Hi all i've been directed here from another website so thought i would pop in and introduce myself.
I am Ellie 23 years old and have just been sent my tennancy agreement for my very fist allotment plot ;D.
I've only started growing this year in the back garden and its turned out to become a fantastic hobby and a great love of mine.
So the allotment i have got my hands on needs some clearing - something my family are going to do for me as I have a belly full of baby number 2 (due in September) its got some pretty permanent concrete on it which is a shame but it only covers a small portion of the plot so i intend to use that for composting/shed etc.
as its such a big plot 361.44 sq meters i'm sharing it with my in laws as i;ve only grown in raised beds i feel its a little silly for me to try and fill such a huge plot alone.
I am taking the raised beds from home and going to transfer them to the allotment so i can reclaim my garden as with two children 15 months apart in age i have a feeling we will need all the garden we can get our hands on.
Anyway i am rambling.
if anyone has any hints/tips or suggestions for starters on allotments then chuck them my way please :)
I am attempting to grow organically too if that helps....now i just need to figure out if thre is any harmful weeds on the site......... ::)
Welcome Ellie and just ask if your not sure of anything.
There are people here that have a wide knowledge of gardens, allotments, and even other things if you look around.
landimad
Welcome Ellie.
For starters you could click on the wiki button at the top of the page and then click on "For Newbies" from the menu that appears.
Hi Ley and welcome to the site, photos are always a must on here so the peeps can see what your up against, be careful you don't over do it with the sprog on the way and I'm sure you will be advised of this by our resident midwifes. ;D ;D ;D
Thanks for the welcomes guys its nice to have like minded people to natter to about it all.
now lets see if i can add some pics of the site....
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/ellieyusuf/P7080003.jpg)
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/ellieyusuf/P7080004.jpg)
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/ellieyusuf/P7080005.jpg)
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/ellieyusuf/P7080006.jpg)
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/ellieyusuf/P7080007.jpg)
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/ellieyusuf/P7080008.jpg)
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/ellieyusuf/P7080009.jpg)
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/ellieyusuf/P7080010.jpg)
Right glad that worked.
No idea what all the plants are, going to dig out the sparse stuff at the front end, trim and cover the long stuff until i can get to sorting that bit out. (i think i've read this is the correct way to do it) so if anyone recognises something horrible on there please let me know lol.
Well the concrete area will be handy for your shed etc. The paving stones can be relocated and used as paths, looks like most of the usual weeds but not bad we've seen a lot worse. Brambles in the third picture down, get someone to start digging it out doesn't look like your soil is too bad to dig. Strim and cover the long growth get the easy bits cultivated first. Don't over do it yourself for a while......having said that the day before my youngest was born I dug over the garden!
As Kea say's the concrete will be a good base for your shed and the paving moved and used as paths as and when you need them, the long growth strimmed to the ground and covered and roll back and dig out a little at a time. Pile up the bricks as they may come in handy for holding down the coverings on the weeds or pinning down netting.
Is the 1932 sign the last time the long grass was cut, :o the big tree would make a great camp for the kids and that would keep them occupiedwhile your organising the outlaws. :P ;D ;D ;D
Lol thanks Kea and cornykev (or do i call you kev ? ) nice to know there are no serious issues with the plot anyway.
I've had a fiddle around with the paving stones and yup they come up so i am planning on taking them up and once strimmed the back area using some of those on a temp basis to help cover the weeds.
I dont realy intend to plant much/anything this winter so its nice to know i have a long time to get it sorted :).
Reckon i can pursuede my parents into giving me one of their old sheds if not the appeal is going on freecycle.
and Cornykev 1932 is i think an accurate description of how old i feel at the moment! ;D
Hiya, Ellie..welcome to a4a, see you've met some of the residents ;D
what a lovely site, all that space, we made a paper plan and worked out what was going to go where, marked out the paths and only walked on them so the soil didn't get compacted, just sorted the beds out and covered the paths..anyway, get everyone else stuck in, you be foreman ;D
Welcome to A4A Ellie... :)
welcome to A4A there is allways usfull people and usefull infomation to be had here some of the best in the country even some have show gardens to there name so take your time and plan it a bit at a time
PS there is no silly question and never be affraid to ask anything !
try this link very usefull http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Planners/Fruit%20&%20Veg%20planner.htm
Welcome to the site Ellie ;D
Where abouts are you?
Good luck with getting everything ready and the baby.
Neil
Well Elly what can I say. You have certainly come to the right place. I love that tree. Now I have a squash that someone on here gave me and it would look just great climbing up that beautiful tree. Its called Sharks Fin squash and it is taking over my squash frame. The person responsible for my having this monster reckons that last year she grew one up a beech tree and the fruit looked like Christmas decorations. I'm sure she will let you have a seed or two next year to grow up that lovely tree . As far as Kev is concerned, well love you can call him anything you like ;D
My advice is to plant something asap. Then each time you go down you can see something starting to grow. I started with a couple of pots of parsley from Tesco.
I started my first allotment in March, and I am enjoying it enormously, hope you enjoy yours as much. I started with a couple of pots of parsley from Tesco.
Love this site too.
One of the families with young children on our allotment site have left a little corner of meadow for the kids to play in while mum is gardening.
Forgot to tell you. Our daughter had 3 under 4 when she took the plot on and she got loads of straw bales and made a corrall for the kiddies to play in. When they had got a bit bigger then she and they put all the straw down on the paths to show where they could walk. We always straw our paths so the little uns know exactly where they can walk and where they can't
Oi Shirl I heard that. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
thanks people loving the sense of humours here reckon i will fit straight in.
Nilly71 i'm over in good ol' bumpkin country Norfolk the land of no hills and constant farming :D
Shirlton that squash sounds lovely i didnt realise they can grow upwards and yes we intend to do something similar, even with my inlaws taking some space there will be a whole heap of it unused i think so my husband wants to build a small sand pit and give my son (and eventually the new boy) their own planting plot!
Digeroo i've got a whole heap of stuff growing in the garden at the moment and am in the process of clearing one of my veg beds of the various lettuce and celery in the hope that i can shift it to the plot and re-plant my various cabbages etc over there or get some stuff in there for the winter.
Plus am probably going to shift my toms over that way so i can start re-seeding my lawn (its a rented property and we move out next year did i mention this?)
Can someone tell me about water butts please?
I've never had one and this may sound a little silly but realistically how many do you need or how much do you need to contain, how long will it take to get off the ground, where you can get some cheap ones from (although i have asked on freecycle) , whether you can make your own and what to do if you dont have a shed/building to collect off of?
Also anyone tell me if its ok to consistantly use "greywater" bath water shower water and washing up water?
I tend to use the left over washing up water - strained - for the veg at the moment and not had any ill effects but i only tend to use it twice a week maybe?
just to share on a quicky heres the veg bed i am trying to empty (hence the bleak patches) not bad for a first timer i thought...
(http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll32/ellieyusuf/veg/P70500093.jpg)
In the summer of 1976 everything got grey water all summer - nothing else available. Washing up water tipped over everything. It all thrived. Never bothered to strain it.
excellent cos i HATE wasting water :) now to install a water butt in my shower........ ;D
whereabouts in norfolk? (there are hills, try cycling around norwich)
Tony, Gorleston - on - sea
Quote from: Digeroo on July 08, 2009, 21:44:18
In the summer of 1976 everything got grey water all summer - nothing else available. Washing up water tipped over everything. It all thrived. Never bothered to strain it.
WELCOME Le-y growing veg and babies you clever thing ..I was growing my youngest in 1976Digeroo oh the heat 8)
Oh and don't forget to top all your canes with small children about(or even big ones!) most people use plastic bottles. Otherwise the canes are very dangerous.
And I forgot to say welcome to the forum! :-[
Quote from: Kea on July 09, 2009, 10:54:56
Oh and don't forget to top all your canes with small children
I misread this at first and thought you were advocating replacing the plastic bottles with small children...... ::)
chrisc
Shades of Vlad the Impaler there!