Planning a new lottie advice

[dexterdoglancashire]

Has anyone got any good tips/advice/helpful hints as to what I should do with my newly acquired lottie?

Its roughly 30ft deep by 25ft across.It is covered with small weeds and grass, and if, santa and funds willing! I want to buy/scrounge/pinch (well not really!) some black plastic sheeting to put over the weeds to kill them off - and I want to do that this weekend. (Sod Christmas/housework/shopping - this is MUCH more important!).

Any tips re setting out of plots etc. I rather thought shed (there is something else to add to santas rather long list!) in the top right hand corner.

Compost/water butt in the top left hand corner. South is behind me as I look at the plot.

I thought about a path up the middle.....then am open to ideas! LOL!

ALSO - not wanting much - I still have my four small plots in the back garden - what does everyone think? can I use these to grow just tatties? How can I put this into rotating my crops?

ANY help gratefully received! Looking forward to reading your replies! Love Dexterdog

[Alice]

Hello DDL, there is a lot to think about there, but you do have time to do that. Now that you have the lottie you could use the bits in your garden for the food you want to have right at your kitchen door - lettuce, leaves, spring onions, radish, herbs, flowers for cutting.
Only you know what you and your family like to eat and what you want yout lottie for. Do you aim to be completely self sufficient, or ain=m to grow what is expensive in the shops. I've just bought some raspberries - _ £4.00 for goodness sake !
Take your time and work out what you want to do. You could plant some garlic now, it would be growing while you are working everything out. Good luck.

[JennieAtkinson]

Congrats DDL on getting your allotment. Lots of planning ahead for you - but I would agree with Alice, don't rush into anything. I'm in year 3 of my plot and still changing things around!

Good luck!

[PAULW]

DDL
I rather thought shed (there is something else to add to santas rather long list!) in the top right hand corner.

Compost/water butt in the top left hand corner.

The problem with this is that you wil keep hitting your head on the guttering pipe as you walk between the shed and the water butt.

[yoanbob]

on my new plan i have a six year rotation, but it really depends on what you eat most of.
my sugestion would be to put bark chippings on one of the plots by the house and instal an eggloo complete with chooks.
what are OH's arguments for not having them? they are quiet, easy to look after and affectionate and in a propper run would be safe from dexter.
and use the others for lettuce and herbs like alice said, its so convenient to step out the back door and pick some rocket for your sandwich, or some more thyme for your soup, i would put less urgent crops such as spuds on the lottie.
good luck!

[nick the grief]

Hi DDL,

Yes it's easy. Win the lottery & employ a gardener

What I did was call a family meeting & we all said what sort of stuff we liked eating and made a note of it ( I now grow 3 acres of Big Macs )

Thenn split them into the different groups for crop rotations and then get yer nose into the old seed catalogues & start writing the lists up. Compare the prices in 2 or 3 though as you'll be suprised what a difference there is in prices. I've see seed for a variety I would like for next year vary from £2-49 to 85p for the same number of seeds etc !!!

PS. Second thing to do is get you name down for the other plot straight away as 1 won't be enough once you start

[dexterdoglancashire]

[QUOTE=PAULW;49812]DDL
I rather thought shed (there is something else to add to santas rather long list!) in the top right hand corner.

Compost/water butt in the top left hand corner.

Hi Paul - thats brill1 I'm having a good week! Just got a 6mth old 6x4' shed for £75! Guess what OH and I are doing on Christmas Eve! Dexterdog

[User Removed]

Hello DD, Congratulations on getting your allotment. My best advice will probably be wait until it warms up as it is so cold here.

Ohh and don't work to hard over Xmas

[seasprout]

Perhaps you should think about if you want any fruit as this is quite permanent really... Gooseberries, raspberries and currents.. perhaps better to grow them together so they are easier to cover with netting if needed. just a thought really. Also do you want strawberries. :-)

[Sue]

DDL
Congrats on the new allotment, must be wonderful. I'm only in my second year but I did try black plastic over last winter and wasn't impressed. Don't know what soil you have but on heavy clay it was not good. Found much better results with cardboard and mulch which the worms incorporated into the soil very quickly, that just left the "big" weeds to try and conquer.
Also with great sheets of black plastic, found it took for ever to pick off all the baby worms which had congretated on the plastic as I didn't want them to end their days trapped in the rolled up plastic.
Due to back injury I can't dig very much so have been gradually putting in raised beds, much easier to manage.
The other thing I've learned is how much water you can get from the shed, one water butt will not be enough, have already filled up three since the drought, 660 litres from one shed! My kind allotment neighbour fitted a connecting pipe for me so one after the other fills up.
And don't forget to make somewhere nice to sit down and relax and eat your lunch - most important!
best wishes and good luck
Sue

[JazzDuke]

Congrats DDL on getting your allotment. Lots of planning ahead for you - but I would agree with Alice, don't rush into anything. I'm in year 3 of my plot and still changing things around!

Good luck!

I believe its called crop rotation

[Dobby]

Only plant whot you like to eat
sounds daft but I have heard of some people growing stuff they dont realy eat just cos some one siad it was easy to grow
also plant like every 3 weeks so you dont end up with 20 cabbidges that need eating at the same time Mrs D did a list on hear somewhere
I have it on a pice of paper that im going to put onto a calider so I know where im up to

[martini]

Hi Dexter

Congratulations on getting your allotment ! That's great news and has cheered me up. Not been too well lately - hence the absence, but am now on the mend. The OH isn't going to be very happy as I'll be comandeering the pc again to read all the posts I've missed. I got my Christmas wish - a greenhouse - at last! It's a wooden one 8 x 10 (second hand) and we pick it up after Christmas. Good luck with the allotment - just think of the tons of stuff you'll be able to grow

[dexterdoglancashire]

What can I say?

Many thanks everyone for your good wishes - and very useful advice! To be fair, I seem to be thinking along the same lines as everyone else. I know there is no rush - but boy! do I want to get in there!

Was very lucky and got a 6mth old shed for £75 - so that is sunday/christmas eve sorted - hopefully OH and my friend will move and erect it for me! (wot a christmas pressie!) Somewhere to keep a few tools, and more importantly a chair and somewhere to have a brew and some biscuits! Actually, just decided to bring it home then take our time to put down a proper base etc etc - and there was me choosing the colour for the curtains!

Know what you mean about the black plastic - but yes, Im more than happy to pick off all the worms. Just had a discussion with OH - he is taking my estate car to work tomorrow, and he can fill it full of cardboard for me to put down. So at least I can get cracking on Saturday - well, that and the housework and shopping for christmas etc!

Sorry to hear you havent been too well martini - I was going to drop you a line - there have been no greenhouses in our area since we talked about it months ago - so pleased youve got your christmas pressie!

Actually Nick, was thinking of advertising for a gardener - would you be willing to work for me?

Hope everyone has a lovely christmas! Love Bernie aka Dexterdog

PS Dexter is also allowed on our lottie as long as he is on his lead - no probs! He can even do some of the digging!

[dinky_doo]

well done on getting the plot which site are you on ?