Newbie

[Peasinapod]

Hi,

We have just acquired half of an allotment. I have grown peas and beetroot before but I'm not really green fingered as much as I'd like to be.
It's mainly to so my two young children how to grow and get them involved but I love the thought of eating our own fresh produce.

Anyway can anyone give me any beginners tips and what we can plant now please?
From a Google search it seems salad leaves and radishes? Anything else?

Thank you in advance

[rustylady]

Hello and welcome to the Vine. A lot depends on where you are, so if you add your location (nearest town) to your profile it will help people give specific advice

[veggiechicken]

Hello and welcome from me too.
Is your allotment ready to plant into or do you have to do some clearance work first?
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ies_86001.html may give you some ideas for sowing or growing on young plants which may still be available at garden centres.

[Bill Door]

Hi Peasinapod.

Welcome to the life of an allotment tenant, with its ups (to be savored) and downs (to be glossed over).

A couple of things to try are Parsley, chives, spring onions, beetroot, Swiss chard, spinach, kale, spring cabbages (Durham Early) and carrots.

All can be sown in situ now. The Kale and cabbage could be sown in a clump and split up when they produce 4 or 5 true leaves (the first two leaves are symetrical and usually drop off and look different to the true leaves. Put the other seeds in rows and sow thinly, aim the get a seed every 4 cm(spring onions, beetroot, spinach and carrots). for the other seeds aim for about 10cm.

You will be able to plant out garlic and shallots around the end of October. Put garlic cloves with the upper tip about 3 cm below the surface. The shallot tips should be poking through the surface.

One point to remember is that the above is just a guide not an instruction. So do it as you and the children feel is right and you will never go wrong! It will be just that the darn seeds failed to germinate )))).

good luck with the allotment.

regards

Bill

[PyreneesPlot]

Hello and welcome
If you have lots of slugs or snails (fellow allotmenteers will soon let you know) you may want to start off things like beetroot, spring cabbages, kales, spring onions, salad leaves, parsley etc in little pots, one or two seeds per pot, kept off the ground to protect the new seedlings. You can then plant out the whole contents of the pot when the plants are a little bigger and they can cope with having a leaf or two munched off!!
Remember to grow stuff that you and the children would like to eat (oh, for a Malteser Tree) just not what you think you ought to be growing.
Have fun and ask lots of questions - we are a friendly bunch.
And take lots of photos so that you can track your progress

[Potstubsdustbins]

Welcome to the madhouse. Like others have said your location would really help, different advice for Scottish boarders to Southern England.

[Knight of Albion]

A very warm welcome to the forum!

[cariann88]

Hello and welcome to the vine

[SusieG]

Hi Peasinapod, all the best on your growing project on your new allotment! And welcome to the Grapevine

[belle_veg]

Newbie too

Hi, I am a newbie to growing veg too and signed up to this forum today. Feels great to see other newbies! I started growing mine own veg in pots and a trough at home two months ago and have learnt so much in such a short time. So much more to learn too, finding it really exciting! Good luck!

[muddled]

Hello peasinapod and belle veg!

Can't add anything to the advice you've got so far so this is just a hello, welcome to the vine and a plea for (rough) locations and some photos of your plots...we do love a picture!