Allotments 4 All
General => News => Topic started by: kitten on January 05, 2007, 14:48:46
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Well, we've just been up to our new lottie (yippee!) to have a look at it now it's finally ours and try to make a plan of what we're going to do with it all - it looks so big! :o
Anyway, met a couple of chaps up there who were very friendly don't get me wrong, but they have just proceeded to tell us that putting paths in will be a nightmare cos there's no way we'll ever be able to dig the whole thing ourselves and will therefore need to have it ploughed every year. Now i'm feeling all disheartened and disappointed that we might not be able to make a go of it! :-\
On the upside one of them has given us an old cold frame and the other gave us a few leeks that are now bubbling away in a soup on my hob so it can't all be bad can it?
Sorry for the ramblings but needed to get it off my chest, feel a bit better now ;D
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:)
I have great pleasure in being able to tell you they are talking crap!!!!
we dug ours over, its never been rotivated or ploughed, and now when there is any bare ground it is covered in cardboard (thanks to the co-op ;D) and manure or a carpet.
Girl power ;D ;D/ shades x
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The guy's sentiments may have been for the best, but sometimes it can come out wrong! Therefore, don't panic. First of all, just how large is your plot, mine is 600 sq yds, of which 500 is cultivated, and I dig that every year, as do most gardeners near to me (the rest is shed, greenhouse etc). Plots look bigger when they are not cultivated, as there is nothing to divide up the area, so you need to measure it either by counting paces or using a measuring stick. You can 'calibrate' your pace by counting paces over a known distance, eg I pace 103 steps to 100 yards, therefore my pace is approximately one yard. Your rental agreement will probably state the size anyway, perhaps in rods (or poles or perches :D ). You have got me rambling now !
Anyway, congratulations on starting a wonderful hobby !
Derek
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What a load of cobblers. All these things will reduce some digging area:
a small outdoor work area (not for planting, but for sawing, hammering making stuff), possibly a green house, a shed, water containers, Rhubarb patch, Strawberry beds(once prepared.), compost pile or bin, timber area, manure pile, chicken cree if you are allowed livestock. These are only a few of what you may decide to put in your plot. Plus - you don't have to work it all at once. A bit at a time gradually and before you know it, its done. First year always the hardest physically. (They must just be lazy or jealous because you have a bigger better plot that they wanted.) ;D ;D
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every time I go to my plot I bump into at least one neighbour who has an opinion on what I'm doing and how I should be doing it ::) I just smile politely, agree, then carry on doing it my way. don't be disheartened or put off, unless your plot is several acres in size it really won't need ploughing every year!!! just do it a bit at a time, and do it how you want :) I always get asked why my OH isn't helping me, but I know that one day I'll have the satisfaction of having done it all myself ;D I've just started to dig my first bed (am starting completely from scratch having taken on a plot of nettles and thistles) and it's very easy to feel a bit daunted by it all, but I'm just covering and ignoring the majority and concentrating on a bit at a time. I've decided to try the no-dig raised beds method, so no annual digging for me!
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Completely agree with everything said here so far.Some folk just can't help making things seem more difficult than they really are. ::)
Best advice I was given (on here probably) was -a bit at a time and enjoy it. Don't set yourselves unrealistic targets re jobs to do in a certain amount of time. It will still be there another day.
Hopefully your new friends will continue to help out with seedlings etc.
Betcha they do. ;D
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and enjoy it.
This forum is evidence of that approach :D Over 4500 members is proof ...
Derek
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I have never heard of someone ploughing an allotment. Using a rotavator maybe. I am not going to repeat what everyone else has said, just to say I agree. Sometimes these old hands on the site feel like they are giving good advice so you don't get dissapointed. I had it on mine...'hows a girl going to do the digging....hows a girl going to put up a shed.....hows a girl going to do this that and the other' and you know what, they now come over to see how I am doing and are always impressed that I can grow things that have either never seen, or gave up growing long ago because they couldn't get them to grow. It is supposed to be fun, never a chore. When it is a chore, you are doing something wrong. Little bit here and there is the way to go. Congrats and take some photos to show us your new plot.
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Agree with all the above, little and often etc.
Had to laugh today; I was muck spreading, and one of the older gents came by and chatted and said 'I see he's (meaning OH, rarely seen on the plot) sorted out the glass in your greenhouse for you then! Um, well actually it was me.....why do I feel like I've come over all silly and girly when saying this?! :-[
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Tell him were to get off next time Deb.... we have five plots and they haven't seen a rotovator.... get that fork moving!.... you can rearrange that into a well known phrase!
;D
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Fork moving............moving fork...........??? what well known phrase is that then? :P
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Congratulations - I have just got mine and wish you well just remember little but often and do not rush - do things how you want it is OK for people to advise but there is always more that 1 way to do things.
Good luck
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Fork moving............moving fork...........??? what well known phrase is that then? :P
Could it be 'fork off'? :o ;D lol
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Don't worry! It seems to be an allotment thing, reckoning people wont manage etc. They didn't think I would do much with mine when I took it on, nice proving them wrong sometimes!!
If you need inspiration, there are many great people on hear who have over come the doubters! Feel free to look at my blog too, although I haven't updated it for ages (a new years resolution!) you'll get the idea that things can be achieved even by an extremely out of shape shift worker!!
Regards
Matt
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Tell him were to get off next time Deb.... we have five plots and they haven't seen a rotovator.... get that fork moving!.... you can rearrange that into a well known phrase!
;D
Goodness me! You must have tons of time. Do you live on them? Other than the old and bold who took on plots when they were not so popular, nobody can have more than one now due to the size of waiting lists.
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The other side of the coin - my allotment neighbours are always telling me how well I'm doing - even mid summer, when the couch grass, nettles, mares tail, bind weed, thistles and brambles are all mounting a revolution!
I think to myself - "they can't possibly mean that" - but it makes me feel better -
This is how it looked in my second September - a bit better than last year...
(http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/miniroots/montage1.jpg)
Keep a photographic record - it's good for looking back and reminding yourself how you're getting on.
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Sorry that picture's a bit massive - it doesn't come out that big on my website...
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Dig what you can, either strim the rest or cover it, then increase the dug area as you can. Once the perennial weeds are out there's no need to dig anyway as long as you can get hold of planty of mulch. Does your site have any grass cuttings or dead leaves dropped off tby gardening contractors? They're usually only too glad to avoid paying to dump them at a waste tip!
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Thanks everyone, you've reassured me and i'm now convinced we can do it again, the way we want to. We're off there again this morning to tidy the plot before they plough it for us, then i'll be putting paths in and doing rotation just as we planned, perhaps they'll learn a thing or two from us in the future eh?! ::) x
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Ah, don't mind them. I'm digging my whole plot on my own by hand - about 5m x 50m. haha! Okay, it might take me a year but I'll do it. I'm tackling it as small areas, digging beds and planting as I go (or not, now that it's January) and leaving paths between. Working my way from the front to the back. Well, sort of, in a really haphazard sort of way. But all the people around me are really supportive and say don't worry about not having help, machinery, etc and that I'm doing well at my slow pace.
So smile and carry on! :D
Tina.
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the thing is, with gardening, there should be no rush, looking at my seed list, can't wait !!
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Good for you Kitten, I've been steadily taming my plot for a year now. Digging and weeding by hand is hard and timeconsuming, but the results are definitely worth it. The beds that I cleared last year have had minimal regrowth of weeds and they've been very easy to manage.
Once the season took off I had no hope of doing anything with the remaining area and just left it - enjoy the wild meadow look and then tackle it again in the autumn.
Good Luck :-*
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Thanks mc, i'm feeling a bit more positive again now. Been back to the plot again today to be told by yet another one that 'organic gardening doens't work' but we just smiled and nodded and got on with things the way we wanted to do them! Thanks for all the encouragement peeps, it's helped a lot - i've mangaed to persuade hubby that it's worth giving it a go and he's being very supportive so far! x
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wait 'til the veggies start coming, he'll be wanting to go all the time, it's like that with ray :)
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My plot was immaculate from weeds in Oct-Nov after tons of hard graft.
They are now rearing their ugly heads again
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My plot was immaculate from weeds in Oct-Nov after tons of hard graft.
They are now rearing their ugly heads again
Mulch, quick! 8)
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agree with most people here.
as for paths, while we have one main paths through the plot which is paved, all others are either carpet covered, cardboard covered or wooden boards to tread on. advantage? if i ever need to dig across the whole lot, those paths aren't fixed. this is important because i only have a tiny plot. in a big plot, it may be ok to have 'fixed' paths and other fixtures like that.
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:)Like Svea I only have one permanent path (which will probably come out next year), scaffold planks and stepping stones, but everyone has their own ways. When I first started the plot it had not been used for a few years and the grass/weeds were over five foot high but the council rotarvated for me, if you had it rotarvated every year then you couldn't have paths but it doesn't need doing again so if you choose paths theres no problem. Other on site lotties will always come over and have their say some will be good advise some useless and some a load of boll#x, I'll keep that in mind you say while smiling and having clenched fist behind your back. But seriously everyone has said it already, take your time, a bit at a time, and look back and see what youv'e already achieved, get the veggies in you like you don't have to get the whole lot in first time round and most importantly enjoy it. Loads of help, advise and support on this forum so even if you feel a bit down you know where to come, happy digging.
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Sorry for not coming back into the thread lately....
Quite correct with the off= moving Kitten...
Yes KT we do live on site... One is over the back fence.. no 52 and we have 48-49 as well...
Also took on 118-119 which were covered in Brambles and 15 yrs of self set Damsons...
;D
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It does annoy me.......I've done everything so far (only got it in Nov) and I met my neighbour last week. What did he say? - "have you got a husband to do all the hard work?" - ROFL - mine hasn't been near it yet and is unlikely to neither!
Is it genetic or something? - are females unable to garden or what? - oh yeah! I forgot - we only do flowers don't we?
It just makes me more determined to succeed!
Louise
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Don't feel down hartened, there's lots of things you can do... only work with what you can manage at the mo. cover the rest with cardboard topped with soil on the bits to get to later. This will kill the weeds so make it easier as you go along. and above all have fun, Rome wasn't made in a day. If you really want to you could go down the chemical route and do it all in half the time... but I wouldn't...It's not soooo satasfiying ;):D
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Thanks for the kind words & encouragement peeps ;D! I'm back on form and feeling positive about the lottie again, I even made a plan today of how we're going to divide it up - complete with paths!!! Initially we'll probably put down some cardboard and maybe cover with bark chippings or straw so that we'll be able to move them reasonably easily after the first year if we need to. Anyhow, i'm up for the challenge of showing these peeps that organic gardening can actually work, can't wait to see their faces :o x
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Hi Kitten I know where you are coming from as my OH has not been to mine yet and had it for 8 weeks now!!!
But the way I look at it at least i know it will be all my own work and although with his help it would be twice as fast but so what I have got all the time in the world now I will not be at his beck and call wanting cups of tea ect..... and not have to watch football noon till night
Keep up the good work and just do things at your own rate
BB :) :)
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Thanks BB! My hubby is really good actually, we've only been down twice & both times he's come with me and I know he is as keen to get stuck in as I am. It's the organic part I'm having trouble convincing him on - especially as all our neighbours keep mentioning how it doesn't work etc lol! No, really he's very supportive and he's happy to do it the way I want really, bless him! Got a feeling that i'll be up there a bit more than him but hey ho, as you say i'll just take it at my own rate! Good luck with your own plot BB, i bet once the lovely veggies start turning up in your kitchen your OH will be more interested! x
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You never know Kitten, when we first got married I said I didn't want a big garden.. as I had visions of it being "gardened" like MIL's, while Ihad been brought up on a sort of smallholding keeping chickens and calves until F+M, gradually OH has got more and more into it and has completely taken over one plot and is trying to do the same with the next two!
;D
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Hi Kitten yes he will be interested when the veggies come along but only when it comes to eating them. I have got my sons to help but will have to have all the grandchildren as well (all 6) ranges from 1 - 10 ::) ::) ::)
The boys have been good finding me bits like the pallets and the plastic sheets so I am getting some help
Found this forum so supportive and full of real genuine people - lucky find really
:) :) :)
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A couple of weeks back I was actually having sleepless nights worrying about the couch grass etc.... So last Monday I spent the whole day going over half of the already turned beds weeding the stuff out! Really hard work but now it's done I am sleeping better. The other half has been turned over and covered with weed fabric -i'll grow stuff through that for the first year whilst the weeds give up their hold. I have resigned myself to weeding the first part as i go along to finally get rid of the couch. Coupled with as much mulch as I can get on the beds - I am sure i'll win in the end!
Anyway - it's not a race or a contest - just go at your own pace and i'm sure we'll all be sighing with relief in a few months time when we are eating healthy organic food. My son has Aspergers and his body has enough to cope with without adding chemicals - and that is my personal drive that gets me out there on cold days to get the preperation done!
Louise
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Hi Kitten yes he will be interested when the veggies come along but only when it comes to eating them. I have got my sons to help but will have to have all the grandchildren as well (all 6) ranges from 1 - 10 ::) ::) ::)
The boys have been good finding me bits like the pallets and the plastic sheets so I am getting some help
Found this forum so supportive and full of real genuine people - lucky find really
:) :) :)
.....great stuff - theres nothing like child labour is there??
Mine don't know it yet - but they are going to get more and more roped in once the weather warms up! My son has been digging already - but h was looking for treasure!!!!! (broken bits of old china kept him happy - he had his little bucket full of the stuff).
Louise