Topic: New allotment

[sunflower]

I have recently rented a lovely but HUGE allotment from the council & was wondering what was best, to plant in rows or set up some beds with edging boards to make rotating easier. I am completly new to this & although i`m excited bout my new adventure i think i will need all the help i can get PLEASE. thank you.

[RSJK]

 ;)  Hello and welcome sunflower to the great world of allotment holders. Just to say l prefer to plant in the good old tryed and trusted method of planting in rows.  My way of thinking is that you seem to lose a fair bit of ground using raised beds, but l stress that that is my way of thinking you will find that others will disagree and prefer raised beds.  Sorry that l can be of no futher use to your question.

[Sulis]

Richard pretty much summed it up. I use the traditional method at the moment, but I will be using raised beds once I get my hands on some wood. It's personal preference here for me. I like my gardens/allotments to look quite tidy and organised. One thought... if you have a big enough allotment, the loss of space that raised beds (and the additional pathways) may not affect you too much. I also find managing raised beds easier, but naturally others may/will disagree.

Whatever method you adopt, all the very best in your new venture!

[Mrs Ava]

Welcome Sunflower.  I don't have raised beds, and plant a touch haphazard really.  Some things I have in nice neat rows, like my garlics and shallots and onions, then others are in blocks, like my broadbeans.  There will be some veggies that I will only want a few of as I am the only family member that likes them, so they might go in a little block, or half a row.....who knows.  :D  I figure this isn't great for rotating the crops, however, I am kinda working towards not planting the same family in the same place next year, so keeping same families in same area....am I wittering on here.... sorry  :-\

[gavin]

Hi Sunflower - and welcome!

I like beds myself - and could well spend a LONG time on the pros and cons.  But I suspect the only time beds are demonstrably easier and better is when you have kids!!!!!!  At least with paths the rule is simple - keep to the path.

All best - Gavin

[edit]Huge?  Wonder what you'll be saying in a couple of years? - Good luck  :)[/edit]

[Dunc_n_Tricia]

Hi Sunflower!

We got our allotment in April last year, so had to start quickly in order to get all we wanted to grow started in time.

We were advised that beds were favoured on our site, as it made digging over easier at the end of the year. I can vouch from experience that a un-walked-on bed is easier to turn than it was at the start!

We didn't go for raised beds, 'cos it looks like too much hard work. We just marked out 'beds' with string and tent pegs. They were wide enough for me (Tricia) to be able to reach the middle from either side. This is because I have the shorter arms - and more time to spend on the lottie!

The 'paths' were 2x the length of my foot (in wellies), so that I could kneel without treading on the bed behind me. Any stones/pebbles found whilst digging were put on the paths and trampled in. Since you only walk on the paths, they soon become compact, and easy to see.

One tip though - when you have cleared and dug over a bed or patch of ground - plant it up. We put herbs from B&Q on our first bed, and when my back was acheing from digging the rest, I just had to look at them growing to be inspired.

I'm sure you will find a method to suit you, but don't go doing yourself in trying to do it all at once. Even if you only use 1/4 of your 'huge' plot this year, you should still get some lovely produce!

Happy Digging!

 :-* Tricia

[The gardener]

I use the Tricia& Dunc way! I see no point in digging a whole plot then walking over it to get to the produce.

I don't use timber edging, but then again I am blessed with a relatively level plot, so sloping the soil at the edges of my beds is fine for me.

If you do decide to use the bed method think of this when planting your potatoes, particularly your 'earlies'

Plant them out across the bed rather than along the bed, then as you dig them up. you 'free up' a nice piece of ground for another crop, e.g. 'winter greens'

[Doris_Pinks]

I have beds on mine, Some raised (through necessity) some not. I find the same,that you are not trampling on earth, and have my paths made from carpet then straw covered, I seem to be able to work from the paths at any time of the year, no matter how wet the soil is! I find it also makes for easier sowing picking etc. Plus you can do a little bit at a time, and with a 4ft wide bed, you feel you have accomplished something, instead of looking at a huge daunting plot! Good luck, you'll get there in the end ;D DP

[legless]

i have beds but they are marked with pegs and twine like dunc and trisha (mainly because i don't have any wood to edge them with and i like the flexibility of being able to change my mind about it easily!) they are between 3 and 5 feet wide and the path is quite narrow in between but wide enough...

i'm gonna plant however i feel like it at the time, a bit like EJ, apparently girls have a habit of doing this and get on the nerves of the allotment oldies who like neat rows!

[Colin_Bellamy-Wood]

Hi Sunflower,   when I got my lottie nearly two years ago, I had a vision, but I had to bear in mind my personal situation.   I am more than twice your age, and (funny enough) each year I get a year older, and less fit.   So that had to be taken into account.   I was fortunate enough to get loads of pallet wood to re-use, and built five raised beds, about 28"/30" high, so that I don't have to bend as much.   I had to import 3 tonnes of top soil for them.   I have three long beds 8m x 2m for bulk products, and five 3m x 1m for small qty products.

I have grassed paths - the down side of this is that the grass has to be cut.   I work from one corner to the other over a week, and then I have to start all over again.   (Can't afford a strimmer).    Good for the compost bin.   Having paths means that my dog (joined at the hip) doesn't walk on the dug plots - but only on the paths - she's very good.

Another thing is that you should decide what you want to grow - then draw your vision onto a large piece of paper, and write into each "plot" what you are going to grow this year, next year, etc for a total of 5 years.   Read Bed Preparation started by Beer Belly on this Topic Board, and you will see what I mean.   You may have to redraw your vision several times before you are satisfied, but build into you final plan the facility to be flexible if things don't quite work out.  

The most important thing of all - enjoy.      

[Mrs Ava]

hahahaha Legless, I know what you mean.  The...ahem...older allotmenteer chaps on our site do look at me like I am a little crazy... hmmm what do they know that I don't  :o :P

[Ceri]

I'm with legless and EJ - the majority of my fellow plotters in Shiremoor are long straight row type of guys, mines marked out in beds, and a bloke a few plots away uses beds as well.  When I first got mine one of the old guys showed me round the site, and when we were looking at the 'bed man's' plot he said - "oh well, he's completely organic you know......bless him"  I'm not sure if he was being approving or sending him a quick prayer to help!