Grow Your Own needs your advice for new allotment holders!

[RuthC]

We'd like to know what tips you would give people who are taking on their first allotment. What are the first things you would do? How would you tackle an overgrown one? How would you go about planning your veg beds? Where would you suggest seeking advice and finding out about rules and regulations on the site? Should new allotmenteers avoid doing anything in particular?

And please enlighten us about any of the many other topics not covered here!

[Pumpkin Becki]

The first things I would do when taking on a new plot, be it an allotment or a home veg plot, are:

1)Assess the plot, are there any overhanging trees which could shade out some types of crop, is there a supply of water or can you add one yourself, is there any rubbish to get rid of, what is the current condition and acidity of the soil.

2)Decide if you're going to use a traditional 'open plot' or raised beds.

3)Draw up a list of the sorts of things you like to eat (no point growing something you don't like), and then draw up a plan of your site (to scale if you can). Mark on it the best locations for compost heaps, water butts, sheds/toolstore and paths. Make sure you don't skimp on the width of paths, you need to be able to move a wheel barrow around easily or you'll get really frustrated.

4)Read a good veg growing book - I like Alan Titchmarsh's 'Kitchen Gardener', and get an understanding of the basic principles like crop rotation, composting and feeding.

5)Get loads of seed catalogues and enjoy reading them. They give lots of information like when to sew, when to harvest etc, which can help prevent gluts of crops or worse still, hungry gaps where you have nothing harvestable.

6)Start to prepare your beds. Don't go mad at this stage and think you have to do everything right now, you'll get disheartened. Take it in small manageable stages, and simply cover the areas you can't tackle yet with plastic or cardboard secured to the ground. This will help weaken weeds and stop nutrients being leeched out of the soil.

7)Start some seeds off in modules or seedtrays at home, this will give you some nice healthy plants to put into the plot as and when its ready and will give you a real sense of achievement.

8)Most important - Enjoy it!!



(Phew, do you want me to write an article on the subject?)

[zazen999]

The first thing to do is to make a cuppa. And then watch which way the sun moves across the plot.

Then launch into PB's list.

[rustylady]

Take it steady - DO NOT TRY TO DO EVERYTHING AT ONCE!! If you do, you will ache, you will have to take time off to recover from the aching, and while you are off the weeds will grow. Clear, cover, and plant with something useful asap so you can see results to keep you going.

[snuffer]

When visiting the plot for the first time take with you: pen, paper and tape measure. Make a rough drawing of the plot making particular note of the position of any existing features you might want to keep (fruit bushes, shed, paths etc.).

Measure the width and length of your plot and the distances between those features (listed above) and mark them on your drawing.

You will then be able to make a more accurate plan that will enable you to mark out the positions of your beds and paths this plan will then form the basis of your crop rotation plan.

[Glutton4...]

Take it steady, and plan plan plan! Do a little at a time, and remember to cover/mulch bare areas to save on the time spend on weeding.

That said, it doesn't matter what you do, you'll change it the next year when you've found out a better way!

[FionaH]

First thing I would do is search "new plot" on here

[Storming Norman]

Just 4 things to add to PB's comprehensive list of what to do from experience with my new plot this year:

1. Think about starting by first cutting all the overgrowth down [unless you are lucky enough to have anything worthwhile growing already]. This allows you to get the measure of the land to assess it - all the better to follow the rest of the advice on offer here. Weeds and all will spring back up again very quickly it will then need regular trimming back - but at least it immediately looks tidy and loved so giving a sense of achievement which is so important to new plot holders.

2. Talk to those plot holders around you and find out what they did, why, and most importantly what they wished they had done or not done. There is a font of local experience on tap which saves a lot of wasted effort; but talk to several because they can disagree with each other! Special advice given out to all by one of our plot holders is look after your back and do not dig for more than 30-45 minutes at a time.

3. Consider carefully how much time you can honestly devote to your plot, and decide what to do according to this. A one year plan may turn into a much more sensible 2 year plan as a result.

4. Don't grow too much of anything unless you have a big family to feed. Plenty of food comes from even a modest sized plot and variety rather than quantity may be more appealing when you start harvesting.

Enjoy it - its amazing fun and the resulting produce just has to be tasted to be believed.

[jenjen]

Well, what I'd urge people to do is not be overwhelmed, but also be realistic about the work you're likely to do. There is a minimum of time that you need to be there most weeks throughout the year, and if you're not going to do that, then do think clearly about what you're going to do with your allotment (on our site, we're seeing the first flush of 'allotment trendies' giving up, which is a real shame for those on the waiting list).

On the other hand, depending on what time you do have will depend on what you want to grow. I know, that being there perhaps three hours a week on average (and that means only a snatched half hour during winter weekends) that my plot will never be immaculate as my retired neighbours who have spent so much time down there. But that doesn't mean that I don't have some pride. So put your energy into the stuff that does make a difference, keep on top of the weeding - better to spend 10 minutes with a hoe once or twice a week than several hours with the trowel in one go.

Start off with easy things, and, in my experience, quantity rather than variety is a good way to get a buzz. Sure, this year I'm experimenting with a squillion different types of garlic, but last year I just wanted to grow SOMETHING and I'm really glad I bought a job lot of garlic and have consequently had enough bulbs to see me through in the kitchen for several months. In my experience (and ask at your site for the local knowledge) leeks, potatoes, courgettes and squash all give a good and ample return on their planting and remember that that's the point, to get some good home grown veg.

Plan, plan, plan again. Because I sowed a row of leeks here and there as land became free I have enough leeks for a small country but no where for a sizeable onion patch which hasn't had alliums of some sort on them for the past eighteen months.

And keep a check on your finances. Its very easy to come out £20 lighter every time you visit the garden centre, but its not exactly economical. Look online for seed, swap seeds, recycle seed, use old netting and yoghurt pots. Part of the joy of allotments is their recycled/reused aspects, and an immaculate plot with 100s of pounds of best quality timber made raised beds seems to me a bit soulless compared to the cobbled together sheds we see on our site.

On clearing, a big blitz on clearing weeds will only be successful if then followed with little and often on clearing up the ones that still peek through. Cover, check again, weed again, cover again...

ETA: on the quantity rather than variety thing, clearly only grow stuff in quantities that you can eat. My point is not to grow one of one thing, one of another thing, the sort of thing I was used to doing being restricted by my very small veg plot in the garden, but get some good productive crops in to start using the ground early.

[nickson71]

I have to say that I'm new to the allotment as I've only had it 2 weeks but the first thing I did was hit the internet after the phone call to arrange a meeting with the allotment secretary. Using the net I've found out load of information from being able to identify the common weed and what to do about them, to crop rotation, when to plant things, etc

I forgot the tape measure on the first visit and couldn't make it back to the plot due to the early nights so I got a rough idea of the plot dimensions using google earth (and it was only 50cm out lengthwise and 24cm width wise - surprisingly)... I then sat down and started to plan the beds - taking into account a 4 year crop rotation. If you get a plot that has been worked over the last year treat it as a blank canvas and try and ignore how the beds are laid out (it took me a while to work that one out).

My plot isn't too over grown so I've now got all the beds and paths marked out with cane an bright yellow string and I will be attacking one bed at a time to getting the weeds out.

I most helpful thing I've found is talking to people - other plot holders on the site to this forum and most important thing is to ask questions if you are stuck (I'm sure that I'll be asking a few in the very near future).

[TPeers]

Buy some weed supressing menbrane - there is NOTHING more soul destroying than clearing half a bed, missing a weekend to weather and getting back there to find the whole job needs doing again!

And I'm with everyone else - only take one on if you are ready for the time and commitment. Hope for 6 hrs a week - scrape by on 3 but don't cut watering time in summer!

Plan, plan and plan - it's fun! So what if the reality is half a row of salad and a basket of beans, you have tried and it has to be good!

[greengas]

My advice being a newbie to allotmenting(5months) and taking on an overgrown plot is clear and cover and then work in sections. I have managed to pull 50kg of spuds in my first year. I believe crops like spuds are good as you cant plant them in ground they act as a weed suppresent and when you come to digging up you have worked the ground again!
I always seek advice from the old heads on the allotment, one in particular has been very helpful giving me seeds from there beans and produce. I must admit I dont take all advice as a few always seem to know better whatever you say but on the whole they are the people that have worked the allotment some for 50 odd years. The only thing any of the old heads raise there eyebrows to is my raised beds, they believe in rows and traditional methods which is fine each to there own.
The best advice though is enjoy it, you will have failed crops, gluttons of crops, plenty of rain and the odd show of the sun but most of all you will have the satisfaction and pride of knowing when you put that food in your mouth this is all my work

[nickson71]

Forgot to add

One bit of advise I got from here was before running of to the nearest garden centre to buy tools was to ask friends and family and even other plot holders if they had any spare tools

I did this with my family and ended up with 2 spades, 2 forks, 2 rakes, a wheel barrow, a hoe, 2 hand forks, a trowel, and 2 axes (one big one small), a soil sieve, numerous pots and seed trays, a bow saw and a bucket

[Two_Sheds]

Don't leave anything valuable on the plot, or it will get nicked. I've lost 2 spades, 2 forks, 2 rakes, a wheel barrow, a hoe, 2 hand forks, a trowel, and 2 axes (one big one small), a soil sieve, numerous pots and seed trays, a bow saw and a bucket



Kidding.

[Hans Mum]

chat to your plot neighbours (the ones that have been there a while) to see what the growing conditions are like, ie soil, particular pests, etc., on our site i'm at the top of an incline & dont have a lot of trouble with water retention at the bottom they could grow rice there's that much water, upside for folks at the bottom is the pigeons dont bother them whereas they think the top section is a flythrough restaraunt