New photos of allotment

[FenBuff]

Here's my pics of my new allotment

[FenBuff]

As promises by bearded man

[Hazel at the Hill]

Nice one, Fenbuff - shouldn't be too difficult to knock into shape!

[Jeanied]

Hope you like chard - you have a fine stand of it there!

[FenBuff]

No I don't they will be gone what does people think what I should do first?

[Bill HH]

My priority would be a shed, chair, gas stove and kettle.

[FenBuff]

I've got a shed but it's a heap .. I'm gunna sort it out when the nice weather is here

[Hazel at the Hill]

Decide on where you want permanent crops (fruit bushes, rhubarb, asparagus, jerusalem artichokes).

Decide on where you want a shed/toolstore.

Mark out beds in the rest of the area - edge (or raise) - make sure they are not too wide to reach into the middle of, so about 4'.

Decide what you like to eat and make a list of seeds you will need - suggest that 'basic' varieties whihc are readily available really cheaply (Wilko etc) will be fine as a starter to your seed collection. You will soon accumulate more seeds than you will ever be able to sow in your entire lifetime, believe me.

Go and read Sheneval's allotment thread for inspiration. Go and read What I did Today thread for when to do things (remember your season will start earlier than those in the north).

[FenBuff]

Thank you for useful info I hAve a few seeds already do I need to hire a rotavator for my plot?

[Hazel at the Hill]

Thank you for useful info I hAve a few seeds already do I need to hire a rotavator for my plot?

No! Get thee out there with a fork! My half plot looked in about the same state as yours when I started, and it took about four sessions of a couple of hours a piece to get the whole lot forked over.

It looks like you have only a light covering of annual weeds, anyway, but should you have any of the 'nastier' perenial weeds lurking (couch grass, bindweed etc) then rotavating will chop up the roots and help them multiply.

[Martin H]

Looks great, FenBuff. Often they are much worse than that, you should soon have it in shape.

What I'd do next is mark out where my beds, shed, compost etc are going to be, using canes. Next I'd put something in place to retain the compost heap, e.g. some old pallets. Then I'd go over the beds I'd marked out and fork out the weeds.

do I need to hire a rotavator for my plot?

Personally I wouldn't. I'd just use a fork and expect to get everything cleared in the next 10 weeks, plenty of time to get the plot fully productive this year. If you rotavate you risk spreading any weed problems all around and giving yourself extra work for the next few seasons.

Have fun whatever you decide!

[FenBuff]

Thank you sounds fun hopefully the weather will be ok tomorrow to get stuck in
Hopefully we won't get any more rain . Yea I've marked it all on paper so just need to mark it tomorrow . Thanks Martin H. And hazel at the hill