Allotments 4 All

Hi All,

Can someone point me at a good "tried and tested" guide to panting distances please just calculating planting space and getting data blindness from all the info on the web.

thanks all :)

Cam

I use Charles Dowding's books, and then sometimes pack them in a bit tighter!!

(If you can find it: Know and Grow Vegetables by Salter, Bleasdale and others is very interesting)

What about the back of the seed packets?

Personally I use a shoe horn.

I'm with Digeroo - I read the back of the seed packet very carefuly and then immediately ignore it.

Get yourself a copy of The Vegetable and Herb Expert  -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegetable-Herb-Expert-best-selling-vegetables/dp/0903505460

For above surface planting I use the idiot approach ...I just take an average sized cabbage,cauli,red/white onions,kohlrabi,swedes, celery,and place shop brought in situ and add a bit of extra room, its dead easy to then work out the potential growing allowance in your growing area rather then be gready....raised beds im referring to really.
Me neighbour bazza roars with laughter when im laying out the goodies on the dirt,but believe me when I say it works for me ..!!!! as I then dont end up planting too close, as im no different as when there is young growth im often loath to thin them out as I should do and end up with stunted veggies.

Im going to hire a local mole to help me plan sub surface veggies though  !!!!!!!!!

GazNjude

I just bung em in and hope for the best.

I tend to use my hand width - thumb end to end of little finger - as this guarantees room for my push me pull you Wolf weeding head.   If it's very mucky and wet, I use the length of my trowel to measure the distance and use two trowel lengths for brassicas.     Pumkins get about a metre but I usually train them up a metal trellis so the fruits get more sun.

Thanks all would use the packets but in some cases there is no packet so having to guess :(

I will investigate the other suggestions thanks all :)

Be a bit long to type every spacing. have a look at the garden helper and print it off

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/vegtips.html

One of the best books I have invested in is this one by Caroline Foley :How to plant your allotment.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1845376161/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1359580050&sr=8-3&pi=SL75

In it she looks at various planting plans and spacings and discusses the effect of spacing on plant size as well as practical issues like being able to weed, fab book, highly recommended!

I use a line then set my plants out at the recommended spacing along the line before planting them in. I always make sure I space the rows correctly as this does make the weeding easier as the plant matures.

Flightys book s good I have a copy myself also just looked at davys link and that gives you all the info you need.

I like the vegetable expert book too mine is very old when the disease bit was in a different book so it is not so depressing.   It was a long time before I realized just how many things could kill my crops.  Good for planting instructions, but some of the variety advise is rather out of date.