First allotment what now.

[brookstrb]

I have just got my first allotment, which is bare and ready to go.

I'm not sure what I should be doing to the soil to get ready for planting in the spring. Do I just leave it, cover it, add compost etc to the soil?

I live by the sea and have access to lots seaweed and used ground coffee. I've heard that seaweed and ground, used coffee can be used as some sort of fertiliser. Is this true, and if so do I just throw it on the mud and dig it in?

Sorry for the basics but just need somewhere to start.

Cheers

[Two_Sheds]

make as much compost as you can, adding grounds & rinsed seaweed if you like.

get some Japanese onions, garlic and hardy broad beans in

[Pies]

Apply for another,and im not joking

Clear some ground for the vegies TS suggested

Then as and when clear some cround and then cover it,weighed down cardboard is excellent.If you dont cover any cleared groung weeds will rapidly return

[BUFFS]

get as much seaweed on as possible,dig it in if you can,spuds in there next year will taste great,where abouts are you? we get ayrshire tatties each year doing this..

[Hazel at the Hill]

From the top...

Well done on your new allotment!

Try the following for size:
-mark out your beds - it only needs to be rough at this point (for when you change your mind!). The space will look less daunting for a start. Make the beds no more than about 4' wide so you can reach from both sides.
-Use weed surpressant or cardboard for paths, weigh down with bricks. You should be able to get wood chippings delivered for free/delivery charge from a tree surgeon in the area if you phone around - cover your paths with these.
-Think where you want fruit bushes - these can be planted in the winter.
- plant garlic/overwintering onions/hardy peas/broad beans now.
- think where you want your potatoes next year and bung on as much horse muck as you can in that bed/beds. Don't need to dig it in, the worms will do most of the work for you and the muck will surpress any weeds that might grow over winter.
-cover any spare beds with cardboard to keep to weeds down and you'll be ready to spring ahead in spring (ha!).

if you use the search button on the green bar on the top and look for 'new allotment' or similar, you will be inundated with advice. and from personal experience, there are no points awarded for slogging away with a space in the ice cold rain and biting wind in the middle of winter - sit by the fire and look at seed catalogues.

And welcome to the vine.

[binley100]

Wot she said and welcome to the vine .........

[Hazel at the Hill]

...and another thing

-take note of the advice of the old boys on the site - they will know if you are likely to have problems with clay/white rot/club root/vandals/frost pockets, but don't follow it slavishly. You might have a golden touch where others fail - give everthing a go once.
- only grow what you like to eat. This sounds like the most unnecessary advice ever, but you'd be surprised.
- be generous to other plotholders where you can - it will repay you in spades. Or seedlings. Or 'I've picked all the strawberries we can possibly eat - would you like some?'. Or 'would you like a couple of parsnip/leeks/swede etc etc
- rhubarb is worth it's weight - one crown gives me enough stalks each year to keep the entire neighbourhood supplied with crumbles for four months of the year, and makes terrific wine. And shnapps. Any leftover can be made into chutney.
- keep a sense of proportion. No family needs 10 courgette plants.
- but buy a bigger freezer
- get the whole family/friends on board. You will need a hand with watering when you are on holiday. They will like homegrown tomatoes.
- don't listen to knockers who say 'well you could buy better brocolli at Tesco for half the price' or turn their noses up at the best lettuce that they would EVER eat because they have to rehome a couple of small slugs - their loss
- embrace failure as well as success - somethings will work first time, some things after a couple of times when you are more experienced. Some things never work, but that won't stop you having another go. I bet I've sown a million carrot seed of various varieties over the last four years - I've eaten about three carrots. They tasted bloody good though.
- grow some flowers, either for cutting or for the bees, or both.

[Aberdeenplotter]

if you can manage, just dig the whole plot over . Leave it as rough as you like as the frost will break down any lumps over the winter. Then go home, put your feet up with a glass of wine and browse the seed catalogues.

Well done on getting your plot. Hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as I get out of mine

[Jono]

In your first year I'd keep it as simple as possible. Manure it now, plant loads of stuff come spring, and just see what happens.

I've had my plot four years now, and did this in my first season. I learned loads very quickly, and had the added bonus of some home grown food. You'll enjoy what you're doing, and that's the main thing.

Plan in the second year.

[susieq100]

Ground coffee is great for conditioning the soil if you have heavy clay - I guess by the sea you may not. It is also good for deterring slugs ... though many of them are determined little blighters! I also use it to distract squirrels who dig up my bulbs in the garden. When I plant bulbs I put some soil over the bulbs, then some coffee grounds, then some more soil. It has worked thus far ... they haven't been dug up. Whether or not they will grow is another matter of course!

I add it to the compost bin or put it straight onto the garden and work it in. I have appallingly bad soil in the garden at the house ... that's why I have an allotment! Hazel's advice is brilliant. Enjoy your plot and welcome.

[Hazel at the Hill]

Hazel's advice is brilliant.

Yeah - so good that brookstrb has not logged on since this, his/her one and only post!

[gothmaga]

Hi Everyone, brookstrb may not have been back on for information but I have just received a letter saying I am getting a plot and the information above is invaluable for me thanks very much

[geoff]

There's not a great deal of work you can actually do on the plot in this weather so don't feel too guilty about it; concentrate on planning instead
You will, of course have a few copies of GYO mag; browse through them and send for seed catalogues, then you can see what's available.
Go to your library and get books on gardening. They will give you advice and ideas, and you will get used to the jargon. Look for titles that mention allotments or vegetables as most general gardening books seem to concentrate on flowers
Have a look through previous posts as similar questions appear fairly often
Any problems, ask the advice of your fellow plotholders
The Vegetable Expert by Hessayon is a good book for beginners. It gives advice on each vegetable, including diseases and other problems, and it's fairly cheap - Christmas present?