We visited our new allotment this morning in the snow and while I was surprised by the sheer size of it I must admit I was pretty horrified by the state that it was in. The whole plot is at a guess about 200m square (although the plot is anything but square!). It is also absolutely covered in brambles, grass and weeds which will take many fine weekends to clear and then goodness know what I do with all the rubbish.
That said now that we have the plot I have started to plan what I will slowly put into it. I would like to keep the allotment fairly low maintenance as there will be the garden to tend to as well. With this in mind I am thinking that I will split up the plot once it is clear and plant different perennial plants in each so that with some weeding now and again and pruning once a year it will pretty much take care of itself.
As space in the garden for growing fruit and veg is at a bit of a premium ( I have been told that there must always be room for a game of cricket and rugby), I have decided that the raised bed will hold all the tender vegetables and herbs that need more daily care especially when we finally see a hint of Summer. This has left me with the fruits for the allotment. We are as a family huge soft fruit fans and I am really hoping that the bad weather I might get around the normal rules of having new soft fruit plants in the ground by March. This does mean that we will have to clear and prepare the ground very quickly as soon as the weather is a little warmer and get the plants in asap. I will plant raspberry canes and strawberry plants in a section each of their own. Hopefully then when they start expanding they have room to grow and create new free plants. I will also plant a few gooseberry bushes (a family tradition for any new garden) and also some red and black currents. After that I will possibly see what takes my fancy in the seed and plant catalogues and start filling the space.
I love the idea of planting asparagus but I am worried that for the space they take up and the years they take to establish they are not very worthwhile but I would love to hear any thoughts on this. I will also plant out my globe artichokes and fancy a go at growing some of the Mexican blue corn as well.
If anyone has any other good ideas for what to fill our considerable space with I would love to hear any and all ideas 🙂
Good luck – what about some rhubarb? and if you see nettles coming up, don’t forget they make fantastic soup. After all some weeds are better than others! Are you going to have a herb patch? And what about some edible flowers? Getting all carried away here…
Get a goat – it will clear the whole lot in no time at all & make a lovely curry afterwards. Keep it away from rhubarb leaves though!
Peas are really easy
Potatoes. Very good on year one for the soil. And delicious. Could you squeeze a small Victoria Plum into your garden? Rhubarb def. good. Rubbish time for gardeners right now, isn’t it! My best advice is to clear the plot 100% and make sure you have no nasty brambles or weeds returning before planting. It is very frustrating but so much better in the long term even if you have to wait longer to plant, or only plant annual stuff this year. you will reap the benefits in years to come.
Grub out the brambles best you can. If you dig it all over, you will have a lot of weeding. If you cover the lot in black pastic sheet or old carpet to supress weeds, the as you need the space roll it back to reveal the groubd. The longer it stays covered the more the weeds die back. Most resistant are the brambles and dock leaves, you may have to dig these out by hand.
Don’t forget a fantastic organic weedkiller is plain boiling water poured onto the soil by the roots
Get hold of a copy of homefarmer magazine, they are geared towards people who want to produce their own, but restricted to home or allotment. Ideal for your project?
Clear a space and plant it. Clear another space and plant it. You need to find out about the rules that go with your allotment. Covering with black plastic is frowned on with some sites as it is felt it indicates a lack of will to cultivate. Don’t use carpet – weeds grow through it, it rots in place as is a divil to move as well as there being chemical issues. Get hold of the up to date Be your own expert on vegetable growing by DG Hessayon (yes published in the UK) to start off with the right knowledge for growing. Join a good online gardening forum where you can ask questions and benefit from the experience of others.
Remember that it will take more than one season to get your allotment into good working order. Only grow what you like to eat. Start simple – even if you only grow salad stuff the first season you will be growing things which is expensive in the shops.
I found the best way to clear bramble is to find the root, where this joins the stem their is a ball like bit. Put your fingers round it and pull, the root will just rot away.Get one of those incinerators that look like a dust bin and burn the woody bits. The ash will be good for the fruit bushes. Tweedy in Scotland, supply loads of fruit trees and bushes, http://www.welcometoscotland.com/things-to-do/…/j-tweedie-fruit-trees
How about a bed devoted to flowers for cutting? Your plot will not only look beautiful but will attract pollinators and beneficial insects which will keep pests away from your veg! If there is insufficient room for fruit trees, you could plant step-over apple trees and espaliered or fan trained trees. You could perhaps choose from some of the delicious old varieties which are not available in supermarkets any more.