Allotments 4 All

Hello

I am new to the site and am a new allotment owner. I have been on Allotments-uk but this site seems a bit more current/live.

I have a few questions about some fruit bushes I have. I have some autumn and summer fruiting raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants and a rhubarb crown in pots/troughs in the garden which I want to plant up in my newly acquired allotment, when is the best time to plant them up?

Also, is it too late to plant onions and garlic? Should I wait till February/March now?

thanks in advance!  ;D

Welcome to A4A donnielime.

I'd say that you can move all of the fruit any time before the end of february when the weather is reasonable.  I've found raspberries and currents easy to move, but rhubarb takes several years to establish and it'll get away better of the planting hole has been prepared with some manure.

I expect someone else will be along to advise on the strawbs, but I'd be inclined to plant them out in the spring if you have them growing happily in pots.

Don't plant the onions out until the soil has warmed up in March.

You'd be better leaving the rhubarb till autumn, as that gives it more time to establish over winter. The other fruit will be OK to move, though again autumn would have been better. It may need quite a lot of watering the first year.

Strawberry plants can go in the ground late Feb though you may get little crop this year. I have 2 dozen sitting in pots in my greenhouse over wintering at this time.

Raspberry & rhubarb as per Unwashed comments,  but do not harvest rhubarb the first year.  This will allow the crown to establish itself for future harvests.  If you harvest the first year of planting you will weaken the plant for future yields. 

ONion seeds should be sown indoors about now. Modules are best as you don't have to faff about with pricking out, doesn't really need any heat if it's on a bright windowsill in the house.

chrisc

Hi Donnielime , another defector from uk!, idealy strawberries and rhubarb should be planted /moved in the autumn, however if the strawberries are in pots, then keep them there until March then put them in. Rhubarb can also be planted late winter.
Most fruit can be moved when dormant, just try and make sure the new spot has lots of food (manure) and is well draining, although strawberries arent the fussiest of plants...

Thanks chriscross1966, I was assuming onions sets.  

Donnie, as the fruit is all in containers, get them in the ground ASAP. This can be done at ANY time of the year as long as the ground isn`t frozen or waterlogged. Get your garlic in as soon as possible, maincrop onions can wait until February/March time.

Thanks for all the replies  ;D I am so keen to get started! I feel like I should be doing something but I just dont know what  ??? Its a plot that hasnt been gardened for years so was covered in grass and weeds and brambles. I have 'tidied up' the brambles leaving some just at the edge of my plot. Then we had a farmer come and plough all the previously unused plots for us. He is due to come back in Feb/March to rotavate the plots for us. I have ordered a shed which will be delivered anyday. I keep thinking I should go and dig over a small area and get some manure in and get my bushes moved but the ground is so hard and there is loads of water in the trenches (??) where its been ploughed. Plus we had more snow at the start of the week and there is probably more to come  :o Any tips on what i could/should be doing right now?

I'll get some onion seeds planted inside and hold off for March time for the bushes etc. Can you plant garlic on pots and the re-pot outside or do you have to just plant staright outdoors?

They've beaten me to the advice but welcome to A4A anyway!  :)