Yet Another Newbie

[Legin]

I took on half a rood at the back end of March. Had a shed built and started putting in twenty 16' x 4' deep beds as that's the system I will be using. I also did six 4' x 4' beds in a polytunnel, which blew away in storm Katie. I shall now put soft fruit in those beds and cover the remaining framework with netting to keep birds off. The allotments where I am are plagued by pigeons and so my freshly planted broccoli got ravaged before I had put up a frame and netting for them.

My successes so far are potatoes, broad beans, dwarf beans and runner beans. Also some red lettuce that WHICH? Gardening sent me for free. I put the successes down to putting spent mushroom compost on the soil when I was filling the beds. I have started my own compost beds but I am sure the stuff will not be ready for next season so I'll fork out for more mushroom compost to keep the soil in good heart.

I put in onion sets and they are starting to flop over so I shall harvest them in two weeks time when I get back from holiday. My leeks and garlic are also looking to be in fine fettle. I am trying some perennial crops like Daubentons Kale and have some really healthy looking Jerusalem Artichokes.

One problem we have is water as there is no mains connection. I bought a couple of 210 litre water butts that get fed from guttering on my shed. One of the chaps on site offered me a 1,000 litre butt which I bought for £10 before finding that the tap didn't work. I've got another tap that leaks from the plastic thread so I shall be putting some sealant on the threads and connect it to the guttering and other butts.

My intention is to try and grow my crops organically, realising that some chemicals may get blown across from neighbours' plots when they spray.

I look forward to getting advice from members here.

Nigel.

[Legin]

[johhnyco15]

let me welcome you to a4a nigel im sure you will get all the advice you need and more hope you enjoy it as much as i do

[InfraDig]

You have made a good start. Well done and welcome!

[caroline7758]

Sounds as if you could be giving us advice! Whereabouts are you?

[Paulines7]

Welcome aboard A4A, Nigel and may you have every success with your fruit and vegetable growing in your new plot.   

[Crystalmoon]

  hello Nigel sounds like you have made great progress so far. Where is your plot? I'm in Kent. Look forward to reading your posts. Jane 

[Tee Gee]

Hi Legin and it's a big welcome from me too!

I see you are from "gardening country"  i.e. Spalding in Lincolnshire and that you are surrounded with open fields so as we up here in the Pennines say: you are one coat better of than me. when it comes to the weather.

As Caroline says you will quite possibly giving us advice,so with you and Johnny I will be able to take a back seat knowing that others in the A4A clan will be well looked after in terms of advice.

Having said that if you get stuck you can always click on my signature at the foot of this posting.

BTW Johnny is two coats better off than me on the Sunshine Coast.

The only advantage I have over you and Johnny  is water I have mains water but rarely use this source as I use saved water from the garage roof for my watering needs at home.I never have to water anything outdoors,in fact as I write this post it has started to rain quite heavily so my barrel will be full in the morning again.

At the allotment I only water stuff that is undercover.

Guess what? My pet hate is watering so I find that good soil preparation in the Autumn and the local rainfall  suffices for me.

You will have to drill a hole and get your water from underground like Johnny does.

So once again welcome to A4A

[Hector]

Welcome Legin :)
This is a helpful, friendly place so I'm sure you will feel at home.

I'm in N Wales. If we wear a loose coat here it's known as " a kite" and we can get an arial view of our garden :)

[Legin]

Sounds as if you could be giving us advice! Whereabouts are you?

Now back from me hols. I'm in Spalding, Lincolnshire. My plot is on the Horseshoe Road allotments at the North end closest to the Bourne Road walk through.

Nigel.

[Legin]

I see you are from "gardening country"  i.e. Spalding in Lincolnshire and that you are surrounded with open fields so as we up here in the Pennines say: you are one coat better of than me. when it comes to the weather.

The only advantage I have over you and Johnny  is water I have mains water but rarely use this source as I use saved water from the garage roof for my watering needs at home.I never have to water anything outdoors,in fact as I write this post it has started to rain quite heavily so my barrel will be full in the morning again.

At the allotment I only water stuff that is undercover.

In winter we sometimes get wind from the East (Siberia). The winter of 81/82 I was on night shift at minus 18.5C.

I had a shed built and bought two 210 litre water butts so that I can at least do the greenhouse. When we had a larger garden 35 years ago a local older chap told me to water plants in and then let them put down roots to get water. One may not get such a good crop, but, if there was a hose pipe ban there would still be a crop and not dead plants. Another allotment holder offered me a 1,000 litre butt for £10 that I have still got to get settled in. If I can fill all them, I'll have plenty for the greenhouse next year.

I have now pulled my onions and am really pleased with the results as they were cheap sets from Wilko's. I planted bare rooted strawberries about six weeks ago and they are now producing. I have got some donated Cauliflower plants in the same 16' deep bed protected by orange plastic "fencing" and covered with net to keep birds (Pigeons) off. The early potatoes did well too and I had loads of Broad Beans. I am now cropping Runner Beans and the Dwarf French Beans are nearly over.

The picture is the bed with caulies and strawberries.

I am getting some more beds as I realised I had not got enough, and, I will be re-siting my greenhouse because it was erected on bare earth that has turned out to be uneven. I am thinking of putting it on reclaimed railway sleepers after making sure that the ground is even with a very slight slope to the rear where I shall put another water butt to collect the rain runoff.

Nigel.

[Jayb]

Hi Legin, sorry for the late Welcome, I missed your post first time around. Very healthy looking cauliflowers  :happy7:Are those raspberries behind them?

[Legin]

Hi Legin, sorry for the late Welcome, I missed your post first time around. Very healthy looking cauliflowers  :happy7:Are those raspberries behind them?

Thanks for the welcome. I noticed Cabbage Whites on the caulies just now and I think a slug had one of my strawberries. I've sprayed the caulies with an organic goo that is supposed to control insect pests. The row you can see to the side of that bed is a holding ground for Rasperries, Gooseberries, Blackcurrants and a Loganberry. That bare patch is going to get ten more raised beds on it and the soft fruit will be shifted to the remains of a polytunnel that got ripped up by Storm Katy. The frame is still up and I shall cover it with netting to keep the birds off next year.

The picture is my first main crop potatoes from one plant. Unfortunately three (luckily small ones) potatoes had gone green. The background is the block paving of the 8' x8' patio in front of my allotment shed.

Nigel.