New (small) Allotment!

[botherabbit]

Hello All,

After 3 years waiting I have now been given my first allotment! Hooray! I am really pleased, it's in a great place, south facing, near to home. However it is very small, just 6m x 3m. I live in inner London so I am really lucky to get one at all. I want to maximise my yield and I was wondering if anyone has any advice about how I may do this?

I plan to use raised beds and have read that you can space crops a little closer, is this true? By how much closer? I don't want to overcrowd them! I was also wondering if you could give me some specific examples of good catch crops? I know radish can be planted between others, but what others can you do?

I hope someone can help.

Many thanks!

[jacob marley]

Must the world record smallest plot don't have to many raised bed's or else you will have more path's than plot's good luck with your plot hope it is all you want ....jacob and welcome by the way

[Eyren]

Ooh, well done! I can imaging you're thrilled!

The usual suggestion for block-planting is to average out the space between plants and space between rows given on the packet, then use this as the spacing in your block. So if it says 10cm between plants and 30cm between rows, plant at 20cm in each direction.

Lettuce and most other salad leaves make good catch crops as they are fast-growing - but otherwise it depends on what you are growing as to what you can best catch-crop. Carol Klein's "Grow Your Own Veg" book has lots of good veg-growing advice and has a section all about a mini raised bed garden project, which you might find useful - it was reported here as being on special offer (£3.49!) at WHS recently, so worth looking for!

I wouldn't worry about loss of ground to paths - if you have permanent beds (with or without raised edges), your soil will be much more productive in the long term than if you are constantly trampling on it then digging it over

[Flummery]

I find that if you plant closer than the packet says, you can eat the alternate ones to allow space for some to fatten up. Cabbages for example - eat every other one when it's JUST big enough for eating and the ones in between will have more room.

[Snadger]

First of all congratulations on getting some veg growing space......even if it sounds pretty small!
If you haven't got a large growing area you have to make use of the VERTICAL growing area.
If it's south facing you should be able to utilise the north east and West boundary for growing tall plants soft fruit, beans, sweetcorn etc and this will give you a micro climate in the middle.

I would put 1 foot raised beds around the edges with 4 X 4 foot by approx 6 foot wide beds in the middle!
Keep paths to a minimum, or use stepping stones. Forget about spuds, unless grown in pots. Grow what you REALLY like fresh, and things that are expensive to buy!

Look on it as a challenge..........and show us some piccies when it's up and running!

[araminta]

Congrats! I planted some sweetcorn last year (which I'd started off in loo rolls then planted out) and put a runner bean seed (Painted lady) at the base of each plant - they all grew up around the sweetcorn plants, I did put a couple of courgettes under too but they didn't do so well, it might have been too shady!

[Burnzie]

Hi, congratulatons on getting your plot.

Read up on square foot gardening, then maybe scale up a little.

Good luck


Burnzie

[botherabbit]

You've all been very helpful, thank you! what a friendly community.

I am thrilled with my plot :-)

That was really interesting about the block planting, I was a bit worried about just not following the rules and doing my own thing, so being able to work it out for myself is great!

I was thinking of a stepping stones idea, but then I thought I would utilise what is already there (Raised edges along 2 long sides) and add more raised edges to make two very long beds and a narrow path up the middle. There are little paths between my plot and the ones either side so I should be able to kneel there to reach accross.

The vertical growing idea is a great idea, I was hoping to plant some sort of fruit on the wall at the back, this gets a great amount of sun. And then I will have to pick my veg well, I already have some climbing pumpkins in the post.

I also really like the idea of planting the row and then having every other one as a baby veg!

Carol Klein here I come!

Thanks! x

[Lazgaot]

One tip you may find useful... if you grow salads, grow a mixture of varieties and harvest the leaves as you need them for eating, don't let them grow into full sized plants and harves the whole head. This way you get lovely mixed salads and you can plant them closer as they are smaller plants because you are continuously cropping them. The plants should last at about 2-3 months of cropping.

[bucky]

congrats on new plot,being such a small plot you will deplete the nutrients in the ground very fast, each time you harvest a section put plenty of compost, manure,growmore etc, on soil then you can grow close together and intensely

[snohare]

I second the idea about square foot gardening.
Don't forget the shed, chairs, garden table...
You will want to sit down occasionally !

[Paulottie]

I agree that clumps rather than rows is the way to go in such a small space. Snadger's point about growing what you like and is expensive/ tastes good fresh is important

Choose smaller veg varieties eg leeks -King Richard; or quick carrots like parmex (can be started in modules) or Early Nantes; little gem lettuce; If you want a courgette choose a bush type eg Tosca and not a trailing one.

Have you got somewhere you can raise plants in pots or modules? a little cold frame would be handy too.

Sow little and often and always have something ready to go in.(preferably a different veg group follows) as bucky mentioned ...À la Geoff Hamilton (if you can get/watch the ornamental kitchen garden it has lots of ideas like clumps of onions or beetroot cloches etc.)always add a scoop of muck and a bit of BFB first. Keep the soil fertile and you'll be surprised just how productive that small area can be....good luck

[matthew2riches]

Oh wow!!! Sounds a little small though :-0

Have fun. Square meter gardening is probs the best idea with block planting.

It'll save you a hell of a lot of food is you do it right!!!!!!!!!

[botherabbit]

Just a little update and big thank yous to all who have responded.

I went down to the plot today, with my tape measure this time, and it is actually 8m x 3m, I have gained a whole 2 more meters! I think my pacing skills and measuring my paces were lacking before! I have planned for two long subdivided raised beds and small amounts of lots of different veg. I will post a photo when I'm up and running!

Thanks again,

[Creemteez]

First of all congratulations on getting some veg growing space......even if it sounds pretty small!
If you haven't got a large growing area you have to make use of the VERTICAL growing area.
If it's south facing you should be able to utilise the north east and West boundary for growing tall plants soft fruit, beans, sweetcorn etc and this will give you a micro climate in the middle.

I would put 1 foot raised beds around the edges with 4 X 4 foot by approx 6 foot wide beds in the middle!
Keep paths to a minimum, or use stepping stones. Forget about spuds, unless grown in pots. Grow what you REALLY like fresh, and things that are expensive to buy!

Look on it as a challenge..........and show us some piccies when it's up and running!

Listen to Uncle Snadger... Wise is he...