Got an Allotment

[PassionateButInexperience]

Hi all

Cant believe I got an allotment in just 2 weeks of wait... or may be no one else wanted to take it (See pics) ... but still very happy as I want to get started and work hard and do whatever I can in this growing season. Better to grow something and fertile the soil then let weed grow...

Will plan better for next season but for now need your all expert advice

ALLOTMENT:
In Crawley down( Next to Gatwick Airport), West Sussex, UK

Clay Soil and no obstruction for sunlight
Good water suppply ( Well i have use bucket)


PLAN:
- How to kill weeds without chemical ?? all organic please

I plan to digout all I can and for the grass will just overturn the soil.
Then create raised beds and fill them with compost ( Country and Natural ) and grow in the raised beds. Guess this will kill the weed under the raised. beds and I will also keep weeding througout te season.

Does my plan make any sense ??


TOOLS:
What Tools do i need ( I got spade, big fork, small hand spade and small hand fork)

I guess weel barrow... shed eventually..

Anything specific for weeding ?

WHAT TO GROW:
(Veggies for this year & soft fruits if I can get allotment all creared up for them )
Am I too late to grow from seeds ( would prefer that) , else will buy saokings from plant centre

I am interested in
Potatoe ( baby potatoe and cooking varities) but hinestly dont know whic ones are best
Pepper
Pumpkin
Bitter Gaurd
Radish
Tomatoe ( have grown saplings already)
Lettuce
Cauliflower
Spring onion
Any other recomendations ..

Raspberry recomendation please
Bluberry recomendations please
Raspberry please


Too much said in too much enthusiasm





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[Snadger]

What is a bitter gourd? I presume you can eat it or else you wouldn't know it was bitter! What do you do with it.

Glad to see you haven't went down the glyphosate route. Seems like a decent enough plot you have there!

Welcome to the vine.

[PassionateButInexperience]

Hi Snadger

Thanks

Bitter gaurd is an indian veggi,, grows on vine but kind of bitter like beer.

It taste well when cooked.. see pics






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[Shroomy]

My advice is to not go to mad at it
Cover some with tarp or cardboard etc then slowly work it getting all the weeds out
Raspberries on a personal note i would recommend Tulameen i think they are fantastic

[WendyC]

Welcome to the Vine. You are not too far from me! If you have bought potatoes yet can I suggest you buy them soon as most garden centres are selling them off now, if you wait you might not get any. As the growing season is well upon us, why waste time building raised beds? You could get planting now and build the beds over the winter when there's less to do on the plot.

[Dynamo]

I'd go with what Shroomy said. Cover as much as you can. Having said that there might be some hidden gems growing there already so keep an eye out for anything that looks interesting. On the potato front it doesn't need to be seed potatoes that you plant. If you have any surplus in your larder that are going to seed I'd plant them out too. Good luck.

[PassionateButInexperience]

Thanks all for replies

Will cover the ground with plastic sheet and start working from one bed at a time.

I have lot of woodplanks already in the allotment , just need to nail them quickly into temporay bed (Just for his season) shape and fill them with compost and start growing

Planning to make beds over tilted soil ( tilt the soil along with weed , mostly grass) ... so weed gets burried under the raised beds.
Will this kill the weeds?

By next growing season will create proper beds or may becremive the temp ones altogether and grow on land directly.


WendyC - As you around from where I am ? Any recomendations of nurseries where I can still buy potatoes?

I read tgere are something called earlies and some main crop one ?
Any difference?
Which ones can I still grow??




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[Martin H]

Burying weeds will kill some types but not others. For example, annual meadow grass will die underground but couch grass will re-grow enthusiastically.

You can plant all kinds of potatoes this month. The difference is only in how long they take before they are ready. Earlies will be ready to eat from June, second earlies in July, maincrop in August-September.

Good luck, take your time and enjoy the process. There's no hurry.

[WendyC]

You are in time to plant any potatoes. Early, second early, early maincrop and maincrop refer to how long they are in the ground. Earlies are ready in 12-14 weeks, second earlies a bit longer etc. I wouldn't bother too much with maincrops as they are relatively cheap to buy, whereas the earlies will give you that new potato taste.
If you read the labels they will tell you what the potatoes are best for and what they are like to eat. I don't like floury potatoes so go for waxy ones, you might be different.
Wilkos do a fair range of potatoes as do £shops. There's a Haskins garden centre at Copthorne and at Pound Hill one of the Garden Centre group stores.

[PassionateButInexperience]

Thanks Wendy

I too dont like floury ones... wax ones are good..

Will checkout those places on weekend.
I did order few second earlybandsin crop potatoe seeds from JBA potatoe seeds.

If I harvest Second early crop partialy and leave the re will they get bigger to be harvested later for storage.

I mostly want baby potatoes and test for making curry or boiling.

Below are the ones i have ordered

Kestrel
Wilja
Nadine
Harlequin
Desiree

BEANS

Is it too late to grow beans ?
I am looking to grow french beans ...



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[Alison]

I won't be sowing my French beans for a couple of weeks yet so plenty of time. They're very tender and can't go out until after last frost so you don't want triffids in pots to manage under cover before then.


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[Dorothy rouse]

No you have plenty of time for beans,much too early yet, end of May/ June. Last year my runner and climbing French went in after the Earlies had been lifted, end of June, and was good crop. I've just sown some dwarf French beans in modules, in plastic greenhouse, and they aren't up yet.

So yes plenty of time for beans. Broad beans could go outside now, like this weekend, cos time getting on for them.

[Martin H]

If you've got the same clay soil that I had in Copthorne you should give potato "Charlotte" a try.

French beans - wait for a nice warm sunny day in early May then put them straight in the ground. Or start this month in pots if you're impatient.

[PassionateButInexperience]

Thanks on advice on french beans

Martine - Copthorne is very close
Will give Charlotte a try

I was planning to grow melons, is it important to grow them above the ground else fruit will be ruined if left on the ground?
An experienced bloke at the allotment said it need to be above ground..


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[Two_Sheds]

. I am looking to grow french beans ...

Have you thought about doing butter beans, chickpeas, lentils etc? They all do well for me over here on the east coast (sunny, but cold)

I was planning to grow melons

For best results in our cooler climate grow your melons in a greenhouse or coldframe

Grow your own melons / RHS Gardening