bit of advice please

[Percy T]

Ok so I got my allotment half plot, last Nov. I have been very busy digging etc. Thought I would make raised beds so have been using pallet wood.

have marked out 8 beds all 4ft wide 1st two 24 ft long rest 24ft long the two short ones are to allow for compost bins, I was going to make three but have only made one so far.

I dont have a shed or greenhouse on my alloment there are no other allotments with sheds on and only one with a greenhouse with all the windows out (vandalisum I think).

then I when seed shopping big mistake, oh my god I dont know how many seed packets that came through the post, together with seed potatoes and onion sets and I also ordered some plug plants as I didnt think I would have time to do everything from seeds.

I have planned out my allotment bed by bed.

brought some shelving units for my conservartory to accomodate my seed trays and started sowing.

Now I am panicing my potatoes arnt in yet and my beds arnt the way I would like them before I plant I havent finished my digging and dont think I have enought room for all the veg I have.

My Potatoes have been in egg boxes since end ferb in my unheated conservatory and only the earlys show any real signs of chitting how long do these root things have to be before you know they have chitted sucessfully

[dexterdoglancashire]

An old wives tale says to plant your tatties on Good Friday - the weather should be OK and the soil should be OK. Don't worry - I just made sure my potato beds were well dug over, no weeds in them, and then made the trenches and planted my potatoes. I also put a sprinkle of chicken manure pellets over first.

Other grapes will have more detailled advice than me. But I would say, just go for it - its all one big adventure!

Good luck!

Bernie aka Dexterdog

[Hazel at the Hill]

We got our plot in Nov too - but we haven't been as organised as you with beds, PT. My thoughts are:

• If you wait till the plot's the way you want it, you won';t get anything in this year - or ever!
• Bung the spuds in - chit vs no chit is an ongoing debate, therefore even if you've got nothing doin' on the seeds potatoes, it's not a problem.
• Do a few sums on the number of plants you need for each row/how many rows of each veg/size of plot. An allotments a BIG piece of land - but if you do have too many plantlets, they make fab gifts!

Hope this helps - and cheer up, this is supposed to be fun!

[Snadger]

If it's any consolation I haven't got my seed spuds in yet either. I just plant em when it feels 'right'! The ground seems very cold as yet so my spuds and onion sets can wait a while yet!

[Percy T]

thanks berni and hazel,

I am really enjoying my allotment and looking forward to eating the veg did consider buying organic veg from a organic veg delivery place but decided to grow my own ha ha.

Dont think I have ever grown anything sucessfully in my life yet but my lettice seeds have come up a treat and now I have 280 lettice plants. Will try not to be to picky before I plant out.

[LaurenGrows]

If it's any consolation I haven't got my seed spuds in yet either. I just plant em when it feels 'right'! The ground seems very cold as yet so my spuds and onion sets can wait a while yet!

Oh, I hope I haven't planted too early. My onions are about an inch high and my potatoes are poking through the soil already. I have them under long plastic cloches trying to keep them warm(ish).

[Percy T]

hi lauren and Snadger,

thanks for the advice Sandger and Lauren I dont have any cloches yet so maybe sandgers right for me to wait a week or two.

I did think about buying some cloches however I spent so much on seed and other essentials though I might wait till next year when maybe I will have a better idea of what I am doing.

I have started loads of at home.

[Alice]

Don't wait for everything to be perfect Percy T - it never will be. Just do the best you can, it will all come together. The perfect lottie, or garden, wasn't created in a year, or two, or three. Enjoy the doing, and your successes, and learn from your mistakes. Happy gardening.

[dexterdoglancashire]

I was talking to a distant colleague at work last week and telling him about my allotment - he said "you've got green fingers then" - I'd never really thought about it before, being a newbie etc. but guess I must have - go for it!
Bernie aka Dexterdog

[Snadger]

Oh, I hope I haven't planted too early. My onions are about an inch high and my potatoes are poking through the soil already. I have them under long plastic cloches trying to keep them warm(ish).

Tattie planting day today!!! The sun is shining and there's been an overnight frost. The chitting spuds are taking up valuable space in the greenhouse so............. it's in the soil they go!!.
There is no exact right or wrong time for planting spuds and sets, it depends on which part of the country you live, ground condtions, time available, whether you can afford protection from frost, if you want early spuds when they are expensive in shops etc, etc! and dare I say it, past experience, to a certain degree!

I've planted spuds in May around here and still had good crops!

I am sure your crops will flourish LaurenGrows, and if your earlies are up now you should have a really early crop, Yum!!!!

PS I have earlies up myself but they are in pots in the greenhouse!

[Flummery]

My spuds aren't showing yet LaurenGrows, but when they do I'll earth them up a bit more. You do this not just to protect from frost (which it does, and so does a cloche) but to make sure any little spuds that form near the surface don't go green as the green is poisonous. It pays to keep them well earthed up.

You're not too early as long as you keep them well tucked up! Happy growing.

[raine]

I like the way everyone thinks on the vine. My plot is never gonna look like I want it to ( come to think of it -neither am I ) and i keep doing loads of things wrong ( I just think of all the joy and amusement I'm giving to all the people who know waht they are doing) but I still manage a fair amount of success even when my beds aren't really free of weeds, the soil isn't really ready, and i've actually forgotten what i planted so tenderly in the bed over to the right. But hey! at least I'm trying and having fun that's got to account for a lot.
raine

[Percy T]

Hi everyone

thanks for all your posts and help I really need it

I purchased two of those plastic greenhouses for my conservatory really to use just as shelving. this gives me shelf space for 30 full size seed trays.

one shelf taken up by potatoes and storage of seeds, set etc.

I have 7 trays of 40 cells of lettice, 12 peas 12 sugar snap peas 8 broad beans 8 french drawf beans 12 sweet corn all in toliet rolls,4 pumkin in a big pot (for my grandchildrens school) , I tray of carnations that will need pricking out soon. I tray of pansies and I tray of iris and snakeheads (can take up to a year to germinate) 1 tray of two types of tomatoes, I tray of celery and parsley etc the list could go on and on I only have room for about 4 more trays!!!

The best bit is that I used the wrong kind of pen for all my labels and have washed them clean with watering. I think I managed to remember what I planted in each tray.

Oh and a strawberry pot with 32 plants in (how we are going to lift that out of the conservatory to the garden in May I dont know)


I havent even started on my corgettes marrows squashes spring onions yet.

And I promised my grandaughters school to set them up a veg garden too so will have to find room for that.

Now that my lettice is in nice little individual cells when can I put them outside to harden off???

[Norm]

I seem to be a long way behind most growers. The weedkiller will have done it's job by the weekend, then I'll rotorvate it, THEN the spuds can go in. Nothing else will go in until the second week in May.

[LaurenGrows]

When I *Earth Up* do I cover the entire potato shoots etc, so nothing is showing again? Or do I wait until the leaves are right up, then earth up a bit around the leaves, leaving some greenery showing?