Topic: newbie and a real beginner

[titch01101]

 hi everybody, my first post  :) i have just managed to take over a tennency of a newly ploughed plot in scunthorpe after a 3 yr waiting list but now i have it i dont know what to do to it first. i have nill gardening experiance but im determined to make this work, also im young @31,  full time shift worker and have 4 young children 8) i have gotton my self 3 veggie books and they all contradict each other in 1 way or another  and thats now how i found this forum. is there a book available just for allotments? the one that i got with the tennancy is helpfull but its not exactly designed for people like me who dont have a clue  :D
 im just waiting for my permission to come for me to errect my new shed, a perimiter fence, chicken coupe and a greenhouse then i should be good to go (im basically waiting more for the shed permission 1st as i dont want to be moving tools to and from everyday)
 i dont know what it is i should be doing first  ??? but heres whats in my mind at the moment and if you could share your views with me it would be very helpfull  :)

  1) i have a merry tiller cadet, and if the permission gets granted, chickens also. if i split my plot up into quarters, tilled the first area and placed the coupe and run there for a week or 2, would the chickens help with destroying weeds ect? then start it all again in area 2 ect. once the chickens have been moved il hand dig the area to try and get it right.

 2) after reading up on how important crop rotation is, and the differnet ways of prepping the soil at the start of the season, im gussing that its gonna take around 3 yrs to get the plot running right for me. what crop/s would be ideal to start off with  in my first year. were not fussy eaters so any crops wont be wasted  :D

 3) i dont see any form of water on the site so i will need to collect my own in water buts which is gonna slow me down a little, unless i take a few gallons with me each time i go and i have no rotted  manure or compost at hand so will probably have to buy it in to start with.  thinking about a wormery aswell as a normal compost heap but this is gonna take time.

 4) i know rome wasnt built in a day but i just want to get the plot working/productive asap, as i have heard that the council is keen to evict people that dont run there plots properly.

 5) in the agrrement i cant plant fruit trees, rhubarb, strawberries ect because they are permanant plants, this is probably the best foods available in my eyes as we eat alot of fruit in our household so maybe placing them in big pots instead of in the ground is the way to go.
 
 sorry for the big posting but i have so much to ask at the moment  ::) any help and advise wont be ignored. thanx in advance  :)

[flitwickone]

its my firts year as well so ive planted 1st and 2nd earlies and my mainspuds as well so get your spuds

you will have to clear a place for them but dont go mad or you will sprain something lol

if you eat onions and shallots etc get those in as well

and if you have any energy left after that

sow some carrot seeds and join us all in the battle against the dark lord (carrot Fly)

have fun

as for not being allowed rhubarb thats harsh  iwould complain like hell about that you never know they might crumble in the end  ;D

[antipodes]

Sounds like a lot to take on at once! Pace your self or you will be easily worn out. Remember that "working the plot" doesn't necessarily mean covering it 100% in veg! Some areas can be covered to keep off weeds.
As for the gardening advice, no one does it teh same way, it seems to me! Here in France, there are some blokes that go down, turn over their entire 100m in spring and leave all the nice top soil open to the elements since they don't plant it for anouther 3 weeks! That seems counter productive to me. But obviously suits them. So just do it the way that seems logical to you and remember there are just some things that don't grow well some years.
 I am intrigued that you can have chickens but no perennial plants? How weird...
Strawberries grow OK in pots, not sure about rhubarb though, it gets massive.
The first year you should cover as much ground as possible to stop weed invasion, wth plastic, mulch etc, think of planting squash and courgettes etc which give good ground cover.  Beans also are easy to plant out and make the plot look well covered quite quickly.
I wouldn't worry too much about manure, it's a bit late now, better off getting some late autumn and leaving it spread out over the winter, then the soil will be good for next year. A bit of all purpose fertilizer dug in will do things the world of good.
And Good luck!

[Mortality]

Welcome to A4A, this is my first year also, planting in my small back garden.
Ask away, loads of helpful friendly people here. ;D

[saddad]

Congratulations...
Chickens are excellent at cleaning up newly dug soil...  :)

[Old bird]

How odd!  Not allowing you to plant strawberries rhuabarb etc.  Who is renting you the allotment - i should think that if it is council owned - they can't stop you planting things like that - trees maybe but not plants.

It seems a shame that there is no water provided as this could make life very difficult for you in the hot dry summer months.  Sounds good that they allow you chickens tho.

Yes they clear land of most vegetation so would be good to clear a bit at a time!

Good luck with it.  I would suggest that you get one book out of the library and stick to it  Carol Klines one is good also Bob Flowerdew is pretty good too alternatively Hessayons vegetable gardening book is very simple and shows you when you should plant etc.

Old Bird

[GlentoranMark]

If your not going to do it all at once, I would suggest you cover it all in black weed control.

I took over a bare bones site last year and weeds were my biggest success. I lead a busy lifestyle like yourself and can't always get to my site. Cover it up and work on a small patch at a time. Don't worry about getting everything done this year, its not a race - you will still be able to get all your basics in.

[titch01101]

wow it doesnt take long for you guys/gals to post replies  :D thanx for views and suggestions  :)
  i wont be starting anything untill i have at least got the permission for the shed, although i have been told that this shouldnt take long.  however i have started buying in some tools to get me started. im not sure what to do when it comes to seeds though. i have nowhere at home to start them off so think that i will be taking it each day at a time.
 i have just measured the plot and it seems massive  to my eyes  :o 100ft long and 17ft wide.  i can get some old trailer sheets from work so ithink they will do a good job of covering the ground (i dont see why not if carpets work well)

[goodlife]

You need to give more time for you chickens to do their work...keep them in same plot at least 4 weeks...even longer ..untill they are starting to run out greens...then turn that bit of land over give it a rest for another 4 weeks (keep hoe busy that weed don't take over again)..lime it and soon you can plant winter cabbage, broccoli etc...
Mean while you can deal with rest of the plot ::)

[flitwickone]

dont use carpets they can be a nightmare :-[ use your tarpaulins etc

[nilly71]

Welcome to the forum.

First, i would suggest working out where you plan to grow stuff and mark out the beds (tell the family to only walk on the paths).
 I think the most impotant thing is to collect rain water(it's bound to rain soon)use water containers or build a raised water container out of 3"x2", ply and pond liner or your lorry covers with netting over the top to stop leaves falling in. At least it will be filling up while your working your plot. Compost bins are another thing to think about doing a.s.a.p as it will be ready for autumn or next spring and save a fortune in the future.
If you don't have any shade on the plot I would place the shed on the North-East side but leave an area to sit in the shade of the shed. 
For strawberries you could build a raised platform and either use growbags or just have 4- 6" sides. Rhubarb could be grown in large builders bags (800-1000ltr bags) with a basic frame to keep them straight. You could have dwarf fruit trees grown in large pots.
Clear an area (approx 4'-6') or build a raised bed to use as a seed bed, they can be growing while you clear a large area.

Take your time when it comes to clearing an area and make sure you get out all the weeds. This year you could just use a quarter of a plot to grow veg and clear, manure and cover the rest as you go along. Hopefully a second area will be clear by Autumn so Onions , Garlic and carrots can go in then.

Remember to take pictures as you go and post them on here.

Neil

[manicscousers]

Hiya, titch, welcome to a4a  ;D
what they said and have fun, bit at a time, don't kill yourself  ;D

[allaboutliverpool]

I started 4 years ago in March and dug one (raised) bed at a time and immediately planted or sowed before starting the next.

You do not have to have fancy beds or paths like me but if you mark out small sections about 8ft x 4ft and only walk on the paths round each bed you will mimic my plot and be cropping in no time.

In due course you can either build beds or dig up the paths.
[attachment=1]

You do not specify how you are going to keep the chickens, or how many.

If you have them in a movable house and run, then just move it around, if it is a question of fencing, then how much can you afford. Remember that chickens can fly up to 10 feet and more unless the wings are clipped. Also what about foxes?.

Strawberries are not permanent as they need replacing every 4 years or so.

You can see how I did it on :-

http://allaboutallotments.com/index.html

[1066]

Hi titch01101 and welcome to A4A
Hope you enjoy your plot and your produce  ;D

[Jayb]

Hey titch welcome  ;D

[gwynnethmary]

Welcome to A4A Titch- I'm a novice too and am learning loads from everyone on here!

[Robert_Brenchley]

Is anyone else on the site growing rhubarb? If it's a private site, a rule like that might be enforced, but I'd have thought it was highly unlikely on a Council site.

[cornykev]

Rhubarb and strawberry's can be removed or replaced elsewhere, so are not  permanent plants in my book, trees I agree with, but councils don't normally stop this, ours won't permit livestock, good luck anyway.   ???    ;D ;D ;D