I'm a newbie

[WelshLeeks]

Fistly let may say what a good site this is and hello to you all.

I've just got myself a half-plot that, fortunately has been covered with black plastic for at least the last 6 months (according to the Secretary).

I would like to be able to put something in now to get the children interested whilst I concentrate on the majority of the plot.

Any ideas for veg that will cope with most soil conditions and weather seeing as it looks like the weather has turned. ???

Many thanks.

Rich

[WelshLeeks]

[flowerlady]

Welcome to you Welsh Leeks :)

Always good to see new faces.

The quickest thing that I have had germinate on my plot was radishes!!  How old are your children, and do they like radishes?

If you have a nearby nursery they might be selling little brassica plants.  Last w/e I came across boxes of tiny leeks to plant on.  This would give them something to do instantly and then to care for.

Salads can be sown now, but you may need a plastic tunnel depends where you live.

Onions and garlic are being put in at the moment.

For me the next vegetable crop sowing will be the broad beans, but not until end Oct / Nov time. 

So that will give you lots of time to DIG! ;D

Have fun, and take it easy, enjoy yourself it's not supposed to be hard work.

[wardy]

A good one for the children is mixed chinese leaves.  Sow a small row now, then another one in a couple of weeks and so on so you can be eating them at will!
Works with winter lettuce seeds which are now going in.  I'm going to try and sneak in another row of carrots (Autumn King)

good luck  :)

Fruit as well is something I'm hoping to get on my plot soon and there's a thread on here about what soft fruit to plant  :)

[WelshLeeks]

thanks flowerlady and wardy,

I'm looking forward to going up to the plot tomorrow to see what state it is really in.  Winter lettuces are a good plan - I hope rocket falls into that category.

It would be nice to get some carrots going aswell as I've seen some posts about having freshly dug veg for Christmas Dinner!!

Will let you know how I go.

Rich

[amphibian]

The quickest groing thing for me has been rocket, they even outstripped my radishes.

[terrace max]

...chicory, endive, mustards, choy sum, coiander, overwintering spring onions, lamb's lettuce, broad bean Aquadulce, hardy early peas...

(Nature works in circles not lines, so there is no beginning or end to the growing 'season' IMHO)

[wardy]

Some kind person has just handed me a bag of Japanese onion sets.  Aren't I lucky  :)

[joji]

Hi Welsh leeks  :)

Are you in Wales? If so where ?

We are in the rhondda valleys and are also new to this allotment hobbie. :)

[WelshLeeks]

Hi Welsh leeks  :)

Are you in Wales? If so where ?

We are in the rhondda valleys and are also new to this allotment hobbie. :)

Unfortunately not!  I'm in rainy Northampton but am very proud of my roots (excuse the pun) ;D

Grew up in North Wales and went to college in Cardiff.

Going to the plot this morning to kick it all off!

[wardy]

No lottying here this morning as it's raining.  Still got me onion sets in yesterday. Well the first lot that is

Happy allotmenteering
:)

[supersprout]

Time to get the brassicas in for the hungry gap if your kids like them (might be a way of getting them interested if they don't?  :)
Every weekend there's something new to bung in - radiccio last week, white sprouting and onion sets this weekend, garlic and broad beans next ... the old boys on my plot say the trick is just to keep planting, so I keep an eye on what they're bunging in and copy them.
When I was little my mum let me help with the veg, but I do remember being traumatised when my first pumpkin got slugged :'(, so a session for the kiddies on self-defence for veg might not go amiss ...  ;D

[spacehopper]

Hello Welsh Leeks, pleased to meet you.  :)
There's loads you could plant soon, great advice in the other replies. The only thing I can add is to plant what you and the family like to eat.

[WelshLeeks]

Thanks to all of you for your welcomes and advice.

Went up to the plot yesterday, rolled back the black plastic and found not only some of the largest slugs I've ever seen but also some of the heaviest clay soil also.

Think I've got some work to do before I can give anything a chance - thinking of plenty of sharp sand and manure unless you have got better suggestions.

thanks again

[wardy]

You'll need manure and lots of it, home made compost, straw etc will all bulk up your heavy clay soil and loosen it up. A row of spuds is supposed to break things up but that will be next year now.  On the plus side, clay is good at retaining moisture and nutrients and as long as you keep it open you should be ok

You could keep most under black membrane which allows water through but slugs don't seem to go for it as much as plastic sheeting and then prepare a bed now to get something in.  You could rough dig and weed a bed and let the frosts and worms get at it for you if you wish

[supersprout]

Hi welshleeks, here's a thought ...
After you've given the slugs a seeing-to ;D
When I was faced with a wilderness of a new plot in May, I marked out beds with string. After double-digging one three weekends on the trot :-[ I decided the no-dig method was the way to go :P ;)
So I covered the bed-shaped areas (4m x 1.25m with 60cm paths between, and a 1m path up the middle) with a good 6" of compost (kind neighbours), covered the bed in black plastic, and planted spuds, leeks, beans etc. thru the holes. They are all doing very happily. When I peel a bit of the black plastic back I see the wormies have been doing the digging and the compost layer is vanishing.
If you're willing to put your faith in worms, you could try this - I have just planted brassicas through holes. You could always dig beds treated in this way next year after cropping, and it will be a lot easier cos the compost will have worked its way into all that clay. And you can give the kiddies their own ickle bed to play with ...
The only risk is tripping over all that string ;D ;D ;D

[bupster]

Which I do daily. It rots and breaks eventually, thank god.

[supersprout]

Here are my leeks a-growing through their plastic (just figured out how to post pictures). The holes are where I couldn't wait and yoiked them out, yum yum  :P ::)