this is my first message to allotments 4 all, I have been reading your forum for a long while, so I have plucked up courage to join. I am 80 and have just turned half of my 20 pole plot into raised beds, to make life easier. There are 20 of them, 4ft x 15ft, made of scaffold boards. it took me all winter to make them. I am going to grow all tall veg eg. sprouts, sweet corn etc. in the other half, and the short veg like carrots, parsnips & lettuce etc in the raised beds. Am I doing it right. What a wonderful life it is having an allotment. All the Norfolk old boys are very friendly to me, even though I am one those B. Londoners. I have lived in Norfolk 14 yrs.
all the best, cockneycarrot.
wow, cockney, you're a real inspiration, welcome to the site, you'll be able to answer some of our mad questions
:)
Big welcome Cockney Carrot. Nice to see you posting.
Lorna
Hi Cockneycarrot and a huge welcome from me too.
Oh sweet memories of holidays in Norfolk as a child, one day i shall return.
Sorry i cant answer your question, but i am sure there will be some wise owls along later to help you :)
Hi, a really big welcome from me too.I am sure you have lots to share with us.I have two lotties. One of them is half raised beds.I grow all my beetroot,carrotts, and other roots,salad stuff , shallotts and some potatoes in them. In the main areas go me brassicas, corn etc and my pumpkin patch. I love my raised beds and could not garden without them.
I think you have made an excellent choice.
XX Jeannine
Hello :)
I love to garden with raised beds. They make life easier. Also, it is nice if time is limited, to be able to do a complete weeding job on a bed and feel you have accomplished something. Happy growing. Welcome :D
cj :)
Welcome CockneyCarrot, I too am just putting raised beds into my new lottie, I have just taken this one over so I want to get this one right, had the planks delivered this week, and I am also using pallet collars for the smaller raised beds, I am then going to put some weed supressant then go an collect some bark chippings as they have just cut some trees down round the corner.
Welcome CC from another immigrant to Norfolk [also from London originally]. I am sure you will be pleased with your raised beds, keep us posted with how you get on.
PS where abouts are you? I'm in Norwich.
I'm a Norfolk girl, but now in Essex. One of plots is all raised beds - made out of scaffold boards as well.
We lived in Norwich for several happy years, albeit that was 20 years ago now. Lovely place, Norfolk. Although I seem to remember the wind off the North Sea could be a bit ... chilly. ;D
welcome from me too, cockneycarrot!
the old boys on my site are very friendly too, even though I've only been in Norfolk 5 years (originally from Hertfordshire)
Hi Cocknet carrot, my grandad had a plot till he was 97. I dont know what he'd think of you young whippersnappers and your new fangled ideas.
:)
Welcome aboard Cockneycarrot, I'm a displaced Londoner too, lived in Derbyshire for 24 years now, also only recently got a lottie last August.
I've chosen to do exactly the same as you, half raised beds (I have 12 8'x4'), half 'long rows' for potatoes and square patches for squash and pumpkins. I agree it's a lot of hard work getting the raised beds sorted, but once they are done, hopefully they will be easier to maintain from now onwards! ;D
Thank you all for advice & the wellcome remarks were wonderful, I have my allotment near Hunst'n, can see the Wash from our site, I have a 12ft x 8ft shed with 8 chairs in it, we all have tea about 10am, and christmas eve I cook them all bacon,sausage & onion rolls to show that cockneys aren't to bad.
All the best
Cockneycarrot
I live in Brum but originally from Stratford in London so I'm a bit of both. We are clocking up the years too. My hubbie is 77 and I'm just a babby at 61. We had allotments about 10 years ago but had to give up. We took one on last year and then another half and we are enjoying it more than ever. We have the time to spare now that we are both retired. One thing I will ask is " Have you got a Wilkies by you lol"Welcome to the site We don't use raised beds except for the strawberrys
yet another Lunnener in exile here (north of the wall). I wish I had discovered the joys of growing things before I fled the big smoke, I might have stayed sarf to avoid our West of Scotland inclement weather!
Am still waiting for my lottie, but have turned the backyard into Beechgrove meets GW ! I have one raised bed split into 3 sections (it was two separate ones but I needed additional space and boarded up the ends of the middle "path".
I've kept a couple of veggie borders though for when I feel the urge to dig. ;D
Looking forward to seeing some of your pics cockneycarrot !
Can I ask, what are the benefits of raised beds?
I love the look of them but I have heard that you can't tread on them. If this is the case, how do get the really deep weeds like mallow out when the take hold? I have to deal with some that look small on top but then have to dig a 2' hole to dig the huge root out of the sub soil! :-\
Could I get away with just putting "3x 1" (On offer from Dave) on top of the ground and then topping up and digging in some 'good' muck?
Welcome Cockneycarrot from a fellow Londoner (from Canning Town) but living in Essex ;D Good luck with your Lottie,
Donna.
Welcome CC.
Sounds like you've had a busy winter!
Welcome to the site Cockneycarrot
Your next challenge - should you choose to accept it - is to grow potatoes without digging, and with the aid of a sheet of black plastic. This message will self-destruct in ......
A big welcome Cockney Carrot from North London, and good luck with your raised beds, so many ex london pats well I never. ;D ;D ;D