cabbage (April)
Cabbage (spring advantage)

Chard - rhubarb
Mooli – purple
Radish – icicle (sml mooli)
Radish – rainbow mixed
Rocket
spring onions – White Lisbon overwintering
Turnip

Lettuce – Iceberg
Pak Choi
Salad - Speedy seeds leaf salad stirfry mix
Salad Mix – Herby Leaf
Spinach – oriento

Kale – scarlet

Hope this helps!

[Eyren]

I understand chicken manure is great - but I have only 8 hens & whilst they might poo alot for 8 chickens they won't do enough to fertilise my plot

Just the opposite - chicken poo is potent stuff, so a little goes a long way. You can either rot it down first (bird manure contains high levels of uric acid, so is too harsh to use direct) or spread it thinly over an area that's going to be empty over winter (I try to keep ground in use all year round, but sometimes slugs and weather conspire against me ). You can also add modest amounts of fresh chicken manure to your compost heap as a nitrogen-rich starter.

[Sunbeam]

I currently have a wheelbarrow full of chicken poo & straw - I'm unable to get to the compost bin at the mo and we have erected serious chicken defences to prevent them getting on the to the allotment next door (ex-bats do like to wander !) So I might dig it into the bottom half of the lottie - I'm not going to be able to do anything with that bit for a while!

Re plant - I have bought 2 rhubarb crowns to go in to the fruity end of the plot, and have another bareroot to go in. I also bought some broadbean plants and some blocks of japanese onion sets (which say to plant in the blocks - do I have to thin them later?)
But I also have approx 30 broadbean plants sprouting willynilly over my plot - a couple of old plants must've gone to seed .... so I have freebies (lots of Freebies)- Yey!

Re Fruit - do I have to rotate raspberry canes/strawb plants etc as you would veg?

[Sue]

Sunbeam
I think raspberry canes last around ten years.
Strawberries have to be replaced every three years.
best wishes
Sue

[Nicos]

If you can find mustard seed, then it's a great green manure- grow it now and chop it back and dig it in in the Spring.
I'm going to do this on some of my raised beds this year!