About to start work on new allotment, advice please.

[teamladd]

Hi all,

I came back yesterday from seeing my new plot. It has been rotivated for me. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing?

I know its too late to plant anything for this year. But what can I do to get it all started. I thought about sorting out paths and building a shed and compost heap.

Would just like some general ideas. See pictures below.




Thanks all.

[OllieMartin]

The focus on your camera makes me feel drunk!

You could build some raised beds, or just mark everything out with string?

[TEB]

There are still a few things that you can sow or plant now, late sowing of carrots, spring greens for next year same for Cauli, some winter lettuces etc, also prepare the soil for plantings of over wintering onions and garlic

[teamladd]

The focus on your camera makes me feel drunk!

You could build some raised beds, or just mark everything out with string?

Sorry my camera on my phone is rubbish. Marking out sounds like a good idea. Raised beds could be an idea, but I would have to spend a lot on soil!

There are still a few things that you can sow or plant now, late sowing of carrots, spring greens for next year same for Cauli, some winter lettuces etc, also prepare the soil for plantings of over wintering onions and garlic

What is the best way to prepare the soil? Also should I take as much of the churned up grass out as I can?

[Hazel at the Hill]

I'd draw a plan on paper from the measurements of your plot then

1. • Set aside area for shed
   • Set aside area compost bins (more than you think initially!)
   • Split area into beds not more than 4' wide (unless you have gibbon arms) so that you don't have to walk on them
   • I'd allow 18" - 2' for paths which can be grass, paved or weed suppressant/bark
   • Set some beds aside for permanent crops - fruit bushes/rhubarb/artichoke/asparagus
   • The remaining beds will be used for your rotation (either 3yr or 4yr depending on your fancy)

Mark the above out, suggest that you don't lay out permanent paths/beds for a couple of years - you'll discover with time that some things work better than others and it will save you EG from shortening your lovingly constructed wooden edged beds by 4' when you realised that you havent got enough room for your fruit bushes.

Good luck - it looks fantastic!

PS I'd cover all that you aren't going to get round to using ths year (i.e most of it) with cardboard - there's an awful lot of weeding to be done as soon as that lot starts to grow back...

[TEB]

Sorry my camera on my phone is rubbish. Marking out sounds like a good idea. Raised beds could be an idea, but I would have to spend a lot on soil!



What is the best way to prepare the soil? Also should I take as much of the churned up grass out as I can?

It all depends what your soil is like now and what you want to grow on it and when, for instance if you plan on growing a late sowing of carrots then dont manure it and try and get that part of the soil to a crumbly texture, if you are growing brassicas then they dont like an acid soil and you may have to improve with lime. As to the grass, if it was just cuttings I may be inclined to incorporate it but if there are roots then take it out.

[teamladd]

It all depends what your soil is like now and what you want to grow on it and when, for instance if you plan on growing a late sowing of carrots then dont manure it and try and get that part of the soil to a crumbly texture, if you are growing brassicas then they dont like an acid soil and you may have to improve with lime. As to the grass, if it was just cuttings I may be inclined to incorporate it but if there are roots then take it out.

When we went over there the soil was wet from all this rain, but it looked good, not very rocky. The chair of the allotments society said it was good, and looked better than there main site.

I am going to cover at least half of it, with manure and cardboard to break it down ready for next year.

Thanks for the good list Hazel at the Hill. I will def do something like this.

[TEB]

I would take soil samples to find out the PH levels and from this determine what will grow naturally and what may need enhancing, you could also sow a green manure on parts that you dont plan to use until next year but this isnt necessarily a cheap way of doing things.

[SarzWix]

Definitely agree with Hazel on the planning front - get some squared paper if you can and draw the outline of your plot to scale, then mark where the sun comes up and sets, so that you can make sure your shed etc aren't going to be blocking the light for half the day. Once you've roughly worked out where you want everything, you can go to the plot and mark it all out with strings and canes and see if you need to 'tweak' the design a bit. Once you know where all your beds will be, you can just be walking on the paths and working on the beds

[teamladd]

Definitely agree with Hazel on the planning front - get some squared paper if you can and draw the outline of your plot to scale, then mark where the sun comes up and sets, so that you can make sure your shed etc aren't going to be blocking the light for half the day. Once you've roughly worked out where you want everything, you can go to the plot and mark it all out with strings and canes and see if you need to 'tweak' the design a bit. Once you know where all your beds will be, you can just be walking on the paths and working on the beds

Gosh, to scale. Haven't a clue how to do that, maths isn't my specialty! Lol. I will speak to grampy as he used to create scale drawings for his career.

Will let you know how I get on.

[Mrs Jackson]

You can get a free 30 day trial on growveg.com (I think that's it) that you can use to create scale plans. I found it very helpful when I was planning what to do with my plot.

Mrs J

[Hazel at the Hill]

Gosh, to scale. Haven't a clue how to do that, maths isn't my specialty! Lol. I will speak to grampy as he used to create scale drawings for his career.

Will let you know how I get on.

If you measure your patch in feet and get some squared paper and make one foot equal a square its not difficult to draw it out. Mine looks like this at the mo.

[SarzWix]

I did mine with 1 metre = 1 square. I'm no mathemetician, but it was quite easy

[Bren In Pots]

Congrats on getting your plot

If you've got a printer you can download the graph paper on this site click > here

[ckfe]

Hi all,

I came back yesterday from seeing my new plot. It has been rotivated for me. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing?

why is your allotment all on it's own in the middle of nowhere?