Allotments 4 All

Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: samela on February 09, 2009, 14:23:11

Title: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: samela on February 09, 2009, 14:23:11
Hi All,

Please can you help.  I'm sooooooooooo confused as to what I should be doing now.  I've had my plot since May last year.  Half is up and running and the other half is, well, getting there....!  I have a small plastic greenhouse to put up but the area needs to be dug first, lot's of bramble roots to get rid of.  My spuds are chitting on nearly every windowsill in the flat.  I've collecting loo rolls and news papers to make some pots but I have no idea what to plant/sew and when!  I've got some books and have been watching all kinds of gardening programs and the more I read/see the more confused I am... 
What I'm looking for is some kind of weekly update to tell me what I should get done every week.  Anyone know of anything like that?  I've subscribed to Clarie's allotment on youtube which is fab, but I need something a little more in depth...

Can you help?
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: ellie2cats on February 09, 2009, 14:46:09
Try bbc.co.uk/gardening. I use this as my home page and there is a section especially for "L" gardeners.
You seem to me to be as far advanced as me with chitting your potatoes but I am leaving everything else for a week or two as garden is so wet and COLD
Good luck, I reckon it is all a matter of luck anyway !!
Best wishes
Ellie
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: ceres on February 09, 2009, 14:53:30
Have you tried Tee Gee's week by week planners?

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Planners/Fruit%20&%20Veg%20planner.htm (http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Planners/Fruit%20&%20Veg%20planner.htm)

Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: Lauren S on February 09, 2009, 15:27:25
Quote from: ceres on February 09, 2009, 14:53:30
Have you tried Tee Gee's week by week planners?

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Planners/Fruit%20&%20Veg%20planner.htm (http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Planners/Fruit%20&%20Veg%20planner.htm)



This site is better than any book you can buy... in my humble opinion  ;D

Best thing to do, is, don't panic. nature has a great way of catching up  ;)
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: Barnowl on February 09, 2009, 16:40:04
I agree, you can't beat TeeGee (also check out his 'how to' sections) but if you want a few more pictures to brighten your screen, Gardeners World (known as GW) have a weekly Checklist...

http://www.gardenersworld.com/what-to-do-now/ (http://www.gardenersworld.com/what-to-do-now/)
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: Busy Bee on February 09, 2009, 18:20:24
Just looked at the fruit and veg planner from TGG.  It's just what i was looking for. I shall be looking at this site more alongside A4A.  Thanks  :)
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: glosterwomble on February 09, 2009, 22:12:40
Hi Busy Bee, loads of good advise already given. I would also say that you need to decide what you want to grow, once you have an idea of what you want to grow then you can work out when they need to be sown. I make a list Jan, Feb, March, April etc.. then under each month I write down which seeds need to be sown, planted, transplanted etc. Tee Gee's website is great for knowing when things should be done. Good luck and don't panic, just ask people on here and you will get loads of advice and help.  ;D
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: saddad on February 09, 2009, 22:14:53
How about cracking a beer....  :-X
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: glosterwomble on February 09, 2009, 22:17:30
Quote from: saddad on February 09, 2009, 22:14:53
How about cracking a beer....  :-X

Saddad!! Tut, tut!!...... it should be a nice bottle of red wine not beer!  ;D
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: saddad on February 09, 2009, 22:19:07
Each to their own poison...  ;D
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: samela on February 10, 2009, 08:03:42
Hi All,

Big thanks. Once again you have all come to my rescue  ;D

Tee Gee's site is fab and full of all the info a beginner needs.

And I would have to go for the white wine....

Sam x
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: glosterwomble on February 10, 2009, 10:43:34
Quote from: samela on February 10, 2009, 08:03:42... And I would have to go for the white wine....

Sam x

WHITE WINE!! Blurghhhhh ......... Oh, ok, if you must!  ;D  ;)
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: terrier on February 10, 2009, 10:54:03
How about several glasses of each! It's going to be a while before I do any work on my patch. At the moment the ground is still frozen and under snow and when the snow melts it will be too wet to work on, then it will probably rain. So I'm at the 'planning' stage. Good time to be thinking about building cold frames or compost bins or raised bed frames etc.
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: littlebabybird on February 10, 2009, 11:07:23
Re: What Should I be doing now?


simple,   keeping warm!



lbb
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: the-goodlife on February 10, 2009, 11:26:06
I agree with saddad!! beer & wine ;D. Dont panic yet the old saying was do nothing till after easter, my tatties have not chitted as bad as some others, being a farmer boy the secret is dark and cool i have mine in the shed with a frost stat in keeping the shed at 4-5deg just slows them down a little, my first earleys are now in the house and will be in the ground at the end of this month if not earlier.

so dont panic yet just sit back and relax for a little while longer. you could start some cauliflower seeds in your windowsill and cabbage,chillis,peppers, tomatos.

nature always will help you so if some seeds are planted late they will catch up in the garden.

One year we missed the window for planting wheat managed to sow early dec still had a bumper crop come sept.

so yea just chill out ;D
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: nuthatch on February 10, 2009, 12:31:05
We took our plot on in April five years ago. We knew very little and it was really later that month that we started sowing anything. It was our best year yet. The more I read the more confused I got.

It is meant to be a strees free zone so don't fret about anything you will soon have more than you know what to do with.
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: Tee Gee on February 10, 2009, 13:11:55
Thanks folks for the plugs about my website!

Glad to see so many of you use it.

I am currently upgrading it at the moment.............I don't like the colour scheme and layout.

The new edition will be essentially the same but more ledgible (I hope)

Back to the point.......I haven't even got my potatoes yet although I believe my supplier has them and doesn't want to uncover them in this foul weather.
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on February 10, 2009, 16:56:07
Sort out your seed buying if you haven't done so already. Plant chilies or aubergines, and put them somewhere really warm to germinate. Chit potatoes. Read some books, and exercise your elbow hoisting some ale.
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: saddad on February 10, 2009, 22:53:21
and hit another beer/wine/chocolate/hot water bottle/seed catalogue whatever takes your fancy...
Title: Re: What Should I be doing now?
Post by: Busy Bee on February 11, 2009, 17:53:03
Quote from: saddad on February 10, 2009, 22:53:21
and hit another beer/wine/chocolate/hot water bottle/seed catalogue whatever takes your fancy...

Have to agree with saddad. I'm keeping warm  and indulging myelf. Have just started chitting my potatoes but if my grounds not ready i'll just put them in containers and put them in the greenhouse to see what happens. Then i'll just catch up with another lot on my plot. A :)ll for taking my time lol