Topic: new allotment!!!

[alotofplot]

hi there, i have been given my first allotment today and it is huge and a blank canvas....i have never grown anything but want to start and involve the whole family (little one 3yrs) i dont know where to start, when do i dig the soil? what can i grow now and a million more questions!!!!!!! this site looks fab and hope that i can draw advice and info from you all!  ;D any advice would be great..I am on the dorset coast....regards

[wardy]

Hello  :)  Good plan is to get a book about allotmenteering ( a good one is by Caroline Foley and it's back in print I think judging from an advert at the top of these pages)  I've been trying to get one for ages since I first borrowed it from the library.  Then when decided to buy it it was out of print.  Anyway looks like its back. Another good one is Growing Vegetables or similar by Joy larkom.  There is a good set of DVD's called The Allotment (ITV.com) which is good.  You can dig the soil if you want but I'm well known on here for trying to avoid it  :)
Think about what your family eats veg wise and then think about growing only those things you're going to eat, then browse through the various seed catalogues which make good night time reading  :)

[alotofplot]

great, thanks will hunt a good book down......may go and have a dig at weekend!

[wardy]

Waddaya mean - might have a dig  ;D  I wouldn't be able to keep away.  Dorset coast eh.  Well at least you shouldn't be too bothered by frost down there  :)

[bupster]

I've said this before on other posts, (and those that are used to me know full well that I haven't the first idea what I'm talking about), but get in there sunshine and dig a bed over. You need to get something growing over the winter so you can see the point of what you're doing and you won't be able to do the whole plot all at once. Cover it over if you can, pretend it isn't there if you can't, but mark yourself out a small bed, 6ft by 4ft will do, and dig it over properly hoiking out weed roots. It'll take an afternoon, then bung something in it, onion sets or winter lettuce. That way every time you go to your plot you can see progress instead of just vast acres of weeds giggling at you. :)

Don't try to do it all at once. It's a long-term project (she says having tattooed it on her forearm in case of despair :))

[supersprout]

Absolutely bupster. The old boys on my plot gave me great advice. 'Just keep planting' they said. 'As soon as you clear a bit of ground, plant it!' I do it the other way round, buy seeds and plants and then scurry around finding somewhere to put them.  ::) it still seems to work and it's great for morale to see the sprouts come up! ;D ;D ;D

[AndyC]

Hello alotofplot! ;D.  Like you I'm new 'ere and am wanting to cultivate a right old mess into something beautiful!!  Definitely recommend two Caroline Foley Books "The Allotment Handbook" and "Practical Allotment Gardening".  £12.99 each and readily available.   She speaks good common sense and starts with the assumption you have an overgrown plot, and there's barely a Latin plant name in sight!! :D

Andy

[spacehopper]

*waves* Hello there! Welcome to the site.

[TEL]

Hi AP
Try in the next month or 2 broad beans, or now Japanese onion sets or spinach :P.

[bupster]

Joy Larkcom, Grow Your Own Vegetables - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/071121963X/202-7777451-7515041

Has added value of being small enough to keep in the loo for frequent perusal.

[Crash]

Soon as I got my name down for my lottie I bought  Joy Larkcom, Grow Your Own Vegetables. It's a good read and I too keep it in the loo!
we are having a fancy dress pub crawl in a couple of weeks to celebrate our 40th birthdays, so we've been in all the charity shops looking for outfits. Loads of good cheap gardening books to be had.

[wardy]

I bought my bro this book for his birthday and he says it's really very good.  I'll have to treat myself to a copy

[Cat]

Hi there,

I'm a newbie too and just wanted to say *hello*

Cat

[Roy Bham UK]

 ;D Hello Cat  ;D Welcome aboard :)