Starting a Plot

[VegGrower]

Has anyone any general advice for a new allotment.

The one I have taken on is pretty overgrown.

I plane on growing Potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips, Swedes, Tomatoes, Cucumbers etc.

I need somewhere to start.

[VegGrower]

[trevody]

Clear a little and often and consider covering some of the plot with plastic or old carpets until you can get round to digging it. your plot is going to be full of weed seed "one years weed seven years seed  >:(" so growing root crops will be a nightmare as the weeds will germinate along with your seed, very fiddly weeding, so sow in shallow trenches filled with potting or general purpose compost this way you can identify your young seedlings far easier.  ;)

Trev

[bongo]

hi veggrower i have just got my first allotment i found marking out in to good size beds before diggin broke up a big job into smaller jobs and makes it look a less daunting job good luck!!!!!!!1 ;D

[TULIP-23]

Veg Grower

Warm Welcome on this Fantastic Net Wish you lots  pleasure here.Great crowd...and a great Help.
Success with the New allotment

Greetings Take Care  Tulip-23  Mike  Netherland

[Apple Dumpling]

Definately don't try to do too much at one time, however much you want to (take this from someone who has learnt the hard way). Do a section and resign yourself to leaving the rest uncultivated for a little while, or maybe just strimming it to stop more weeds seeding themselves.

But a question on the "one year's seed, seven year's weed" rule. If your plot hasn't been tended for say 4 years and you have 4 years worth of seeds do you get 4 year's seed, 28 year's weeds,  or 4 year's seeds, 4 times as much weed for 7 years?

[Bionic Wellies]

I think that the 1 year's seeds, 7 years weeds is a rule of thumb.  Some seeds will stay in the ground for ages and ages and then will germinated when the conditions are just right for it (and incidentally - just wrong for you).  But as you persevere the number and variety of weeds does drop off.

What does seem to happen is that about 5 days after digging a section over, a million little weed seedling come up whereas none of those expensive seeds that you sowed seem to show at all.  So it is generally better to dig a section - wait a week - hoe out the weeds that have show up (without disturbing the ground too much) and then sow your seeds.  It's often worth bunging in a couple of fast germinating seeds (raddish) into every row too - so that you will be able to see where it is.

Something that may be worth considering - especially if the soil does not have much humus in it (which may well be the case if the site hasn't been used recently) is to make a little furrow (to the required depth) to sow into and then fill that up with compost instead of back filling with the original soil - it's only a handful of compost every metre or so.  This stops the soil from forming a crust after watering (or rain) which stops the seedlings from pushing through - I did this last year after hearing it on radio and it improved my germination rate no end.

-- Alan

[VegGrower]

Thank you all for valuable tips.

I will mark out the plot and start digging - little by little !

It sounds like I will have to do plenty of weeding too !

Type to you soon,

Rich.

[gavin]

But a question on the "one year's seed, seven year's weed" rule. If your plot hasn't been tended for say 4 years and you have 4 years worth of seeds do you get 4 year's seed, 28 year's weeds,  or 4 year's seeds, 4 times as much weed for 7 years?

Both!  And a few more besides  :P

Seriously though - yes, digging exposes all those hidden seeds;  keep on top of your weeding - AND THEY WON'T BE THERE NEXT YEAR :) :) :)   They'll be enriching your compost heap instead.  Second year is a LOT easier, third easier still.

All best - Gavin

[aquilegia]

Take it slowly - you can do far more by pacing yourself, taking frequent breaks and not lifting too much than by straining a muscle and having to rest for days.

It seems to be best to leave the ground for a while between digging and sowing. That way you can hoe off any weed growth, without having to worry about killing your seedlings too.

[fosteri]

Nattyem and I have just got our lottie (3 weeks ago), like yours it was overgrown and neglected. We have been visiting on average 2/3 times a week, sometimes on our own and sometimes with the kiddies and husbands!! We are slowly but surely getting there and the amount of soil verses grass and weeds is growing!

All I can say is take it slowly, don't forget your flask of coffee and keep your sense of humour (helps when you discover mounds of couch grass!!)

Good luck....

Louisa x

[frannie]

Hi - i'm new to this too, and have so far covered a fair bit of the plot with black plastic as it is covered in couch grass and hasnt been dug for years! we also keep falling into what look like little drainage trenches (i'm sure im gonna break an ankle one day) that are all hidden in the grass. we've build a compost corner from pallets and started to dig in a relatively small area - plus lots of big plans for the rest next year, including our very own shed.  just think how great its going to be in a few weeks time - good luck, and keep smiling  :)!!

[wardy]

 Hi Frannie.  Your potholed allotment sounds just like mine.  I've fallen over countless times - I'm sure my lotty neighbours think I'm a drunk!  I have got all my tall weeds down and have started covering everything up with black sheeting.  I've made two raised beds and one has even got onions in it.  No shed yet but I'm optimistic.  I bought some red onion sets today to spur me on to getting some ground cleared.