newbie needs advice

[shedog22]

just a quick plea to anyone out there who has any advice whatsoever for first time allotment... erm....holders??  We only started renting the allotment last week and it's a right mess although we've managed to clear it all pretty much to ground level (it hadn't previously been used since before 1987)   We aren't expecting miracles and know that we have a lot of work ahead of us still....but we have 2 small children (age 4 and 5) who are desperate to pull some veg out of the ground  so if anyone can suggest something that is really easy to grow at this time of year so we can plant a small amount of it to keep them occupied while we work on the rest of the plot i would be grateful

[shedog22]

[Icyberjunkie]

Why not try the good old favourites - things like radishes - from seed for they're almost guaranteed to give you a crop (bugs and pests allowing of course......).  You could also have a look in your local nursery for pre-germinated stuff or just a few tomato or strawberry plants.

[Piglottie]

Hello and welcome!  I'm a newbie also and have only had my lottie a couple of weeks.  Plan to cover 2/3 of the lottie with black plastic so that it kills the weeds and grow stuff like butternut squash, courgettes, cucumbers etc through the black plastic.

On the other third we plan to clear it and plant salads and peas and beans.  Lettuce, spring onions, radishes, rocket, runner beans, french beans, peas and some herbs.  Also putting some sunflower in for colour  :) which are easy to grow and kids may like them.  I've started stuff off in pots (like runners, squashes etc) to give them a head start and also to give me time to clear the lottie.  Maybe you could do the same with your children so that they can plant something now, and then when you have cleared the lottie you can transplant with them.

Anyway, happy gardening!

[redimp]

I am a newbie as well - only been operating since January.  If your ground hasn't been cultivated since 1987 then at least you should be free of soil born diseases so that is some very good news.  Quick crops are as previously advised - radishes, if they like the taste, and other salad crops.  Beans get big quite quickly so althiugh not produceing straight away should give them something that progresse and promises much.  For something a bit longer term my kids are growing things like pumpkins that they will be be able to carve on halloween and say that they grew them.  Other than, they are a good age just to involve.  My youngest (she is 4) is the keenest of the lot and she just likes being up there, geting her hand dirty and seeing that things have got bigger since she was last there.

Lastly of all - all of you enjoy the plot - it's hard work but good fun, its not just a source of cheap good quality organic veg.  (However, it can be abit frustrating as well  ;D)

[shedog22]

thanks everyone for all your advice......we've decided to go with runner beans and tomatoes (kids don't like radish....as we found out this morning before school lol)  We figured that if we clear a small space just for them (which shouldn't be too much of a problem as we have 2 plots that back onto each other) then they can plant their own veg and watch it grow.  (hubby's mum has supplied us with some tomato plants and other bits from her greenhouse ;D which as he is now reminding me was very nice of her ;D )  anyway just one more question...which would you suggest...hand digging a bit at a time or rotavating?    thanks again xxx

[kenkew]

Hand dig a piece big enough for you to manage. Get out as much weed as you can, especially dock and thistle. Turn it with a fork rather than a spade, it's a little more work but you don't cut up weed roots with a fork. I used a home-made riddle on top of my barrow and every fork full went through that. It's amazing what you catch that way.

[Gadfium]

Nasturtian seeds? Nice flowers, attracts insects, quick result for the children, and the leaves & flowers go into the salads? Spring onions? Baby salad leaves e.g. a packet of mixed lettuce? Carrots?

Rotavating perennial weed infested soil will leave you with a bigger headache, as the roots get chopped and then all happily start growing again. No real solution except multiple doses of chemicals or black plastic/old non-backed carpet, & slowly & carefully clear it a bit at a time.

I took on a 'half' plot (also not used for a while) in November. Currently only got about a third of it cleared, but that's fine. Apparantly a lot of people go hammer & tongs, then get completely demoralised and leave, never to return. I can understand why.

So, I've got 6 beds in, a little of this and that starting to grow... and every time I go down I try to tackle another square metre of couch grass heaven  :)

[shedog22]

ok thanks everyone ;D  erm..kenkew....what on earth is a riddle? (i'm now showing just how little i actually know about this sort of thing :-[!!)  and Gadfium.....i've actually heard of people growing nasturtians (not sure how you spell it) on top of their compost heaps.....but didn't know they were edible!!!  Anyway i'm gonna talk to hubby and see if i can convince him to forget about the rotavator and do it a lilttle bit at a time (i've got my work cut out for me convincing him ::))    as the last thing i want is more weeds!!!

anyway thanks again everyone  i really appreciate the advice and ideas :)

[Meg]

Riddle is a kind of sieve usually round shape, flat seive bit. Sounds like too much work for me to be honest. Obviously an ideal thing to do but??

Hope your children enjoy. Visited lottie at Exeter and there where so many children there it was good to see.

[redimp]

Mine was rotovated by the council when I first obtained the plot - if they ever ask me if I want it doing again I will tell them where they can stick their machine (if it will fit  ;D)  I now have a nice patch of couch grass and thistles - just like I would have done had they not bothered in the first place.

Actually, I am being a bit unkind - it did let me get a head start and it is only where my onions and garlic are and the bits I haven't touched yet that are covered by weeds and at least I can get my fork in when I need an area and can sort it out by hand.  I am not quite as fastidious as kenkew though still I still have to get busy with my hoe.

[shedog22]

if they ever ask me if I want it doing again I will tell them where they can stick their machine

lmao redclanger     

i'm still having probs trying to convince hubby that we really shouldn't spend all our money on hiring a rotavator when we can do it just as well by hand even if it does take a little longer.....(i'm going for the 'think how proud you'll feel knowing you've done it all by hand' approach ;D) 

[Doris_Pinks]

And think of the weeds that won't regrow when you have hoicked em out! ;D ;D

[Justy]

the only thing that rotavating does it loosen the soil to make it easier to do the digging that you will end up doing anyway coz of the 50 million weeds it will generate!   ;D

Another way to clear some of the soil is cover with cardboard then put manure on it.  You can then plant some stuff (squashes are good) in the manure.  Meanwhile the cardboard kills off the weeds, will eventually rot down then you just dig in the manure.  Got to admit not completely finished doing this myself so not seen complete end results but so far had little peek under the cardboard (been down for about 6 weeks) and there is not a weed to be seen.....

Also could still plant some peas too.

[Merry Tiller]

Rotavating certainly does clear weeds, even couch grass but you need to go over it several times at 3 or 4 weekly intervals. Do it once and you'll make the problem far worse.
Today I have taken on another 4 1/2 rods so will be putting my old Wolseley to good use again ;D

[shedog22]

hubby is still very insistant that he's gonna use a rotavator and i don't think i'm gonna talk him 'round  >:( grrrr    any idea how long it takes to rotavate 20 rods?      (i think it's gonna take a while ::) !!!