new kid on the block

[newboy]

Hello everybody, I am in need of some advice on my allotment. I aquired it late may and thaanks to the genorosity(sp) of my neighbours managed to get a feww leeks and cabbages and peas in ive eaten all the peas ripped up the cabbages cos they got infested by caterpillars and my leeks are growing nicely(ramble ramble) Now i cleared the rest of the plot and a very nice chap from round the corner offered to plough the plot for me which he duly did so now i have a lovely ploughed plot but am getting different opinions as to what to do with it.
 Do i leave it now just clearing weed as and when it comes do i shot some horse muck on andwork it in or what ??? ??? ??? i am confused  any advice

[newboy]

[Ozzy_aka_Pothead]

Yo NB

I aint no expert but I believe if you leave it bare over winterthis will help to eradicate any weeds you may hae missed,  also I would be inclined to take a ph reading and see if you need to alter the ph,  I took 4 ph reading adthey were all  ph7  so I wont do anything, unless some kind peeps advise otherwise......

gawd you were lucky wunt ya?  getting a lottie in May,  did you have it assigned over to you?  or did you start from scratch?

cHeErS

oZzY %)

[legless]

hiya!

i'm also no expert (only been doing this 3 weeks!) but i am in a similar situation, i am going to do a range of things depending on what i want to grow there..... i will put my broad beans in in october and then leave the rest of the legume bit clear, just weeding as it goes. i am going to cover the bit i haven't cleared yet with black plastic. i've got onions to go in my roots bit and i may green manure the rest of that bit, the potato bit will get manured or similar, and then the brassica bit will have some cabbages in and the rest will be green manured. hopefully. but then my plans change daily, or hourly  ;)

i thought i'd try a bit of everything this year and then see what works for next. definitely don't manure any bit you're going to put carrots or parsnips in as it makes them fork apparently.

let us know how you get on and welcome!

i am going to test my pH but apparently i need to put lime in for the cabbages (according to neighbour who is giving me them).

Jo

[Ozzy_aka_Pothead]

Yo Jo

Funnily enuff, I wuz plagarising, oops I mean planning the very ame thing ;)

So if next year, we happen to be
growing the exact same identical
thingymajthingybobsdoobreys.  then please remember they were my ideas first ;)

Seriously though, the ph thingy... I was well chuffeyed to get a 7.. which I believe is cool for most veg, but now you have made me wanna playwith me ph levels, oooooooooooooooooh Matron.... :0

cHeErS

oZzY %)

[legless]

ah but you're down south ozzy, i bet yours grow better!

my latest idea is defining the edges of my beds with herbs and marigolds etc, cos being a girl i like pretty things!

i wouldn't mess with your pH if its ok, its probably harder to bring it back to neutral. in a book here it says brassicas need a pH of 6.5 - 7.5, spot on you see!

Jo