Allotment Planning

[Sian Bunney]

Hello all!

For our October issue, I will be writing a feature on different methods of allotment planning. My deadline is this Friday, August 12.

It would be great to feature our forum members' advice, alongside any examples of charts/spreadsheets etc. Your suggestions could be published!


Thanks and all the best for this National Allotments Week!

Sian

[Bigmallly]

Being a fan of SFG, this was my plot this year, overall the successes outweighed the failures:

[bearded bloke]

No clearly defined plan I'm affraid Mrs.BB tells me what she would like for the kitchen & I fit in as much as possible in the space available

[ecudc]

No picture I'm afraid but for my 1st year as an allotment holder I went for 8 beds 4ft wide planted in rows. There are 60 cm paths between them, paths covered in a straw mulch. The beds are in rotation except for perennials. Beds are north south orientated. Tall veg is at the north end of the beds to reduce shading.

Perennials (asparagus, artichoke, rhubarb, comphrey )
Potatoes
Roots and alliums
Legumes
Brassicas
curcurbits
Grains and beets.

I also have a poly tunnel, compost area, lock up and seating area.

I learned:

4ft beds are a bit narrow. I'll be going for 120cm next year.

60cm paths are a bit narrow too. Hard to get the wheelbarrow round and have to sit at an angle when hand weeding. I'll make them bigger this year.

I will get more water butts strategically placed around the allotment for easy watering.

Having some shelter is good. I have been caught in many sudden downpours.

I left off planting trees and fruit bushes this year until I had the best view of how I wanted to use the space.

[Jungle Jane]

4ft beds are a bit narrow. I'll be going for 120cm next year.

That's a very similar size?

[Jay-ell]

Not too good on the planning the planting so far as a lot of my time at the lottie has been focusing on the demolition and rebuilding of the two plots. Most of the planning has been focusing on the structural and physical layout (where do I want the beds, how big the paths are, location of greenhouse, layout of fruit garden, etc. Although I had a good idea what I wanted the fine details took several revisions and a number of redrafts on the backs of envelopes etc till I worked out what I wanted (ok, the revisions are still going on even as the end draws nearer).

Now that the Jungle (plot 3) is getting there I get to repeat it all on the New Territories (plot 2).

I planted 20 courgette plants from 9 different varieties (or was it 10) which is obviously too much so I do have a spreadsheet recording what I harvest, when, which variety, etc so I can plan out which ones to choose for next year.

[veggiechicken]

I learned:

4ft beds are a bit narrow. I'll be going for 120cm next year.

That's a very similar size?

120cms is narrower than 4ft

[Bigmallly]

4ft beds are a bit narrow. I'll be going for 120cm next year.

60cm paths are a bit narrow too.

Yes, I'd go for 2ft........................

[ecudc]

you are right I mean 5ft/150 cm.

[bario1]

Do you mean planning how to best physically lay out an allotment plot, or planning which crops to grow where?

[Bill Door]

Well currently I don't have a garden or allotment to plan. I did, but we moved and we are now in temporary accommodation. So my plan is virtual.

However, my previous plans were based on a rotation for the allotment. I "fitted " in all the plants/seeds as and when they became available or I had time.

I would say that everything I grew in my mind was abundant and perfect in every way. However, the reality was that things didn't always grow well or in the time allocated. So my imagination and planning all went out the window. Like others I made the best of it and changed things to fit with what I had "learned". Only problem was that the next time the new way failed as well and someone else prospered using the "old" method.

So from now I just go with the flow, stick to a rotation plan and poke plants and seeds in to fill the available space. Some things will be great but overall I will just enjoy doing a little bit in my new allotment whenever I get it.

To those that plan I wish you well and hope that your plans help.

Bill

[bearded bloke]

That's it Bill ^^ using the 'BB method' .... bung it in & see what happens

[alldigging]

Be adaptable. It can take a full year to work out what each bit of your plot is like. Don't be afraid of changing your plans at any point you discover flaws.
Remembering which plants really need the sunshine to make them worth picking is probably the most essential thing to keep in mind.

[Guest]

Ummm, allotment planning (that is a bit open, so sorry to bore you with things that might not help)

My back garden plot in 2013 when I moved in (without the shed).



I knew straight away that I wanted the front half on a four bed rotation, with each bed being no wider than 1.2 and I planned the paths at 0.6. I think in the early days it is a good idea to research - read books, articles, join forums, snout at other plots and be honest what you think will work. It is no good having a high maintenance patch if you can only do a couple of hours a week.
I also knew I wanted the back half as permanent plants but it wasn't until last year I got it sorted and I struggled to plan it on paper. I scrounged a load of slabs and just worked it out as I went which I wouldn't overly recommend So this is what my plan would have looked like in 2013. Scruffy drawing and lots of working out.



When putting plans into action marking out beds with sticks and string and working with it for a while helps, as it is easily changed if you find it doesn't quite work i.e. are you really going to walk round an 8m long bed every time you want to get the other side

My plan/layout now looks like this:-



Things I have changed in regards to the front half are:-
I grow spuds in pots as I don't tend to water my plot and they suffered. Also the following years volunteers annoy me.
Cucurbits no longer have their own bed they get put in where ever.
Peas are now in their own bed so I can better protect them from birds.
I don't have any plans to change the overall way this part is, as it has worked well this year. In regards to the veg itself. I have a video library (idea is from our lovely VC) where it relates to the areas, so I can flick through and start seeds off (I don't tend to sow a great deal direct due to beasties and critters) then plant in the relevant area when there is space. I enjoy flicking through packs of seeds rather than the meticulous planning of what variety, spacing etc. I just tend to have a bit of a 'free for all' but within limits type approach.



The back part is still a bit experimental. I never used to fuss about where things were planted in regards to North/South but I planted a couple of nectarines (although one turns out to be a peach) so it lent itself to having a dedicated compost area. Rasp. area came about after asking on here what to do with a shady area and the rasps are in buckets to help reduce them spreading. The hotbeds was a first this year and was a bit rubbish but if you don't try you don't know. Again the areas are now sorted it will just get tweaked although I am not sure how yet.

My biggest thing/tip is I mulch my beds. I know there is an on going debate regards chicken muck is too rich, manure should be well rotted, woodshavings/paper/card rob nitrogen but my belief is it only effects the topmost layer so raised seedlings are fine, when it rains the nutrients soak through, encourages worms to come all the way to the top and reduces water lose and weeding



Edit: It is a work in progress and always will be

[Snoop Puss]

I have two veg patches, one for summer veg, the other for overwintering veg, though some of the tall summer plants (like toms and sweetcorn) and more delicate plants (peppers, aubergines and herbs, which don't like wind) also go in the winter patch.

The summer patch is subject to strong winds and in winter is significantly colder than the winter patch as it lies in our valley. It is also more shaded when the sun is low in the sky.The summer patch is straightforward in terms of beds: twelve beds 80 cm wide (so I can step over them and easily plant and weed) and approximately 14 m long, all oriented east-west. In the summer patch, I have four rotation groups and three beds are given over to each group. The groups may include more than one plant family (for example, in one rotation group, I have one bed for squash and courgettes, another for melons but the third one is given over to roots). The rotation order is: potatoes and French beans; cucurbits and roots: brassicas; and the allium family. When the early brassicas come out, I follow them with overwintering roots, making sure that this bed is then given over to squash or melons rather than following them with more roots. I also make sure the early brassicas are in the first of the three beds so that there is at least one bed between the follow-on cucurbits the next year and the summer roots.

The winter patch is situated on a higher terrace, making it several degrees warmer than the summer patch during the winter months, and is protected to a certain extent from the worst of the winds as it is in the lee of the house. It is a total hodgepodge, as it has been extended and shrunk on several occasions. The beds are various lengths and some are oriented east-west, while others are north-south. I've divided it into three areas (not of equal size unfortunately) and have three winter rotation groups (the allium family, legumes and brassicas).