Newbie allotment owner

[LyleBailey]

Hello

I have recently taken over an allotment (pic attached) - looking for advice on where to start! The plot lies at the bottom of a track so water runs from the track in to my plot and builds up in fro?m of the wooden structure. Any advice for dealing with this? Would a deep trench help?

Thanks

[noviceveggrower]

Hi there

Hi and welcome to the Vine. Everyone is really friendly and will offer great advice, help and support.
Our plot is on a slope at a bottom of a hill so we get shed loads of water during winter. The person previous, previous to us had put drainage pipes in. It does help a little with the water. I have got another half a plot and the guy there has put drainage ditches in to cope with the water he gets. Ironically he has funnelled it down to my original plot. This year I will be putting a drainage ditch in to try and help.
I think other Vine members will be able to give better advice on drainage pipes or drainage ditches.
The best thing I could say which is what we did is clear all the rubbish off your plot. Have no sentimental thoughts over anything. We cleared 10 bags of rubbish off our plot in the first day. Took me 3 trips to the tip. This will give you a better idea of the space you actually have and help with the drainage.
Is the wooden thing worth keeping? Are you getting a shed?
If so you might want to have it off the floor cause of the water problem.
Next I would say draw a plan of what you want and where.
If you are in a real boggy area you might look into raised beds but best wait for ground to dry out.
Think that's the best starter advice I can offer. Hope this is helpful. Oh and where are you at?

[LyleBailey]

Thanks for the advice, very helpful. I think I may keep and renovate the wooden thing. Looks worse than it is - I hope!!!. I'm in Darlington

[noviceveggrower]

Forgot to say get to know the allotment holders by you especially the older ones. They are very knowledgeable about a lot of things and they will probably know a lot about the history of your plot.
They will probably be able to give you advice about drainage to and if there is already some in there. If not they will probably tell you the best place for a drainage pipe or a trench.

[veggiechicken]

Hi Lyle and welcome to the Grapevine
I'm not much help with drainage - my immediate thought was to create a pond where the water lies - to attract frogs and other wildlife to help with pest control on your plot.
Of course, if this means stepping out of the shed into a big puddle it may not be a good idea

[Martin H]

Hi and welcome.

We've had SO much rain lately that it's going to be hard to tell how bad a problem the drainage is. I think I'd leave that aspect for a while and see how it looks later in the year.

Similarly the shed: I'd be looking to patch it up and make sure it's weather proof then use it for the first season. It's probably in that corner for a reason; next winter you can weigh up whether to move it, replace it with a greenhouse or what.

As to immediate practical matters:like NVG says it's a good idea to go over the whole plot and remove anything that won't rot down. Bag it up and take it down the tip (unless you can use it to patch up the shed!).

Then decide which bit of the plot you're going to tackle last and start a compost heap. If you can find three pallets then lash them together to form three sides of a square and you're sorted.

Then borrow a strimmer, chop down all the top growth and put it in my new compost heap.

Then make a rough plan of where your paths are going to be, mark out a small section in the dryest area (small enough that you can easily tackle it in one day) and start digging. My technique is to slice down the edges of the area with a spade, to slice through any weed roots, then dig with a fork. Your objective is to get out the roots of the perennial weeds such as docks and couch grass.

In the meantime, get hold of as much cardboard as you can and spread it over the rest of the plot. The idea is to hold back the weeds until you have time to get at them. But don't stress over it, if the weeds grow back you can always borrow that strimmer again.

Slow and steady gets the job done. You want to be taking your time and enjoying the process. Every bit you clear will give you a great feeling of satisfaction and also somewhere to plant a crop.

I got my plot 11 months ago. I've nearly dug it all at least once and had lots of fun growing some tasty stuff. If you don't have a full time job to distract you, you may get yours done a bit quicker!

Have fun and good luck.

[mrgrower]

Hi and welcome to the vine. drainage is an issue many of us have problem in your case is you have gardens right at the back so i'm sure the neigbours would not be to happy with drainage diverting water there get some pallets down for some decking and water loving plants one issue you may find there if it is continuously wet is midges anyway it looks like a good compact plot so easy to turn around keep the pics and info comming.

Mr G