Allotment layout - advice needed

[Nicos]

For my penny's worth.....

Are we talking about permanent beds??

I like the idea more of the central path- you'd have been tempted to jump/walk across the beds otherwise.
The top and bottom beds- do you have a long reach to get to the weeds at the back? I can only just stretch 2' - hence 4' beds work better for me.
1ft side paths are too narrow in my mind once the plants are tumbling over the edges.I'd go for 18" ( are you a kneeler or a stooper for weeding??- it'll make a difference to the path width needed!)
I built up the last 2ft of those paths and made them nto beds to join up with the beds on either side so there was a continuous bed on either side ( but not too deep to get to to weed) - sort of like the teeth on a comb joining on to the handle . Brill for herbs,a few left over lettuce or onions, or companion flowers!!

I too am a planner!- tis the best part of winter / early spring gardening!!!!

[marmalade]

this is an interesting thread! I've just taken over a plot which is a half plot, about 5m x 20m (ish!), would I still be better going for a central pathway? I was going to have one at each side.....

[Reks]

For my penny's worth.....

Are we talking about permanent beds??

I like the idea more of the central path- you'd have been tempted to jump/walk across the beds otherwise.
The top and bottom beds- do you have a long reach to get to the weeds at the back? I can only just stretch 2' - hence 4' beds work better for me.
1ft side paths are too narrow in my mind once the plants are tumbling over the edges.I'd go for 18" ( are you a kneeler or a stooper for weeding??- it'll make a difference to the path width needed!)
I built up the last 2ft of those paths and made them nto beds to join up with the beds on either side so there was a continuous bed on either side ( but not too deep to get to to weed) - sort of like the teeth on a comb joining on to the handle . Brill for herbs,a few left over lettuce or onions, or companion flowers!!

I too am a planner!- tis the best part of winter / early spring gardening!!!!

am a kneeler, I tried 4' last year and it was a bit difficult to get to the middle, maybe i will go with 3 or 3.5'. I will make the 1' horizontal path to 1.5'.
And like you Nicos..love planning

[Nicos]

Marmalade- human nature being as it is- most of us are too lazy to walk more than about 10 feet to the end of a bed to get to the next one

Esp at the end of a long sesh- and you just want to get something from the next bed- and you're bang in the middle- what do ya do- yup ..step onto the middle of the bed compacting the soil/damaging the crop...just to get across quicker!

While you're both starting from scratch- have you thought about a fruit cage???
Do your neighbours have problems with pidgeons/jays/blackbirds nicking fruit???

[Reks]

Marmalade- human nature being as it is- most of us are too lazy to walk more than about 10 feet to the end of a bed to get to the next one

Esp at the end of a long sesh- and you just want to get something from the next bed- and you're bang in the middle- what do ya do- yup ..step onto the middle of the bed compacting the soil/damaging the crop...just to get across quicker!

While you're both starting from scratch- have you thought about a fruit cage???
Do your neighbours have problems with pidgeons/jays/blackbirds nicking fruit???

I was thinking of having my (9) raspberry canes and (3) gooseberry canes in one place with a view to covering them up...maybe with a fruit cage (if I can get some help from my other half...). Maybe I should plant these at the south end (there are some trees along side the railway track that may give throw some shadow on the plants). Not had a chance to check with neigbours abt birds.

[Nicos]

Gooseberries are fine in a shaded area!

[marmalade]

soft fruit is VERY high on my list of plants to grow a mate will build me a cage too (they don't know yet ) but I have yet to meet the other people on my allotment to ask!

right, so paths down the middle of the patch too, makes sense to me tbh but with it being so long and thin I thought that would be laughed at!

[Nicos]

I thought that would be laughed at!

Oh don't worry- peeps'll only find something else to comment on!!!!

(I think my OH and I have highly entertained our elderly lottie neighbours for years- but they had to admire what we managed to grow though!!!)

[marathon]

We have been offering some smaller plots these are 12ft wide by 80ft long with the standard 18inche paths either side. Nearly everyone who has reserved one have put in raised beds across the plots none have put in additional paths.

[Nicos]

Go with your gut feeling- either way is fine if you think it's the best for you!!

[snakeshack]

personally I went for the central path up the middle (3 ft wide and one foot paths between the beds, I use a couple of boards to span the beds anyway for weeding so I dont need wider paths to kneel down on,only enough space to get down with the water

[sisyphus]

I was thinking of having my (9) raspberry canes and (3) gooseberry canes in one place with a view to covering them up...maybe with a fruit cage (if I can get some help from my other half...). Maybe I should plant these at the south end (there are some trees along side the railway track that may give throw some shadow on the plants). Not had a chance to check with neigbours abt birds.

Which allotments are you on? I'm on the Lower Southcote site. There, most people have their soft fruit bushes on the south end (up against the railway line, and shaded slightly by trees). I think Raspberries and gooseberries grow quite well in shade, and it's a good way of making use of the shady land than most other vegetables wouldn't tolerate.

[Reks]

Which allotments are you on? I'm on the Lower Southcote site. There, most people have their soft fruit bushes on the south end (up against the railway line, and shaded slightly by trees). I think Raspberries and gooseberries grow quite well in shade, and it's a good way of making use of the shady land than most other vegetables wouldn't tolerate.

Hi - am on 49A in Lower Southcote, next to Linear Park, which one are on? and I too have planted some raspberry and gooseberry canes at the railway track end.

[sisyphus]

Hi - am on 49A in Lower Southcote, next to Linear Park, which one are on?

I'm on 48A! Welcome new neigbour!

I haven't gotten around to putting a sign up, but it's the one with a single wooden raised bed, a compost bin (from pallettes) and a white chest down at the railway end. It's two or three plots down from yours

One thing that seems to be a problem is flooding. When the brook is high, the ground can become waterlogged. I find that the flooding happens worst at the south end (my raised bed was full to the brim with water earlier this year). I'm going to be putting my asparagus bed towards the north end, for that reason.

Whoever had your plot last year did a lot of weeding on the northern end, so that'd be a good place to put the crops that are most vulnerable from weed competition.

Nobody else seems to put their gooseberry bushes in fruit cages, so I suspect that birds don't seem to attack them. However watch out for the pigeons, if your brassicas aren't netted, they'll eat every last one of them as soon as your back is turned!

Have you got your strawberry plants yet? I putted a load up from runners last year and have more than I have a use for. If you want some, let me know.

[Nicos]

well i never!!!!..two neighbours meeting on the Vine!!!!....brill!