Should I...?

[BigShot]

Hi all.
Sorry for the long post but there's some detail to give.

I'm going to be deliberately cagey about location and some detail because if I decide to go for it I'd hate to be gazumped by someone with a knack for figuring things out.

I've had a half plot about 3 miles from home since last year. Good soil but well walked on, some of it neglected and it's taking some effort to get it into nice condition. Today (well, yesterday by now looking at the time) I met someone who is offering 10 yard by 20 yard allotments on their land but there aren't many and enough have gone to be in "act fast" territory. It's a new site so the ground would need breaking - maybe not a big issue if done in sections but it is a sloping site. It's just 1.5 miles from home.

Here's the puzzle: It's a 1 in 6 slope, aspect around S.S.E. and the bottom of the plot/slope is 8 yards or so from the trunks of some big, mature trees. There's also a "natural stream" running through the plot. From what I can gather there's no other water on site.

Might the stream cause problems? (The landowner is fine with me making a pond or some such to make use of the water... I wouldn't mind a pond either.)
How about the trees? I expect the bottom will be quite shady, especially when the days get shorter.
If I just use one plot to grow things that don't need much tending and the other for more demanding crops, am I right in thinking it shouldn't be too much extra work once it's all set up or am I being daft?

There's a second plot with no stream, aspect around SE and about 2 yards further from the tree line but otherwise the same if that sounds a better prospect.

Tomorrow I'll be going back with my wellies to take a better look so I'll add any more detail if I've missed anything.

Thanks for reading.

[ginger ninger]

When you go back...take you camera, take lot's of photos put them on your computer show us, but better still sit in the comfort of your own home and have a good look at them, make mental note's of what you'd like to do with the plot, that way you'll ether talk yourself into having the plot or out of it.

The stream sound's nice but what happen's when it rain's heavy...will it flood your site? What kind of tree's are they? If there willow you could be opening a can of worm's, the root's could head straight for your pond as another water source.

1 in 6 slope...I'm sure there's peep's on here that could advise you better but, you'd probably benefit from putting raised bed's in across the gradient to help make the most of what should be good soil with all the leaves from the tree's over the years, also to help keep the water where you need it on your plant's and not running off.

If you could (without giving too much away), put your location into your profile, it doesn't have to be an exact place, just the county would do that way any advice that's given could be tailor made for your area. And who know's...you could have peep's that are near you

[jackie j]

Hi I have a plot that has a stream at the back end of the plot, It hasnt flooded yet and there is also a line of tree's along it but on the bank opposite. It is nice in the summer to have some shade but can be too much when the sun is lower in the sky. I get loads of leaves falling so I bag them up to rot down, this year I am aslo picking out little acorn saplings that have rooted from the acorns. My plot is on the flat so dont have the sloping problem.

[BigShot]

Ginger Ninger
I really don't know what the effect of heavy rain will be. I'll probably do a bit of landscaping on there and maybe include some kind of channel to guide water where I want it so maybe it won't be a problem at all.
There's no willow, mainly things like hawthorn, maple and similar.

JackieJ
There are some oak saplings on this plot too. I didn't see an oak tree, not that I looked all that closely, but I suppose there must be one close by. It sounds like that might become an ongoing job for me too.



Anyway, I have said I'll take on the plot. The landowner is happy for me to take my time as long as I don't let it get overgrown. I might put a few things on there over the coming weeks and months but it will probably just be a nice big autumn and winter project to look forwards to.

I had a poke around with my digging fork the day after starting this thread and the soil seems, strange as this might sound, like a sort of sandy clay. From around the stream it formed into a sausage like clay would but just broke in half as soon as I tried to bend it.

Away from the stream the soil was dry and very hard. That's probably normal for grassland but even jumping up and down on the shoulders of the fork only got them in far enough to pull up the roots of the grass I was digging through. Apparently it's a lot softer after some rain so I'll take a look late on Sunday if we get the rain that's forecast.

I'm still mulling over what to do about the slope, I might terrace it, raised beds are another possibility, and then there's even the approach used in "permaculture" where they dig a berm to catch rain runoff, soak it in and water the plants down slope. I don't know if it would work on this small a scale but it might.

[susieq100]

Will you take some photos? I love looking at before and after images.

[BigShot]

You can count on it... please don't hold your breath though, it will probably be quite a while before I start getting things done there.