New Member

[carlseawolf]

hello all,
My name is Carl and i have been running an allotment for 2 years and loving every minute of it. Pictures of my plot are on my web site and will be updated soon as i have been busy all winter making new beds. ;D

[carlseawolf]

[manicscousers]

hiya, carlseawolf, welcome to the site  ;D
whereabouts in the world are you ?

[saddad]

Hello Carl, Welcome to the site..  ;D

[carlseawolf]

I'm in Ilfracombe, north devon and i've put my mark on the member map where my allotment is.

[manicscousers]

sorry, I'm trying to read this without my glasses, just noticed where you are ;D

[shirlton]

Hope you enjoy the site Carl

[lorna]

Welcome to A4A.

[cornykev]

Welcome to the looney bin Carl, your plots looking well,  the long deep raised bed will look good when its finished wheres the soil coming from to fill it up.  ;D ;D ;D

[caroline7758]

Welcome to A4a, Carl. You've certainly transformed your plot- looking forward to more photos!

[carlseawolf]

thank you for the warm welcome , corny the long bed is full and got used last year for brassicas but no photos on my computer to show it in full glory.
PS I moved all the top soil out off the way where the bed was going then sieved the soil back into the bedafterwards.

[thifasmom]

hi and welcome you plots looks great. may i ask why did you line your raised beds with plastic before refilling?

[tonybloke]

A lovely plot, well constructed and maintained, nice to  see!! ;)
Oh yeah, WELCOME TO THE SITE ;)

[SamLouise]

Hi Carl, to A4A :)

[carlseawolf]

the answer to your question thifasmom is my plot has a manic marestail problem and the bottom half is really bad so i took the choice to isolate the beds from the ground and sieve all the roots and stones out of the soil going back into the beds , that way it should eliminate the problem from my growing soil without using chemicals.
The top half of my plot is free of marestail so it has just been sieved and boarded to look neat and tidy.

[thifasmom]

the answer to your question thifasmom is my plot has a manic marestail problem and the bottom half is really bad so i took the choice to isolate the beds from the ground and sieve all the roots and stones out of the soil going back into the beds , that way it should eliminate the problem from my growing soil without using chemicals.
The top half of my plot is free of marestail so it has just been sieved and boarded to look neat and tidy.

ah i see that's a good solution. so how deep are the beds and what type of crops do you grow/ plan to grow in them, how do you deal with drainage and is the plastic temporary till you smother out the weed? sorry about 20 questions but just interested in your technique :).

[lolabelle]

HI carl welcome loads of good advise on this site ;D

[carlseawolf]

The beds are 12" deep and the long one is 25' by 4' and the short ones are 13' by 4' made from gravel boards.
The plastic lining is covering the bottom half of the long bed and has a drainage hole in one corner that is about 4" off the ground so the marestail can't grow into the bed and allow water to get out.
 The plastic is a perminate measure as the marestail is still in the ground and spreading to neighbouring plots due to the previous tenants not doing much before i took over so it's in the paths.
  To what i am growing that would be most things , they include carrots,parsnips,cabbages , onions ,caulis ,pots and beans

[nilly71]

Welcome to the site

Neil

[Lauren S]

Hello Carl and welcome to A4A from me also.

[taurus]

Welcome to the site  :)