Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: jclo on January 29, 2007, 16:10:11
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Hi All
This is my first year of having an allotment. I have already dug over 3/4 of it and am now eagerly planning what is going to go where. As I am a total novice I thought I would ask your advice on my suggested planting plan. I have mapped out my plot which is 52ftx22ft into 6" squares.
(http://www.fishkeepingforum.co.uk/myplot.jpg)
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Don't think I'm qualified to comment, being of the "dig a patch & bung something in" school of thought, but it looks very impressive!
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Bit organised for my liking. What's RE?
:)
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No courgettes ???? Or are you just being very clever : wait until your lottie neighbours are desperate to thrust their surplus courgettes on you? Good strategy ;D!
I'd squeeze in a French bean wigwam.
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Oops I knew I missed something RE or RB as it was befor it was turned into a picture is Rhubarb.
In the past when I have just grown in the garden I've bunged in some seeds and sat back, however I thought as this was my first year with a plot I would at least have a stab at being efficient. You wouldn't believe how many hours I spent working all that out! Pieces of paper, books, magazine, seed packets everywhere :)
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i cant see the plan :'(
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No courgettes ???? Or are you just being very clever : wait until your lottie neighbours are desperate to thrust their surplus courgettes on you? Good strategy ;D!
I'd squeeze in a French bean wigwam.
We're not fans of beans or courgettes I'm afraid. Mind you with the surplus of some of the other things I'm sure I'll be able to do a bit of trading!
i cant see the plan :'(
That will be because the server at the stupid web hosting company that I use is down. It will be up again in a few mins. (I couldn't work out how to upload straight to the site?)
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yep i can see it now - looks very profesional
I would only say that you have given yourself a very limited number of crops and you will get lots of gluts.
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we've put some strawberries in big pots around the apple and pear trees, also some herbs in pots , again around the fruit, to bring in the bees
you've done a wonderful job, ray does one for me every year, just wish I could stick to it ;D
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This is my second year - your plan looks great. Couple of observations based on my own experience. I think you have too much space for the sweetcorn - or you could grow more - I did 30 last year and it soooo wasn't enough :'(
Not sure you have enough space for the spuds, assuming that you intend to earth up? Are the carrot rows going width wise? If so, think about having a couple of long rows - less of a phaff and you could do an early and late.
Are yo big lettuce eaters? You might find rows all at the same time will be too much and most of it will end up on the compo heap - I did that last year and told myself it was green manure ;D ;D
Depends how much you like Strawberries but once you have tasted your own, you will want more, more, more - I'm trebling the size of my bed this year :o
And one last thing ;D If it is hot like last year you will need to water your Toms every day - in their current position, how near or far is that from the water?
All of the above based on my own experience and preferences. Most of all --- have FUN ;D
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I can't see any compost bins / piles?
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gray box top left hand side
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The plan is excellent.
Agree with some of the other comments re limited number of vegetables and possibility of gluts with some and possibly not enough of potatoes ( this may be because they are a relatively cheap crop to buy in the shops) - you obviously may have your own specific reasons for the choices.
What about fruit bushes- gooseberries, red currents, blackcurrents
Vegetables - cucumbers, purple sprouting broccoli, brussels, cabbages, onions, garlic, aubergines, broad beans, parsnips, peas, shallots
These are just some of the extra fruit and veg I grow
Good luck
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I think it looks perfect...and growing what you want to grow.
Superb ;D ;D
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Wot no Herbs?
Rosemary
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Thanks for all of the comments guys. I'll try and answer some of the questions..
My nearest water supply is right at the top left of the plan. at most around 8 feet from my plot. I also live less than a 3 min walk from the plot so popping over everyday and watering should be ok (wait for me to change my mind come august!).
On all beds that I have specified how many rows, the row always goes along the longest length. I bring this up because of the comment about my carrots. Am I spacing them to close together?
Potatoes we thought were cheap enough to buy by the sack from a farm so not really worth growing a lot of them. We are planting earlies only and are really just after some nice salad potatoes.
We already grow herbs in our garden in pots. However I'm thinking of planting some out in the unused spaces and maybe some spring onions.
You think theres too much lettuce then. I did wonder that myself. We do eat a lot though.
Strawberry wise, I am going to increase the bed next year. I only have / am getting s few plants this ear to get going, so I don't expect to get much if any strawberries this year.
Gluts? Sorry thats a new term to me. I think you mean too much stock of something all at once. If so, onions, and beetroots should keep over the winter so should be ok. Carrots again the same. Other things like the sweetcorn I will be giving a few away to friends etc. Also the reason for sticking woth a limit amount of different veg is because I'm so new to all this. I thought that I would do a better job if I conectrated on a few varieties rather than lots.
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Very impressed with your plan - also new to allotments and have not really got a plan - thought I would just see how things developed sort of evolve. I am too unorganised to get the most of my plat ??? ??? ???
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It looks great. What program did you use to make it? I've made mine with old fashioned pen and paper ::)
My only question is, how much do you like raspberries? :D My plot is 140ft by 20ft and I've not allowed that much space (mine are in two beds, 9ft by 4ft each). I've used more space for different fruits - a jostaberry, gooseberries, greengages and plums which were already there and cranberries. Obviously, raspberries are permanent too, so if you find next year that you've given too much space to them you'll be throwing them away.
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Where are your Waterbutts? Caulis? Cabbages? Outdoor cucumbers/ As previous Courgettes? to name but a few..... Sorry to be the bearer of bad news or dont you grow these? ???
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from the looks of things, you've very carefully decided what your family will eat and concentrated on them, i think you've put in a great deal of thought, well done !! ;D ;D
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This is my allotment plan for this year. Never done one before. It does not state all the different varieties I intend to plant. I have up to 3 varieties of each produce including early, late and maincrop. & 6 kinds of spuds.
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How about a shed
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Wow jclo what a plan! I'm afraid mine's only on a piece of paper, and it's nowhere as detailed as yours! We've decided to grow a little amount of lots of things, so that if we have a total failure of one crop then we should always have something else to replace it with. Good luck, keep us informed of how you're getting on! x
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jclo, you've done everything absolutely right, as far as I'm concerned.
Firstly, although your beds are labelled, for instance, carrots, I didn't assume that you were going to plant only one kind of carrot, all at the same time.
Secondly, you're taking on as much as you feel able to cope with. If you check out some of the other advice threads to new growers, you'll find that 99% say: just grow a few things you like with to begin with, and build up slowly. I also think it's great to take such an organised approach so early on.
Things might not always go to plan (successes, failures, etc) but you're not haphazardly plonking things in haphazardly and then realising you've loads of gaps or empty space, and thinking "I could've grown so much more if only I'd been more organised!"
I did this year's plan of my half-plot on a roll of paper, on a scale of 1 inch to 1 foot. It's up on the wall as I write - one and a half feet wide by five feet long!
I wish you all the very best - start as you mean to go on, and more power to your digging arm!
;D ;D ;D
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Wow I am impressed! I got my plot in the middle of September, and haven't got as far as you - I've been clearing the VERY over-grown land. I think I'll have it hit on the head after this weekend, just had a good weekend clearing land.
My plot is almost exactly the same size as yours, so I'm very keen to see how you get on with this! I've not really got a tight plan arranged as yet, but I do plan on having raised beds so that my niece and nephew can come down and give me a hand and I know that they can walk around the place without worries ;)
Good luck with the beginning of the growing season! :)
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I'm a 1st timer just trying 4 beds this year with the 4 veg families so then I will rotate next year. I read catch crops can go anywhere so thats my plan.
Does any one else do crop rotation? Any advice?
Mrs T
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Thanks again for the comments. I did my plan in Microsoft Excel. All I did was change the size of the cells and made them square and then simply coloured areas depending on what I needed. Quite easy really. Then I printed off some and worked on the paper copies then back to excel to input my changes and ideas.
The raspberries were on the plot when I got it. I too think there is too many but I want to wait and see how they fruit. If I have poor pickings then I made rip the lot out.
Your quite right about my staggered planting. Where theee is beetroot, carrots etc. I will be sowing with weekly or monthly intervals. I'm hoping that I will then be able to replant over the top of my first pickings and go again! Also yes I'm going to grow a few varieties of each. Mostly the funny rainow coloured ones but thats more to try and get the kids involved.
I thought that a plan would also help with crop rotation. I don't know what was on the plot last year so I didn't think it worth worying about this time but next year I will have a record of what was planted where. Then I can rotate.
I would like a shed but being so close it doesn't seem worth it. I just load up the wheelbarrow and off I go.
I'll keep you all updated. Right back to my digging :(
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What lovely plans. I have made mine on Word and cannot get it to copy over so that I can post it here. But I have taken a few hints and tips from both. Thanks for the help.
Good luck with the planting.
Kind regards
Jitterbug
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What lovely plans. I have made mine on Word and cannot get it to copy over so that I can post it here. But I have taken a few hints and tips from both. Thanks for the help.
Good luck with the planting.
Kind regards
Jitterbug
I did exactly the same as you have done. & had exactly the same problems. I had to change the format into a jpg file then post it. To re-format your document:
Click SAVE AS, select SAVE AS TYPE, on the drop down menu, select the one you want. The document is then ready for posting. I use Kodak easyshare but there are plenty of others available.It has appeared a bit bigger than I wanted it to. Couldn't figure out how to resize it. Think I may now have this sorted though.
I emailed Dan regarding this issue. He said it was to do with MS word and viruses or something similar. There is nothing he can do to alter it.
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Been trying to work out how to see your plan. Was going to give up but hey presto, clicked a feew things and got it. It is very professional.
I am just going to do one on squared paper. I got my allotment at the end of 2006. Am trying to plan out how to grow things, crop rotation and stuff. I would like to make some separate beds with wood and pegs, think it might be easier to divide the patch with some paths, at present it is just a huge clear site, just a few sprouts left to harvest. One of the neighbouring lottie holders ahs given me a vague plan of what was were so hoping to use that as a guide. How vital is it that I get it right as it seems like things were planted a bit higgledy piggledy not quite, brassicas, root and legumes as the books say?
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oh dear are you supose to have a plan? only joking, i,m impressed i have lots of plans but i get confused and forget which one i,m following
:-\marg :-\ :-\
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I was up the lot this weekend and having finished my digging I started marking out my beds. Its amazing how different it looks! I've been able to increase the size of some beds while reducing others. When I've finally got it worked out I'll post the final planting plan
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Did you really inherit a plot with an asparagas bed already there?
I'm very jealous.
My plan is - clear a bit more ground from perennial weeds and plant potatos. Where the potatos were last year, plant beans. Where the beans were, plant onions.
If I successfully raise anything else at home I'll play it by ear...
Love your plan - nothing like colour coordinating to make you feel in control!
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Wow, thanks for sharing these plans! I've learned a lot just reading all this. Now I think I have to draw up something myself, even if it's basic. Fun! Going to draw up a calendar too. Everyone's comments here are really helpful.
Tina.
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Did you really inherit a plot with an asparagas bed already there?
Yep
I inherited Rhubarb, Aspargus, Raspberries aswell as an apple and pear tree.
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Wow jclo, I am so impressed! Bit sad now looking at my Al Titchmarsh style plan, all pencil crayon and scribbles! I hate Excel with passion so no chance me making lovely plan like that. Maybe OH would like to do it!!
Mrs T- check out Steve Partridges fantastic site www.myallotments.co.uk- he has a really simple crop rotation diagram, not to mention allotments that make you want to cry!!
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having finished all of my digging. I thought I'd share a few pics with you
just a quick page knocked up to show a friend so nothing fancy and the pics are a bit big
http://www.fishkeepingforum.co.uk/morgan/ (http://www.fishkeepingforum.co.uk/morgan/)
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Pics are fab jclo - do you have any "before" pics to compare? Also, how long did it take you to do the digging? I have just taken on a similar sized plot that is covered in mostly grass and a few other nasty weedy things, and I think it will take me a lifetime! Although I think I'm being a bit particular when it comes to pulling the weeds out. Guess I could just leave them at the surface to die and then rake them away? (Comments welcome!) Sorry, don't mean to hijack your post jclo!
PS Your plan looks great, it has inspired me to have a go at one myself, being the most disorganised person in the world, I think it is perhaps the best thing I could do!
;D
Oh, yeah - found out (by accident!) that if you click on the big images on your webpage, they open again as a nice screen sized pic, much easier to see...
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These plans make my scribbles look pathetic!
...but then, I take a digital photo from various angles on the first weekend of each month so I can see what I grew and where (and also gives a good time reminder as to when I started to sow/plant stuff out).
The only comments I'd make about the plans so far (and as I only started on my plot April last year, I'm not overly qualified to really comment), would be :
With the lettuce rows, sow part of the row every two weeks to stagger the growth (last year I suddenly had 8 dozen lettuces fully grown and ready to eat - at least I now know better)...
...or maybe even better is use lettuce as an intercrop with the onions (personally I am intercroping my carrots with onions & spring onions to try and avoid those pesky carrot fly)
Pumpkins & courgettes are really great for intercropping through your sweetcorn - saves space and helps protect the sweetcorn roots from drying out.
....and don't forget to plant plenty of marigolds to encourage hoverflies
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If anyone wants a copy my planting plan please PM me your email address.
7 large beds and 4 smaller beds with a plant list of over 140 different seeds.