Allotments 4 All

Hi All

I've had an allotment for 3 months now - Been weeding it and getting it up to scratch, so the kids could be with us in a safe environment as well, but now is the time to start - So , basically what can I start doing now that will only involve planting seeds into the ground?

I want to do Onions, Shallots, Garlic, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Raspberries and Carrots.

I just want to start off nice and easily for the first year as I am in charge of organising it and I am also disabled - Just walking wounded though  ;)

Thanks

Nick

I forgot to say I am in Poole (Tatnam Farm) Allotments, if that helps  ???

Not much really, other than preparing the plot. (I have just posted to your inbox.)

Hiya Nick and welcome, enjoy the site loads of great advice and sarcasm....er ....tips ;D ;D ;D

hi. i think you can get most of those things going about now. onion and shallot sets are in the shops. rhubarb - i would ask around your site, you may find that people are dividing their own patches now and there is always some about.  raspberries can go in anytime till about march i think, and carrots can go in in a couple of months when its a bit warmer. 

do you mean poole dorset?  there are a handful of us in bournemouth and christchurch so let me say welcome. :)

hiya, nick, welcome to the site..
all the fruit can be planted 'til march so, all the 'cheapie' shops have got their plants in now, wilkies, woolies, pound shops..rasps, blackcurrants, fruit trees, as has been said, onion sets, bit early to plant yet but you can buy them, shallots can go in now, garlic a bit later..chinese leaves can be started now..good luck and happy growng for 2008  ;D
oh, yes, the early peas can be sown now, we've done ours under cover in a gutter, saves the mice eating them  ;D

Thanks all

Yup, Poole in Sunny Dorset  ::) Ok, not so Sunny at the moment  :-[

I think this is going to be a very good site for me

Cheers all

Nick

Hi Nick get your onions and shallots in quick,good luck and happy digging.  ;D ;D ;D

Got the onions in yesterday, but could not find Shallots - Will try again today

Cheers

Nick

I do love this allotmenteering (Is there such a word?)

Just bought some strawberries, carrots, onions and got some free raspberry canes.

Am I sad or is it exciting?  ::) I love it 

at least you get excited about edible things, we get a buzz out of mountains of manure and skips with wood in  ;D
mind you, we do get excited when sowing starts  ;D

It's outrageously exciting.  ;D ;D
The year has seasons and peaks for me now, there is always some excitement happening/on the horizon. I'm currently bursting with eagerness to get sowing. Bound to start things off in the propagator too early, they will get leggy I will get frustrated! I probably have enough seeds to plant up all of North Yorkshire, and this is before Lidl get the cheapies in! I whistled as I scrubbed my pots last weekend. The kitchen never brings out that kind of skippiness! ;)

LOTTIE LOVE it's a whole new passion! ;D

Since having an allotment, my hubby said he has noticed that my observations of things on a road trip have drastically changed.  ;D
Apparently I say things like...
"Look at that truck full of wood, think of all the raised beds you could make".
"Oh you just missed that, a huge manure pile in that field we just passed"
"Oh look at the skip full of goodies"  ;D

I went to the allotment AGM last Friday (back of local pub/restaurant) and came away with four of those poly boxes fish is packed in. I think the landlord thought I was slightly off my trolley. But Hey! they will be fab for planting out stuff to put into the coldframes  8)

Can't resist  a nosey in a skip m'self!

I use polysteyrene fish boxes for early salads and chinese leaves, gives them a bit of protection  ;D

Thank God for that - I was beginning to think I was the only person who was scavenging from skips  ???

Off to B and Q now  :D :D :D

I am a total embarrassment to my son who is a copper in Bristol and aged 27!

Even if I see a skip and lok longingly he says firmly "No Mum"!!

I work on the rpinciple of "one man's rubbish is another man's treasure".  I have had some lovely stuff from skips, shops, factories the list is endless.  Shops when they are being refitted are brilliant!

I think because I am getting older I am never embarrased to pick something up of the side of the road  (ie about 40 fertilizer sacks of wood chippings where they had been tidying the verges!) seaweed absolutely shed loads of the stuff.  I always ask if the stuff looks like it may still be wanted!

Old Bird
;D

I get well twitchy if I see horse poo in the road.  The day will come when I'll be in my work clothes scooping it off the road - I wont be able to resist the urge any longer.  :-[

I've dome that outside my house before now- dashed out with a bucket and spade when nobody was looking! (I hope!) :-[