starting out, any advice?

[perruzo]

hi there fellow weed fighters, i have took on a lottie 2 weeks ago, i've managed to strim the chest high enemy (nettles, mares tail, thistle, bindweed, dock, couch & brambles - could it get any worse!) back to ground level everywhere, and i am gonna cover up with black plastic sheet to ensure that i win the battle for now.
From reading various posts here i know realistically i will be too late to grow anything this year, but what should i be sorting out now for next year's big push? there is already a shed/chicken house to tidy up & give some tlc to keep me busy, but what veg do you reckon i should aim to start with next year bearing in mind i'm a urban newbie? i.e. whats easy to grow, should i be building raised beds first or should it be cold frames or a greenhouse, should i be planting something for next year now, etc - where do you reckon i should start - any advice will be gratefully received.
cheers
chris

[perruzo]

[PREMTAL]

Hi Perruzo,
                  This weekend I will be sowing my final batch of Beetroot, Turnip( much tastier when harvested small) and peas.

So give it a go if you can clear a patch for them.

                                                     PREMTAL :)

[AndrewB]

The best tip I would offer whenever you start growing is to raise your seedlings where they can't be got at by slugs, snails etc. and plant them out when they are big enough to look after themselves.  It can be disheartening waiting for seeds to germinate when they have already germinated but been eaten before you even saw them.  A coldframe is a good idea or greenhouse if you can stretch to one.

You can grow a few things now- lettuce, beetroot, salad leaves, radish.  You could also try buying a few things by mail order or garden centres - will help keep things interesting this year.   First things I planted were over wintering onions which you can stick in October ish.

have fun

[weedgrower]

welcome to the world of plotting. try and grow something if you can this year such as radish or lettuce. it will be a fantastic feeling when you first grow something. i would recomend you get a greenhouse as they are good very good for helping your seedlings to become established (grow a bit) before you plant them out. after you have planted out your seedlings you will then be able to grow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, chillies etc

ask other plotters if you are not sure, they are usually willing to help and you get to know people

if you need buckets go down to your local supermarket and ask if you can take the buckets that they have had flowers in as they are usually free

weeds are a pain. regarding mares tale, it is very hard to get rid of. the only sure fire way that i know of is to snap it between the knuckles and paint the tip with neat roundup which is a systemic weedkiller(goes right down to the roots). if you just spray it it wont work as it is impervious to water

buy yourself just one good book. i am going down to my plot before i go to work and so will get the name of my book, its very good, it tells you hjow to grow things, harvest them, look after them, shows you diseases they might get. if you email me i will email you the name of the book

my final two bits of advice are the most important

rome was not built in a day-i am serious

enjoy your plotting

[Roy Bham UK]

;D Hi Chris and welcome, ;D It's not too late to grow carrots and garden peas and a good tip from Andrew, start them off in greenhouse or conservatory ;)

Have fun 8)

[Piglottie]

Hi Chris   ;D

Welcome to the world of allotments.  We got our plot at the end of May and have done the same as you, covered 2/3 in black weed suppressant to hopefully get the weeds down.  Did you know that you can grow things through the black plastic - we have cucumber, courgettes and butternut squash.  Just cut a cross in the plastic and plant through.  You may be able to pick up small plants from local greengrocers etc.  It really does the soul good when you plant something instead of weeding and doing manual stuff all day - and I'm sure its even better when you get to harvest.

The other thing I would recommend is preparing raised beds, which we are doing on our plot.  It may seem like more work in the beginning but there is less weeding, digging etc with raised beds as you only work the area you are planting in.  If you do a search on this site for raised beds I'm sure loads will come up.  You can also start sorting paths out etc.

Also, build a compost bin and fit a water butt to your shed if you can. 

Good luck and keep us informed on how you get on.  :)

[terrace max]

Hello Chris

After the slash and burn, if I were you I'd measure the plot and draw myself a cropping plan taking into account the how your plot lies, position of the sun/shady areas.

Assess what your soil is like. Your list of weeds suggests it could be reasonably fertile. Is it sandy or clay? Ask around and see what neighbours have done to improve theirs. In any event, get composting because all your crops are going to take a lot out which will need replacing.

For this year I'd concentrate on getting a smallish salad bed underway. And maybe getting a good size patch of green manure sown as well to stand over winter.

I'd suggest a big crop of spuds to get the ground cleaned up next year.

Most of all, enjoy...

[Gadfium]

At this time of year you may well find garden centres trying to get rid of excess stock by cutting the prices... so you might find an odd tray of slightly the worse for wear cabbage plants, brussels sprouts, tomatoes, sweetcorn or the like still awaiting a home.

I sowed turnip seeds (direct) just last week; and yesterday, in went more seeds... peas, texel greens, radish, and oriental spicy mix. Not too late, I think, to shove a courgette seed into a 3" pot of compost... might be a late crop, but should be big enough to plant out within 3 weeks. All sorts of salad stuff/green leaves can still be sown... lettuce (give it a bit of shade to try & stop it bolting in the summer heat) and spring onions.

If you like savoy cabbage, then you could start a seed bed/modules of that, for the winter; likewise, it'll soon be time to put winter radish in (which I am trying, having never tasted it before), nothing lost by shoving some leek seeds in either... they may end up as fashionable 'mini-leeks', but the taste should be excellent. Mini-parsnips sound good, too, and I'd echo the comment about carrots...

[daveandtara]

hi, we got our lottie one week ago. we've cleared half of the chest high weeds by digging and made our first 3'x6' raised bed. we visited a few garden centres today and managed to pick up young cabbages, leeks, butternut squashes, strawberries and a jalepeno chilli plant. all look a bit sad, but all were greatly reduced in price and it feels wonderful to have something growing after all that hard work! :D
one point worth noting, the advice guy at the garden centre told us that (here in london) we are at least three weeks late for the seasons which means that any seed packet that says sow untill june is still fine to plant now.

[Merry Tiller]

one point worth noting, the advice guy at the garden centre told us that (here in london) we are at least three weeks late for the seasons which means that any seed packet that says sow untill june is still fine to plant now.

Good theory, hope winter knows it's supposed to arrive 3 weeks late

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've often planted late, and mostly got away with it. I'm still planting peas and hoping!

[flowerlady]

Hi Chris,

Good to read so many are still trying to get into the ground.

If there was one thing I have learnt this year it's don't wait for the Council to do what that said they would.  I've lost 3 weeks waiting for them to strim down 4 foot high grass.  In th end had to hire machine to cut the grass then last w/e brought in a 3 torch flame gun to get the better of the weeds ;D

However what I found beneath was enough scrap metal to start a business, and enough stones for a car park!  No wonder they gave me the first year free!

On a brighter note, heartily agree with AndrewB, empty plastic bottles make great mini-cloches to fend off all marauders.  Also, while waiting to play catch-up have sown everything I can get my hands on in newspaper pots so I can put everything into the ground with as little disturbance as possible.   The patio looks like a nursery!

Another source for buckets can be found at the local sandwich bar!  They get ready peeled hard-boiled eggs delivered in 10ltr buckets with lids, very handy.

Keep your progress coming, we can compare notes, as I am in Hertfordshire the weather will most certainly be different!

Keep digging!

[perruzo]

thank you to all reply'ees, you have given me a lot to think about for now & the future.
i am very impressed by how friendly & willing to reply you all have been - its really heartening to get in touch with others starting out & facing the same, and its great how other lottie holders on my site are stopping to chat about advice and the past history of my garden. it seems everyone who has a lottie is a generally nice person (certain pigeon racers excepted), i look forward to sharing my disasters & maybe successes with you all in the coming months.

thanks again

chris