New allotment. Quite new grower. Any advice welcome!

[Nurseygreen]

Hi all,

I've just had confirmation that I've got my first allotment but I have a couple of questions;

Firstly, I get to pick one of 5 plots, any tips on what I should be looking for other than sun/shade, wind, frost etc when I pick?

Secondly, where do I start once I've picked it? What are the first 'must do' jobs? (I plan on putting in raised beds to grow flowers for cutting, fruit and veg).

I've grown some veg in pots on my south facing patio last year but obviously this is a big step up!

Any advice greatly received!

Thanks, Sam

[WendyC]

Congratulations on your new plot. It's a great time of year to get started on a plot. You have the right idea about shade eye but I would also think about where the water is. Your arms will thank you to be as near as possible come the summer. Also are there any established fruit canes or bushes that you can use. You won't be able to see many perennial weeds at this time of year so might have to take pot luck there. Look out for plots with a lot of rubbish on them, especially avoid broken greenhouse glass.
When you get a minute, could you add your location to your profile so any other question can be answered accuarately.

[Nurseygreen]

Thank you WendyC! Very good points!
I'm in Gosport, Hampshire. I can't change it on my profile for some reason!

[veggiechicken]

Hello Sam and welcome to the Grapevine
You're fortunate to have a choice of plots - you may find that some already have raised beds or some sort of layout that could help you at the start. It may be as well not to change too much in your first year, but get used to the plot, where the sunniest spots are. or the wettest!!
What you can do next depends a lot on what condition it is in now. When you've chosen a plot, put some photos up on here and tell us what you would like to grow and we'll talk you through it

[Bigmallly]

Hello Sam & welcome to the jungle..............the right plot will jump out at you, a bit like getting a puppy...................it won't start licking you though.......

[Nurseygreen]

Thank you Veggiechicken,
I'm hoping to go next week so will post some photos when I've chosen! Raised beds already in place would be great, so fingers crossed

[veggiechicken]

Keep your fingers tightly crossed, some plots have sheds and greenhouses too. You never know your luck

[muddled]

Hello, nice to meet you...

If the person showing you round has a plot there themselves, ask their advice.
They will know who had it last, how it has been worked and what the neighbours are like which are all good to know.
Water taps....as Wendy said, SOOOOO important to be nearby.
And if possible avoid steep slopes and close proximity to brambly hedges (they spread).

Excitin' innit?

[Nurseygreen]

Haha BigMally, I get enough slobbery puppy kisses at home! (Although hoping he'll be able to join me on the plot!)

[Nicola.P]

I just got a new plot and one thing I found was good advice is take it slow and work it bit by bit.
My first day there I felt very overwhelmed flitting from one area to another with no real plan. Then I stopped, set myself one corner to focus on (about 8ft x 8ft) and decided to clear and dig that, then another and a other and so on.
It really made me feel less overwhelmed and more optimistic and the work went so much quicker. It is nice to have a set section clear each time as you feel you are progressing that way.
I am still very new and still clearing and digging myself but the above is working well for me.

[Martin H]

Hi, welcome!

Raised beds are quite time consuming to construct and maintain.

So personally I would dig over the plot a bit at a time and, come spring, plant in the ground in beds where I think I might want to put the raised beds. You can decide during the season whether you want to go into the construction business for any reason and then build any raised beds next autumn / winter in the right places.

[Greenleaves]

Best advice I can give has already been said.....but most importantly enjoy it

Welcome to the vine,enjoy the benefits of the advice and humour

[Guest]

Hi and welcome to the vine good luck with your lottie

[Nurseygreen]

Thanks all,
Some great advice! Hopefully if I can do a section every weekend plus a bit during the week it'll all be ready for when the frosts finish! I've got my fingers crossed it comes with a shed, but if not I've already eyed one up (haven't told my husband how much it'll cost yet though)
Probably a very stupid question, but if you plant directly into the earth how do you define 'paths' between beds? I don't mind weeding beds but would like to try and keep the paths clear!

Thanks again!
Sam

[Martin H]

People keep their paths clear in lots of ways, e.g. wood chippings or newspapers. The commonest is to just let the grass grow and strim it when it gets too long. If you're walking up and down a lot it tends to not get too out of control.

I tend to let mine get a bit muddy and messy, so I'm hoping another load of chippings will magically appear outside our lottery gates soon. Here's one of my beds this week with paths either side: