New Allotment - Where to start?

[Connor1981]

I have recently got an allotment and I am keen to get it started. Its basically a blank canvas, the only thing left over from previous owner is a water butt. The ground looks like a flat piece of grass, its fairly big, well big enough for a beginner.

Pardon my ignorance but I am completely new to this and don't even know where to begin but I am looking forward to learning and putting the work in.

Can I get any advice in where to start, what I should be doing.

Also, what tools should I invest in? Is a shed needed, I see most have them.

These might seem stupid questions, and they probably are but I am a total beginner and looking for all the help and advice possible.

Thanks.

Steven

[bario1]

Hi Steven, welcome to the forum.

I'd buy a large garden fork, and some seed potatoes from your local garden centre/DIY store. Dig over a patch of ground with the fork and throw any weeds, roots and stones into a pile somewhere. Rake it over, and depending where you are, you could probably plant your seed potatoes about now, just dig holes 8" deep and 18" apart, drop a spud in and fill the holes back up again. Then you'll have something planted and you can get on with the rest of it. Cover any areas you aren't working on with flattened cardboard boxes to keep the weeds down.
Sheds are great, you'll want one eventually, but for now all you really need is a fork, so just just get hold of one and get going!

[Jay-ell]

Hello Steven and congratulations on your new plot.

Don't worry about asking stupid questions - they're not stupid. Worry about my answers - they often are

Where about is your plot? Advice can vary for someone in the Hebrides as opposed to someone in Devon so knowing where you are can help tailor the responses.

Browse around the forum and please feel free to join in any conversations and ask your own questions. Being new doesn't mean you don't have anything to contribute, so don't just lurk on a thread please join in.

First thing to do is have a good poke about the plot and take lots of photos. You need to have a good poke because some plants are herbaceous perennials which mean that they live for three or more years but die back each winter (things like rhubarb, sorrel, sea kale) round about now they should be starting to produce buds or shoots coming out of the ground.

You might also find overwintering veg (e.g. onions, leeks, kale) hiding amongst the grass or, if the grass is tall enough, fruit bushes.

See if you can locate the position of any beds and paths as this may give you an inkling to where the worked and most fertile parts are.

Photos are a necessity because not only do they map your progress and give you an aid to planning out the plot but more importantly they give us other grapes something to gawp at

Deciding on what you want to plant first think what is it you like to eat - no point spending all that efforts of growing things you don't like. Then you can browse around the forum and ask questions about these crops.

Different growers select their crops based of different criteria.
Some like to grow their staples because, although they are cheap to buy, the choice of varieties and taste is wider in home grown.

Some like to grow the hard to find crops - stuff your local green grocer or market stall is unlikely to have such as salsify

Others like to grow things that are more expensive to buy for example asparagus or artichokes

You may even want to select fun or esoteric crops such as purple carrots, blue sausages (mine died), yacon or crosnes

Others don't bother growing veg and may go for fruit or flowers - check your tenancy agreement if this is the way you want to go as they may be rules about planting bushes/trees or percentage of the plot for none edibles.

Tools wise you'll probably need a fork, spade, rake, hoe, hand trowel, hand fork to start off with. Although some of the better made pricier tools will last you forever, it might be better seeing what you can scrounge off friends or freecycle or buying a cheap starter set and replacing them with better ones bit by bit when you need to/can.

Additional equipment may vary depending on you're personal style, addiction to gadgets or crops you are growing. If you're looking to start your own seeds inside then the basics are old tubs (marg, yoghurt, etc) with holes in the bottom, a sunny window sill and something to put under the tubs to catch any dribbles and prevent you the wallpaper under the sill.

[ESBkevin]

Welcome to the vine Steven,

Take some pictures, it's nice to have a record to look back on.
Don't try to do everything all at once. Make some plans and decide what you would eat rather than what you might grow. Get lots of brown corrugated cardboard (not the shiney printed stuff), cover areas of the beds and weigh down with free woodchip if you can get some or clods of earth turned onto it. This will kill all the grass by denying it light and in themeantime worms will cultivate the worst of it underneath. You can then dig and plant other areas without killing yourself trying to do everthing. Later you can plant through the cardboard with a trowel and have vegetables without too much work.
Research what others grow successfully in your area, it's no good trying to something if there is a disease already in the soil. And ask questions, the only stupid question is the one you didn't ask! We all start somewhere.

[donksey]

Does anybody know the best place to get large pieces of cardboard?
I have taken over a very neglected plot next to mine and I don't fancy digging it.
By the way I covered a section of my existing plot last year with plastic sheeting and grew squashes through it, this year I uncovered it and dug it over. It dug easily and was absolutely weed free, except a little round the edges where couch grass through some roots down.

[bario1]

Got any bike shops near you Donksey?

[Jay-ell]

Big Box stores - all those little items they sell are delivered to them in big boxes.

[donksey]

Got any bike shops near you Donksey?

I left the one in my town my details but they never got back to me, I don't think they sell many bikes
I guess I could try Halfords.

[maverick451]

First thing I did was to clear the plot of rubbish

Then I marked out the perimeter to mark out my plot

Then

Weed killed the whole lot (controversial I accept)

Marked out beds and paths

Dug the beds 1 by 1

Made the paths with woodchip

[donksey]

Make a permanent position for a large compost heap/bin, you'll be chucking loads on it.
Old sheets of tin are good or old pallets lined with plastic sheet.
Make 3 or 4 beds of even size for crop rotation.
Potatoes are good for breaking up unkempt soil, but you'll have to turn it over a de-weed it before you plant them, they'll be going in soon.
Avoid old foam backed carpet for weed suppression, you'll just have a load of petro chemical produced waste crumbling into your soil.

[Chestnut]

I picked up a fair bit of brown cardboard on our last trip to a well known Swedish furniture store. Our second nearest supermarket will save boxes if you ring up at 10pm when night shift staff arrive.
Does your workplace get stuff delivered in boxes? They are usually happier giving the cardboard away than paying business rates to dispose of it!

As for tools, all I have used in first 6 months is gloves, spade, trowel, wheelbarrow (for taking stuff to communal green waste area), billhook (useful for clearing brambles, self seeded saplings etc-our plot had been neglected for a while...).
Hoe, fork and sticks/string for marking beds are coming in handy now spring has arrived :-)

[donksey]

[QUOTE=Chestnut;1519270]I picked up a fair bit of brown cardboard on our last trip to a well known Swedish furniture store. Our second nearest supermarket will save boxes if you ring up at 10pm when night shift staff arrive.
Does your workplace get stuff delivered in boxes? They are usually happier giving the cardboard away than paying business rates to dispose of it!

As for tools, all I have used in first 6 months is gloves, spade, trowel, wheelbarrow (for taking stuff to communal green waste area), billhook (useful for clearing brambles, self seeded saplings etc

Thank's that's a few more possibilities.
Plenty of boxes where I work but it's public sector and they are very funny about you even taking rubbish from site.
One guy got sacked for taking an old plastic barrel out of the rubbish bins.

[Bex2012]

My plot was a mass of couch grass and weeds when I took it on. We strimmed it all back, and then used one of these to dig it over. It was hard going, but quite quick once we started.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Harbour-Hou...ords=Azada+hoe

All I would add is ask around for stuff. Let people know you have an allotment. Its worth joining local fb pages, round my way people are always offering stuff. Ive had three loads of paving slabs this way. I was also given a load of pallet collars for raised beds.

Welcome to the forum by the way!

[Connor1981]

Thanks for all the responses. They are much appreciated.

I am going to make a start at the weekend. Looking forward to it!