hello all - we took over our plot in June and we're planning to do the main digging and laying out beds in Sept/oct - I've read a couple of books but only one has a plan that looks really complicated! I'd be really interested in hearing about how you planned your sites - how many beds, what size, how you did the paths, have you got a pond etc, not sure if you can attach files but if so and you've got a plan on your computer can you attach it?
thanks!!
ps - another question (duh beginner or what?!) I've just ordered the dobies brassica and oriental leaf collections for over winter (thanks for the tip) - is it alright to put them in the same place as my cabbages (that have been in about 10 weeks) when they're done? or should I decide where next year's brassica bed will be and put them there? - I'm confused by all this rotating, is it annually or after every crop
thankyou thank you!
I have five beds, one perrenial/permanent, the other four on a rotation. Bed 1 is potatoes, bed 2 alliums, bed three legumes and bed 4 brassicas. Nothing complicated, five beds laid out with roughly the same area across my plot in strips that are approx 10m x 5.7m.
The chinese leaf collection could be planted in your existing brassica bed and used as a catch crop like cut and come again lettue. You can let them grow to full size plants as well but then they'll need more growing room so you'd best give them a bed of their own. The cut and come again means they take less room and you can cut them earlier and you eat them as you need them for stir fries etc.
The Dobies brassica collection will needs its own space but you could interplant those with quick growers too like lettuce, spring onion or radish
Rotation is just growing a different plant to the one that was there before It stops build ups of pests or diseases.
Down the bottom end I stuck my shed, polytunnel and some water butts. At the top I build my compost bins. I fenced the boundary with rabbit netting and stuck a gate middle top. The gate is the width of my barrow and a path approx 4' wide runs down the centre of the plot. Either side of the central path I have beds that are approx 4' x 11' extending right up to the fence. The paths between the beds are half the width of the main path so about 2' wide. At the fence end you can hop across the bed with a stepping stone.
There would have been 10 vegetable beds but with the polytunnel I loose one bed so there are 9. I work them as 4 pairs for crop rotation + 1 perennial/permanent bed. This is about half my plot.
There would be 10 more beds for fruit and herbs but there only 9 because I joined two together making one big strawberry bed. It's the same grid all the way up. I'll not be winning any award for creative garden design.
The paths are compacted soil at the moment. I will lay landscape fabric and/or paving eventually. Compacted soil is a bit of a mare to keep weed free and I dont have a petrol mower to allow the paths to grass over.
The first year I started with a blank canvas...built a shed and divided the plot into six sections with aquired slabs. This worked great for me then the grand plan went all to pot in the second year.
Another half plot taken on, yet another shed, two greenhouses transported and errected.
This year, my third year, got off to a dodgy start until I had my new hip since then I have added three raised beds, just acquired some scaffold poles with more promised. Acquired five more water butts and linked them together
Maybe its me but I love a challenge plus I can't say NO when stuff is offered
Over the winter months I plan to errect some more substantial cages for brassicas. For the first year I have some healthy looking broccoli, cabbages etc..the netting just looks untidy and its difficult to get at then to weed
All strategic plans should be adaptable to the circumstances of the day..that's my excuse anyway
Derek
I agree about the mesh cages but I just keep em in place to give the plants a head start over the pigeons as they eat the lot.
My plot has no plan. I don't do planning. As with everything I will see what develops. I have to share the lotty with my OH and he has his own plan which doesn't include me ;D He's just made a path which goes nowhere so doesn't get used? They say men are logical. Hmmmm ;D
It's our first full year on the plot so we are revising many of our initial plans as we find them impractical or they're just not working. It's trial and error but you can't get everything right first time. Our allotment is for food of course but we do it for relaxation so don't take it too seriously. Listen at me. I cried when frost killed me runner beans and spuds ;D Then I thought in the scheme of things it was only veg - not life and death ;D
It's life and death for your runners and spuds :D
Too true RC ;D
this is so great - just the advice I needed, thanks everyone! I'm off to the lottie tonight so see how it's going and I'm going to measure it then do a rough plan on paper (that's just my way of wasting time instead of actually doing anything ;D) and thanks for the rotation info, my collection hasn't arrived yet - any idea when their due?
Planning what you're going to grow is my favourite waste of time. I'll never grow half the stuff I'd like but enjoy dreaming :)
I haven't put that much effort into planning. I am just trying to get crps in quickly, I figure I can rearrange my beds over winter anyway.
Me neither; I've marked out six small rectangular beds (6' x 4') to stuff things in like the Dobies brassicas and am marking out some more (triangular - feeling creative last night) for spuds. That still doesn't cover half of the cleared allotment, and there's HUUUGE spaces at either side as I've yet to clear the paths between my plot and the two overgrown plots on either side of me. I figure the beds will expand over the winter and I'll probably change my mind about everything in the early spring anyway. :D
Hey, I'm a junior member! :D :D
Congrats :)
Quote from: bupster on August 17, 2005, 13:29:01
Hey, I'm a junior member! :D :D
Seemingly, so am I, though I didn't notice it happening.
Congrats to you too :)
It's planning that's my favourite waste of time!
I have been working hard on my rotation plan (this is the first year with multiple veg beds in the garden - no lotty. I have five beds, last year I had one!) I've revised it about 10 times already and am bound to throw it on the compost heap and just shove in things anywhere next spring (as long as they don't follow similar). Trouble is with the standard rotation of four is it doesn't allow for variations in quantity. eg - I don't grow summer brasicas and can't grow roots, but grow enough alliums and beans to need two seperate beds each year. I'm definitely a trial and error gal!
Well that's fine I think Aqui :) It's your garden and you know how best it works and trying to fit a quart into a pint pot takes some jiggling ;D I used to have a teeny garden but wanted veg and herbaceous stuff in plus shrubs and trees. I grew some good parnsips and carrots in it though. I think they were fine as they just did their thing unnoticed by pests who would otherwise home in on them if they were growing in quantity say on the lotty.
practical allotment gardening by caroline foley has a lovely, sensible plan for a plot. she explains rotation, the place place for composting etc and includes lots of stuff i hadn't considered like making bean frames run north to south so they don't shade other crops.
she also lists pros and cons of different path materials, ground covers, green manure crops, raised beds and so on.
it's a glossy, coffe table type book and a bit pricey. might be worth seeing if the library has a copy but absolutely inspiring for first time lotties, of which i am one ;D
good luck, Tara xx
Anyone know of any very simple software for planning and keeping track of an allotment? Would be nice to be able to fart around at work, can't really get away with sketching things in an exercise book while pretending to type! ;D
you could use tables or spread sheets :)
D & T I got that book from the library and had a good read of it and thought I'd like to re-read it sometime later. it had gone and they don't have it any more - neither does anyone. Seems to have gone out of print or something. I googled and found a copy via WHS but a second hand one from abroad. think I might get it though :)
I reckon it's the best lotty book I've ever read and to think it's not popular so it's out of print. Tuh :(
could this be the new edition of the book?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1859748902/qid%3D1124381411/202-2554392-6158252
i use excel to that effect. looks worklike enough to pass the glancing eye of the boss ;D
wardy, i got my copy from whsmiths in july!
it's copyright is dated 2002.
published by 'New Holland'
any help?
Tara xx
I had the library searching everywhere for it for me. Seems daft that such a good book should disappear. Anyway peeps like us might be responsible for getting in back
Will follow up your suggestion D & T thanks :) and vaca as well :)