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Clearing a new allotment

One of the most common reasons why new allotmenteers give up in their first season is the daunting task of cultivating an entire overgrown plot. Understanding different techniques for clearing some parts of a plot and simply keeping other parts 'in check' by stopping futher undesirable weed growth, can be an important part of helping to set realistic goals, reduce unnecessary discouragement and increase active allotment participation.

Bit at a time

New allotments are not cleared in a day. Unless you are very lucky your first plot will have a covering of both perennial weeds and annual weeds when you first get it. The perennial weeds should be disposed of carefully, since they have the capacity to re-root and grow again if dug back into the soil.

Do not add perennial weeds directly to your compost heap unless all light is excluded and you intend the heap to be left for a couple of years before using the contents. Other ways of dealing with perennial weeds include either burning/binning, or submerging in a spare water butt until they rot down completely. The resulting liquid can then be used as a liquid feed, or tipped onto the compost heap as a wetter/activator in the summer.

Covering with black plastic, cardboard etc

If sections of your allotment are not going to be dug in the near future but you want to bring them into cultivation at a later date, you could consider covering these areas with black plastic, cardboard, carpets made of natural fibre or any other light excluding material which does not pollute the soil. However, remember that winter winds can be quite strong, so any material used to cover the earth will need to be pegged down at the edges and weighed down with heavy objects such as bricks or 'soil bags'. Also remember that some materials, like polythene, can also be degraded by UV light so may crumble up and present further difficulties if left in the open for very long amounts of time. After a year most growth will have disappeared from under a lightproof covering and much of the hard work involved in clearing this area of weeds will then no longer be necessary.

Some allotmenteers choose to cover bare soil with light proof plastic over winter to protect against the leeching effect of heavy rain which may otherwise wash away soil nutrients that other plants could benefit from next year.

Land may also be returned to cultivation using a method referred to as 'lasagna gardening'. This involves ..... (insert text from forum and link to permaculture website)

Rotorvating

Whether to rotovate or not appears to be a personal thing, below are listed two points for and two against from the A4A forum. Point 1 Two things, 1. yes rotovating does spread weeds (especially bind weed), but the ground is so broken up that they can be pulled by hand quite easily. 2. The rotovator blades form a 'Hard Pan' at the bottom of the trench over a period of time which can seriously affect the drainage of the ground and also the plants ability to access trace elements in the sub soil. Every 5 years drive a stake appox 2' into the ground every foot or so and wriggle around to break the 'Hard Pan' up.

A rotovator is great for creating a fine tilth, mixing in compost, manure etc but for 'digging' compacted earth it is as hard or sometimes harder than digging using a spade.

Point 2 but it was rotovated - twice in the space of a month or so - before I took it over. I don't know if it was done very badly or very well, but what I have is gorgeous friable soil that's full of worms and dead easy to work. Some of the beds that I'm digging over by hand are full of bloody great roots and others aren't.

What it seems to have done for me is given me a plot that's much less scary than it would have been otherwise without vastly increasing the weeds (as everybody warns that it does). As above, you do still have to put the backache in; I'm going through each bed by hand and rarely clear more than one each weekend. I'll be lucky to have the whole plot rough dug by spring. But because of the rotavation I've managed to sow some rye grass that seems to be competing with the couch and bindweed, and I'm digging ground that even now, two months on, seems like more earth than weeds.

Point 3 When I got my latest plot it coincided with another new owner at the other end of the field.

Much to my husband's chagrin I insisted that we clear the plot by hand, digging over, bed by bed freeing all the couch and bindweed roots as we went. Allotmenteer number two took the rotavator approach, my hubbie was deeply jealous of the sight of man and machine pitted against the ravages of nature.

Two years later we have a neat(ish) and productive plot, full of veg, fruit and flowers. We still struggle daily with the bindweed - as do most of us- but things are well with the plot.

Allotmenteer number two has a disaster area of pernicious weeds, lumps and bumps where yet another time/labour saving idea has gone wrong - (dig below the level of the weeds and seive all the soil back into the hole - I don't think so). More importantly to me, he has not harvested so much as a bean from the plot.

I cannot count the number of times over this year, as the sun has set over the rhubarb, that my husband has said "do you know, I'm glad we did the thing properly"

Point 4 If your plot is mostly weeds, as most are, then you will just exacerbate the problem by chopping them into zillions of little pieces and digging them back in. You need to cut weeds back by strimming first. then you could cover up with sheet mulch etc and just prepare one bed at a time. this way the rest of the plot is slumbering under black plastic or cardboard and not getting any worse while you tackle a bed. You can then either weed kill your bed with glyphos and wait til it does its thing (about 3 weeks ish) then dig and get all the couch roots out, or go for no dig "lasagne" method There's no need to try and do all the plot at once - it's not going anywhere and I'd resist the urge to try. You're more likely to stick at it if you do it in manageable chunks, eg a bed at a time.

Raised beds

Preparing raised beds

Raised bed, sometimes referred to as lazy bed, describes a method of dividing ground between narrow strips designated for cultivation and bordered by permanant fixed paths.

Most are no wider than 4ft so you can reach to the middle and can work the bed without walking on the soil. They can be any length but the longer they are the further you will have to tend crops on the other side.

New paths need to be built wide enough to provide practical working space when tending crops and you may want to consider ensuring there is an access path wide enough for a wheel barrow bordering at least one long side of each raised bed you mark out.

Borders to beds may be built with timber, with plastic sheeting coating the inside face to keep the timber dry and prolong its life. Beds do not require wooden edgeing but this option is choosen to prevent material creeping onto fixed paths as the beds gain in height. If you choose not to have wooden edging boards (perhaps because your soil is particularly prone to slugs, you can also simply outline the edges of the bed with string and pegs.

Most gardeners find that raised beds are easier to maintain and promote better plant growth. Walking in a garden causes soil compaction, which can cause problems with drainage and oxygen availability to the roots. It's also more difficult to weed when soil is compacted. With a raised bed, you can plant, weed and harvest without ever walking on the soil.

Raised beds can be filled with high-quality soil and it's easy to add compost or other organic matter. Long-rooted plants, such as carrots, do especially well in this environment, because there are no stones to hinder their development.

Plants in raised beds get more sun and air circulation and they can make better use of water, though critics would say that they can be more inclined to drought.

One solution to this is to dig a series of holes, remove the bottoms and tops form 2 ltr plastic bottles then bury them upside down. When the soil becomes dry you simply fill the bottles with water, which then fans out across the lower levels of the bed.

You often can plant earlier and harvest later, because raised beds warm up early in the spring and stay warm later in the fall.

Raised beds also make ideal places to grow plants that can be invasive in a regular garden – such as mints and horseradish. But ease and convenience is the benefit many gardeners appreciate the most. If you get a bad back and sore knees every year from gardening, a raised bed may put an end to those aches and pains.

Raised vegetable beds are excellent for gardeners who have trouble with their backs and older people who don't have limited flexibility. They are also excellent for people in wheelchairs or with other disabilities and those who don't want to spend the summer on their knees in the garden.

To install a raised bed, first choose a sunny location and decide on the size and shape you want. Some gardeners till the soil before building raised beds, to provide additional room for root development.

Building a raised bed

Construct the frame with a nontoxic building material, such as stone, cinder blocks, bricks, untreated wood or fiberglass. Some garden catalogs and centers now offer raised bed frames that snap together and can easily be taken apart.

Make sure the frame is between 12 and 16 inches high and is sturdy enough to hold together when filled with soil. If you use boards, they must be secured at the corners with metal braces or screws, or nailed to a reinforcing block of wood inside the corners – if you nail into the ends of boards, they will split.

Fill the frame with a good-quality lightweight soil mix and add a generous amount of compost. Avoid using soil straight from the garden. It usually is too heavy and doesn't allow for proper drainage.

A well-constructed raised bed should last for years and soil fertility can be maintained by adding organic matter. Raised beds have been used for centuries and with good reason – they're better for many plants and they're easier on gardeners.

Source: Penn State, Agricultural Information Services

Hydroponics

What is Hydroponics? Put simply, hydroponics is the science of growing plants without soil. If you haven't heard of hydroponics, you may have heard of "soil-less culture" which is another name often used to describe the same thing. The same natural elements necessary for plant growth in soils are used, with the advantage that your plants are not restricted by weeds or soil-borne pests and diseases.

Brief History Hydroponic techniques, though they may seem to be a new technology, have been in use for centuries. The earliest known use of hydroponics are [the Hanging Gardens of Babylon,] the Floating Gardens of Kashmir and the Aztec people of of Mexico who used rafts on shallow lakes to grow plants. Also, hieroglyphic records in Egypt dating back to several hundred years B.C. describe the growing of plants in water. More recently, mobile hydroponic farms have been used to feed soldiers during the Second World War in the South Pacific.

Today, hydroponics is beginning to play a more important role in the world's agricultural production. Increasing populations, climatic changes, lack of water in some areas or poor quality water are all factors influencing the trend towards alternative methods of horticulture. Hydroponics is allowing many to have fresh food where normally they would have to have it shipped in or stored for long periods. A prime example of this is on Naval submarines, where hydroponics is used to supply the crew with fresh fruit and vegetables. Of more benefit is the use of hydroponics in developing countries, where it provides intensive food production in limited areas. The only restraints to a viable hydroponic system is the availability of water and nutrients. In areas where fresh water is not available, desalinated seawater can be used.

Hydroponic gardening has been used commercially since the 1970's, though it was not until recently that it has become more popular for the home grower. The demand in the community for environmental friendly and sound products has been a major factor in this trend. By growing plants in a hydroponic system, you will know exactly what has gone into the plants and can make sure that no harmful pesticides have been used that could damage your own health and the health of the environment.

How it Works Hydroponics is a highly efficient method of growing plants. In soils, nutrients and water are randomly placed, and often plants need to expend a lot of energy to find the water and nutrients by growing roots to find them. By expending this energy, the plants growth is not as fast as it could be. In a hydroponic garden, the nutrients and water are delivered straight to the plants roots, allowing the plants to grow faster, and allowing harvesting to be done sooner, simply because the plants are putting more of their energy into growing above the ground, instead of under it.

Once a plant is established it gives higher than average yields, whether being grown in a greenhouse, a backyard or a balcony. Also, hydroponics allows you to grow more plants per square metre. This is because the plants do not need to compete with weeds and each other for the food and water that is in soil, this food and water is delivered straight to them.

It is also very important to note that, despite many myths, plants grown in hydroponics are no different to plants grow in soil, they will have the same physiology. Plants grown in a hydroponic system take the same nutrients as those grown in soil, though the content can be more accurately controlled. The basic difference between the two methods is the way in which nutrients and water are delivered to the plants.

In hydroponics, the nutrient salts are already refined and the plants do not need to wait for the nutrients to break down to their basic form. However, with soil based agriculture, plants are fed nutrients via manures and composts which must break down into their basic form (nutrient salts) before the plants can use them.

Commercially, hydroponic systems often use artificial lighting. This can make the cost of a system much more expensive. If you have sunlight readily available, then this will be unnecessary. If you don't, while the initial costs may be relatively high, many of our customers find that a lighting system, while being necessary, is not the hassle and ongoing expense they may have expected.

Advantages A hydroponic system has the following advantages. Hydroponics allows you to grow plants more efficiently, using in some cases up to 95% less water than soil based horticulture. With many plants, hydroponics will give you a higher quality plant, at a higher yield. Other advantages are as follows:

Slightly denser planting, allowing greater use of area you have available Produce looks better and lasts longer Water stress in hot conditions is reduced Suited to non-arable areas Plants reach maturity in much shorter time Soil pests and diseases significantly reduced Hydroponic Gardens require less maintenance The idea of hydroponics still intimidates some people, mainly because it involves the use of some technology. However, hydroponics is a simple and easy method of growing plants, and is certainly no more difficult than growing plants in soil. We, at the All Grow Hydroponics , have many years experience with hydroponics and are more than willing to introduce you to this exciting technology and help you get acquainted with it, so that you too may grow your own fresh and healthy plants.

Growing under glass

Planting choices

• 1. Growbags and Pots
• 2. Directly into the border
• 3. Ring Culture

A shallow trench is dug out in a border, lined with polythene and filled in with gravel (a large gravel filled tray can also be used). A nine-inch bottomless pot is filled with soil, planted with the tomato seedling and placed on the gravel bed.

The tomatoes are watered from the bottom via the gravel bed and fed via the pot. This way the tomatoes have a free draining system with water and feed available to the plants as and when they need to take it up. At the end of the year, remove the plants and pots. Fill a watering can with jaye's fluid, dilute as per the instructions, and water the gravel to kill off any germs and disease. One disease free greenhouse.

• 4. A mix of 2 & 3

External links

(like all other pages, this is open for everyones contributions, just use the 'edit' button at the top of hte page or the 'edit section' buttons down the right hand side.

• Wikipedia