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Hi Folks,
I've been reading these forums for a couple of months, and finally got access to a brand-spanking new allotment a couple of weeks ago.
I have absolutely zero experience with either gardening or growing, but I'm keen to learn. I apologise in advance for some of the very basic, and I'm sure 'stupid', questions I will most likely ask.
I work from home, and realised last year that it can be weeks between me leaving the house - so the allotment is very much a way of getting me out, and getting some fresh air in the lungs. I've always wanted to be able to grow my own, so when I spotted the opportunity to take one of these, I jumped at it.
There are a total of 38 plots, each one being 135sqm.
This is my little plot, as seen on the day we were given access;
A 8x6 greenhouse will be installed in the top-left of the plot (included as part of the agreement, but won't arrive until mid-may)
So far, only around a dozen plot holders have made a start, and everyone I have spoken to is inexperienced - so we're all very much learning as we go it would seem. As such, everyone seems to be taking a different approach - some have simply forked the ground and planted, others have installed huge raised beds - and some, like me, are trying to figure out the best way forward.
The allotments are owned and operated by a very large garden centre, which is across the road from the plots. In our 'welcome pack', they recommended 'double digging' - so that's what I've started with.
Trying to be nicely organised, I decided to start and the top and gradually work my way down the plot. The plot itself is 8.5m wide, so I've dug the full width x 1m for the first trench. My plan is to go 1m bed, 1m path, 1m bed etc etc.
Generally speaking, the top 'spade' depth hasn't been too bad to work with - it's clearly clay, but when it was reasonably dry it broke up quite well, and using the Wolf-Garten soil miller (which I saw recommended here) was giving me what I thought was reasonably decent soil (remember, I'm clueless!).
So, by this point I was feeling really quite confident about what I was doing, and started marking out my extra rows and lightly turning over the soil ready for the 'trench' digging to start.
Then, in the last few days, we've had rain - lots and lots of rain. With a gap in the clouds and no rain forecast until late afternoon, I decided to take a look at it today - and was greeted with this;
The depth of the water is around 1 foot - and that's with around 12 hours since it last rained.
The soil I'd dug out still looks reasonably ok and feels 'crumbly';
The next trench I'd tentatively started also has a fair amount of water, however, the 'beds' I've only lightly dug over don't show any signs of water logging (though I suspect thats simply because you can't see it).
The top of the plot, where I haven't done anything at all yet, is a complete swamp - that part was so bad that it took me literally 5 minutes to free myself from it!
Anyway, and well done if you've read this far!, my immediate concern is the water logging - particularly the sheer amount of it in my trench. Other plot holders that are following the same or similar concept as me, all have the same issue - though as I've dug further and wider, mine is a bit more drastic than everyone else. There seems to be different theories on the best way of tacking it - some (like me) aren't sure, another was filling theirs with compost, and another still was planning to add sand (though I suspect that would be a bad move - with clay?).
So, first off - is this a problem? Part of me thinks if I hadn't dug out the soil, I wouldn't be aware of the amount of water in there anyway. If it is a problem, what's the best way of tacking it - both in the short-term and long-term? Although I do plan to use raised beds, they will be rather shallow (10cm), and more for the sake of organisation than anything else. I'd prefer not, at this stage anyway, to add tall raised beds - if I can use the soil there (topped up with some compost) then that would be my preference.
Thanks in advance for any and all tips and advice!
I've been reading these forums for a couple of months, and finally got access to a brand-spanking new allotment a couple of weeks ago.
I have absolutely zero experience with either gardening or growing, but I'm keen to learn. I apologise in advance for some of the very basic, and I'm sure 'stupid', questions I will most likely ask.
I work from home, and realised last year that it can be weeks between me leaving the house - so the allotment is very much a way of getting me out, and getting some fresh air in the lungs. I've always wanted to be able to grow my own, so when I spotted the opportunity to take one of these, I jumped at it.
There are a total of 38 plots, each one being 135sqm.
This is my little plot, as seen on the day we were given access;
A 8x6 greenhouse will be installed in the top-left of the plot (included as part of the agreement, but won't arrive until mid-may)
So far, only around a dozen plot holders have made a start, and everyone I have spoken to is inexperienced - so we're all very much learning as we go it would seem. As such, everyone seems to be taking a different approach - some have simply forked the ground and planted, others have installed huge raised beds - and some, like me, are trying to figure out the best way forward.
The allotments are owned and operated by a very large garden centre, which is across the road from the plots. In our 'welcome pack', they recommended 'double digging' - so that's what I've started with.
Trying to be nicely organised, I decided to start and the top and gradually work my way down the plot. The plot itself is 8.5m wide, so I've dug the full width x 1m for the first trench. My plan is to go 1m bed, 1m path, 1m bed etc etc.
Generally speaking, the top 'spade' depth hasn't been too bad to work with - it's clearly clay, but when it was reasonably dry it broke up quite well, and using the Wolf-Garten soil miller (which I saw recommended here) was giving me what I thought was reasonably decent soil (remember, I'm clueless!).
So, by this point I was feeling really quite confident about what I was doing, and started marking out my extra rows and lightly turning over the soil ready for the 'trench' digging to start.
Then, in the last few days, we've had rain - lots and lots of rain. With a gap in the clouds and no rain forecast until late afternoon, I decided to take a look at it today - and was greeted with this;
The depth of the water is around 1 foot - and that's with around 12 hours since it last rained.
The soil I'd dug out still looks reasonably ok and feels 'crumbly';
The next trench I'd tentatively started also has a fair amount of water, however, the 'beds' I've only lightly dug over don't show any signs of water logging (though I suspect thats simply because you can't see it).
The top of the plot, where I haven't done anything at all yet, is a complete swamp - that part was so bad that it took me literally 5 minutes to free myself from it!
Anyway, and well done if you've read this far!, my immediate concern is the water logging - particularly the sheer amount of it in my trench. Other plot holders that are following the same or similar concept as me, all have the same issue - though as I've dug further and wider, mine is a bit more drastic than everyone else. There seems to be different theories on the best way of tacking it - some (like me) aren't sure, another was filling theirs with compost, and another still was planning to add sand (though I suspect that would be a bad move - with clay?).
So, first off - is this a problem? Part of me thinks if I hadn't dug out the soil, I wouldn't be aware of the amount of water in there anyway. If it is a problem, what's the best way of tacking it - both in the short-term and long-term? Although I do plan to use raised beds, they will be rather shallow (10cm), and more for the sake of organisation than anything else. I'd prefer not, at this stage anyway, to add tall raised beds - if I can use the soil there (topped up with some compost) then that would be my preference.
Thanks in advance for any and all tips and advice!
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