What to start with....?

[FrenchFry]

I live in Essex, South England - I haven't got the foggiest WHEN or WHAT to plant!

I just started my first allotment alongside my boyfriend - we are very lucky as its already in good shape and we have dug in the original beds again and they are pretty much ready to go I think. The plot is in full sun and located in the middle of the allotment; according to the site manager we will have the ideal amount of moisture possible, when it's winter we have good drainage but in summer we get any run off from the very slight hill we are on.

Obviously we have had this dreadful wet winter so I am going to wait until March at least to play it safe before planting anything at all, but it's that the right thing to do? (IE if the instructions say planting in mid February then I am waiting until early March?) - the air temperature around here is 8oC at the moment too - if I plant under clear plastic would that help me to plant earlier or should I just wait until it's warmer? If so, what's the minimum temperature I should wait for?

Also, what are some easy veggies, and varieties, I could start with?! Particularly potatoes, onions, and carrots? I've never done this before and through all my excitement I sort of forgot that they could actually fail!!! I had all these grand ideas of interesting plants but I think I might be in a bit deep...I don't want to fail before I start!!

I bought 3 loose 'Albert Bartlett - Purple Majesty' seed potatoes because they looked interesting - when will I be able to plant those? I was going to chit them but I don't know if I'm ever going to get them in the ground if I need to plant them too late!!

I was given the advice by one of the old boys on my site to just wait until it's dry then "throw things in the ground and see what happens" but I'd like to avoid disappointment wherever I can!!

Any help would be very appreciated!! There is so much to learn and I don't know where to even start!!

[Bigmallly]

With regards to your tatties, you've plenty of time before you need to plant them out so should have time to chit them. Mine are going in on Good Friday which is late this year. Have a mosey round Wikos & pick up some onion & shallot sets. They will be going in the ground in the next couple of weeks. Keep your eye on the " Seed Sowing Thread" & "What I did today" threads. It will give you an idea what other grapes are sowing/planting. Please also feel free to join the 2014 Calendar to show how your plot progresses throughout the year............

[AllInContainers]

Welcome aboard! This is only my second year of growing stuff so I'll sit out on giving specific advice, but I'm kind of in league with the old boy at your site Year one - feed the head, year two - feed the belly (you'll still get plenty of grub year one and still be learning year two )

I do everything in containers, but last year I did really well with some stuff (carrots, parsnips, strawbs, corn, toms) and failed miserably on others ... but I learnt from both! I dove in with both feet, and planted lots and lots of little bits. Some salad was lovely, some went straight to flower, some radishes were great, others just weren't happy despite being from the same packet and grown in similar compost. Cabage white butterflies terrorised my sprouts, kale and brocolli, and my first two plants in (butternut squash and pumpkin) taught me what damping off means and that it isn't very good This year, I'm going off the beaten track and trying all the weird stuff (conventional veg isn't really cost effective or time effective enough to be worth my while in planters on the back yard) so I'm on a whole new learning cuve this year, but with a far better appreciation of what plants need, and what they are telling me

There was another thread recently with some GREAT advice from one of the members here (Wendy? Alison? Scarlet? ... can't remember TBH) but the first place to start is RIGHT HERE. Have a good browse of the forum - you'll only need to go back a page or two of threads in each section to find LOTS of good info, and answers to most of the crazy questions that'll currently be rampaging through your head right now.

All I'll add is you WILL lose some crops, you WILL have some succeses, but the main thing is have fun and enjoy it. It's a great adventure, and you'll get some real treasures along the way.

Best of luck!

[AllInContainers]

There was another thread recently with some GREAT advice from one of the members here (Wendy? Alison? Scarlet? ... can't remember TBH)

It was Hazel .... http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ded_77037.html

[Scarlet]

I haven't got the foggiest WHEN or WHAT to plant!

Make a list of what you like to eat.
Pop to the garden centre and look at the seed packets- it will tell you what months to sow.

You can usually plant out over several weeks, so a few weeks difference doesn't hurt.
I start most seeds of in modules, so the plants go out slightly later anyway. If you have a strong seedling in a pot, you've got a good head start.

Don't sow hundreds of seeds, you won't keep up. Look at the spacing needed on the packs of seeds or g@@gle and work out how many you need and sow a few more for casualties!

You can do the 'unusual' - you will be hard pushed to find a black tomato, or a purple french bean or a cape gooseberry in the shop but the seeds are available in the GC and are easy to grow and to be honest, even the boring carrot tastes miles better than what you will get in the shop.
Good luck!

[Feral007]

I just toss all the seeds in and see what comes up. I have to thin out sometimes, or fill in spaces, but it doesn't really matter.

I don't do seedlings much, as I find that the seedlings especially in some plants don't like being transplanted, so I prefer to put them straight into the ground.

Mind you, I feel like growing earlier than it's warm enough to, so I do plant seeds in pots, but I know it's a bit pointless Just can't resist sometimes.

Have a good browse around and see what takes your fancy off the site here.

One thing to remember, while you don't want to do so much that you feel you can't cope, you also need to grow a fair amount so it feeds your enthusiasm. Some things won't do well, or won't do anything (I can't grow a bean to save my life atm) but others will do so well. If you stick to a couple of things, then you run the risk of those not doing well and then you might feel it's not worth it.

And throw in a few flowers as well. Always nice to have the pretties in amongst the veg, and the bees and butterflies like it too.

[Scarlet]

The only seeds that get sown straight into my garden are parsnips, carrots and radish. All the rest I start off in pots or modules, with spares waiting just in case.

[Bill HH]

"Don't panic Mr Mainwaring" Its still cold and there is plenty of time, you will know when the time is right because the weeds will start growing. The biggest mistake new gardeners make is planting too many seeds all at once, you dont have to plalnt 500 lettuce seeds just to get twenty, sow small rows and keep the rest to plant every few weeks, that way you will get them all through the summer. Start some off at home in a tray on the window cill where its warmer then plant them out when the soil warms up. Another mistake is planting to thickly, the seeds come up and strangle each other, better to have some gaps than have them struggle againt competition. You didnt say if you have a green house?
Remember plants need room to grow, think of the size of the final plant and thin out the seeds accordingly. A row of beetroot for instance, if planted too thickly willl be in contact with each other very quickly and they will just remain small, give them space. Try and do a bit of weeding every day or so, its easy to become overwhelmed by weeds. Thats another reason for not having plants to close together, it becomes impossible to get to the weeds. Get a comfy chair.

[FrenchFry]

Thanks everyone!! I will have to come to terms with the fact that I am going to lose some of my crop - I just don't want to lose my Purple Majesties!! All your advice has been great, I will let you know how I go!!

[FrenchFry]

And throw in a few flowers as well. Always nice to have the pretties in amongst the veg, and the bees and butterflies like it too.

Oh I have flowers all right....flowers enough to resupply the whole allotment I think! 6 colours of primrose, some pink 'Toronto' tulips, some yellow and red 'Cape Cod' tulips....and two other flowering shrubs that I can't remember the name of - OH and also a fig tree haha!!

Surely we want to keep the butterflies away from the allotment though? :P

[Bigmallly]

Surely we want to keep the butterflies away from the allotment though? :P

That's where netting comes into play, you won't keep them away but you can do your best to stop them laying their eggs on your delicates.............

[WendyC]

I can recommend "The Allotment Book" by Andi Clevely. Has a good section on what to do when. Your library might have it or Am@z@n have second hand copies for a few pounds. Also last year I wrote a "Welcome" leaflet for our site which covers the basics. If you PM me your email address I can send you a copy. It's a Word document.

[rustylady]

Thanks everyone!! I will have to come to terms with the fact that I am going to lose some of my crop - I just don't want to lose my Purple Majesties!! All your advice has been great, I will let you know how I go!!

There is no reason to lose your potatoes. They are one of the easiest crops to grow, just make sure they don't get frosted. As to the rest, yes pests do get at some of your crops. Pigeons love cabbages, and so do cabbage white butterfly caterpillars. Make sure you net them.

[Two_Sheds]

Surely we want to keep the butterflies away from the allotment though?

Just like humans, different butterflies eat different diets. The only ones you need to worry about are the cabbage whites (large & small, goggle for pictures).

[IndigoElectron]

Some great advice and really helpful to me too, as another newbie :-)