New plot holder requiring help !!!

[Big_Pete]

Hello everyone.  I am a new plot holder of some significant size.  I would say the size is not far off the size of a Crown Green.  I hugs two boundary fences and receives a good deal of sunshine.  The area HAS been rotorvated and aches to be worked on.  The allotment society in charge has a little shop, Gang hut and individual lock-ups for holders

My questions are :-

1.  Are there any significant things i should concentrate on to start off with ?

2.  I want to grow veggies of many types.....are there any easy ones to start and ones to avoid ?

3.  MY little daughter wants her bit of the plot too...any suggestions which would be flourishing for her in respect of maximum impact ?

Any other advice would be great thanks.

;D

[Big_Pete]

[tim]

Thought you meant that you were 6'7".

I'll leave the expertise to the experts. = Tim

[windygale]

Hi Pete, nice to see you on this site and hope you enjoy yourself on your allotment, things that might help you with your plot, please dont take this the wrong way ,buy a good gardening book to learn the basics, Dont do to much at a time, dig what you can and cover up undug ground with black plastic , cope with it when you can get around to it, this will stop weeds from growing, plan to build a compostbin for free compost, and try to buy in somefarm yard manure,boxes of blood,fish &bone feed, have a water supply on your plot, try to make your beds 4' wide but as long as you wish with walkway on eather side of them, plan things out on a sheet of paper first before planting for crop rotation, check your plots pH level , all this can be explaned in a good gardening book, have a good look around garden centers for ideas,buy some fleece to put over cabbages whem butterfly are around,

things to grow Potatoes, cabbages,sprouts, beans & peas, onions, leeks, lettuce, carrots, most things will grow easy from mid march onward,

easythings and fast things to grow for your daughter may be, water cress radish or any salads things ,Runnerbeans up a wigwam ,peas
or try some flowers like sweetpeas - marigolds
hope this helps, more people on this site will give better advice so enjoy your self
later
windy ;) ;)

[Apple Dumpling]

And pumpkins for Halloween. Kids always love growing those.

[john_miller]

I would also check with your neighbours and try to find out the plots history. This would include any perennial diseases that the previous tenant encountered and also any perennial weeds, and their extent, that the plot may have had. Rotavating is one of  the quickest ways to spread problems!

[Jesse]

Hi Big_Pete, welcome to A4a. For your daughter definitely pumpkin and also sunflowers, the bigger the more wow factor for kids, but keep the slugs away from them, we lost our entire lot the first year to slugs. Get her growing the things she likes eating, no point growing lettuce if she doesn't like it. My kids love growing sweetcorn, french beans, tomatoes (gardeners delight are just the business for bite-size) and peas. Lovely to see them pick straight off the plant and eat, yum!

[Big_Pete]

 ;)

Thanks - this is some great initial advice.
As for the size - yes i am 6'7, but i meant on plot size !!

Once again - any further advice would be grateful