Allotments 4 All

As I am taking only half a plot in 2014, got to prepare everything and move what I am keeping from the bottom half of the plot.
Moved the strawberries, they seem to have settled in nicely to their new bed. Dug up two of the gooseberries, what a struggle! Moved one down near the artichokes, with stakes so I can try and espalier it now, and put another one in the site borders. I will leave the third one for now in case the new person would like to keep it.
Now have to prune and move the raspberries I am keeping. I saw some other plotholders have them in a sort of wooden corral, and that seemed like an excellent idea, I will try and knock something up for that, once I have decided where to plant them!

I'm thinking along the same lines too.

My vegetable plot has had the benefit of a few years of goodness raked into the soil but really is just a main plot without any longterm friends.

My second plot, called the fruit plot, has the benefit of long-term crops, ie my grape vines x 2, blackcurrants, redcurrants and artichokes, but more importantly my prized asparagus bed. The downside is it gets a more than a little waterlogged and is shaded because of the vines.

Such a headache antipodes!

Ninnyscrops

Good luck with the move Antipodes, sounds like you have it well planned  Have you arranged what crops for the season or is it to be more of a perennial type plot?

Ninny, I know this might be a daft question but could you do a downsize over a couple of seasons and start planting up your main plot with 'longtermers'?

I hope the moving goes well. 

This is good food for thought, I have two half plots and enjoy it at the moment but sometimes I think it is a bit much.  I had all my soft fruit on one, so I will ensure I have it on both.   

It was a case of overstretching myself for perhaps than less than optimal results. In the end you spend more time trying to weed than really caring for the crops.
I will be keeping a number of perennials, like my 3 rhubarbs which I love, artichokes, a few fruit bushes and the strawberries, the herbs which already have their own bed and cutting back on the potatoes and onions. That should still leave me plenty of room for tomatoes, peppers, carrots, beetroot and parsnips, peas and beans, and hopefully by better management of replacing one crop with another (getting lettuce and radish between the spuds in the early season, using the tomato space that will only be planted in mid-May for raising seedlings during spring, replacing spuds with squash and brassicas once the harvest is underway, making more clever succession of sowings), I will keep the plot fuller and better cared for. I will also grow upwards! Cukes on stakes, climbing beans etc.
It's going to be much easier I hope to water more efficiently. I think that I was not always getting good results due to insufficient watering.

I do recommend lots of mulching.   It keeps the weeds down and keeps the water in the soil much better and beans etc appreciate having cooler roots and squashes and potatoes just love as must biomatter as you can managed.    I have a lot of straw only downside is slugs.  I hope to cover most of my plot this year.   I use it as a windbreak and to keep squashes etc warm, so now have a good supply partly rotted.

Every time something ends something else goes in, but in practice it is a case of evicting something when the next crop comes along.  If you crop closely remember to up your feed rate.   

You can also start to plant the next crop before the last one has finished.  Peas sown early before spring are seting crops nicely when brassicas can be planted between the plants.    I sow the peas in clumps and leave a space about every foot.   The brassicas take over the space just as the pea plants are drying out.    No need to dig out the roots, the brassicas like the nitrogen anyway.

Squash planted near sweet corn will ramble underneath.   I do not favour the traditional three sisters I think the squashes take too much from the corn.   

Having had limited growing space for years I got very adept at maximizing output.   I have been amazed to see some allotments when each crop occupies a space and when it goes the space is left until the following year.    While on others I reckon I could have put a whole allotment worth of produce between the wide rows.   Also my crops spread across and along the paths.     

I have reduced to a half plot this year. Makes rotation more difficult but I hope to get better yields.

Quote from: Digeroo on January 05, 2014, 09:42:12
You can also start to plant the next crop before the last one has finished.  Peas sown early before spring are seting crops nicely when brassicas can be planted between the plants.    I sow the peas in clumps and leave a space about every foot.   The brassicas take over the space just as the pea plants are drying out.    No need to dig out the roots, the brassicas like the nitrogen anyway.

That is a brilliant idea! I have had quite good luck with lettuces grown under the runner beans, which are ready just as the beans are starting to get unwieldy. But I wouldn't have thought of the brassicas...

Quote from: Digeroo on January 05, 2014, 09:42:12
Having had limited growing space for years I got very adept at maximizing output.   I have been amazed to see some allotments when each crop occupies a space and when it goes the space is left until the following year.    While on others I reckon I could have put a whole allotment worth of produce between the wide rows.   Also my crops spread across and along the paths.   

yes I always let the squash ramble everywhere, just have to make sure I don't step on the vines. There are many people on my site that grow things for about 4 months then leave the plot vacant. I might not always fill it that well but I usually have at least leeks, orientals, brussels and cabbages on the go during winter. My half has been well manured now so I think I can squash up the spacings a bit!

I am (or her indoors is!!) looking to take over another half plot so I will have a full allotment next year - only downside is the extra digging and we do seem to get enough from our present half plot to keep us going. Might end up using the other half plot as an experimental one as I was at a presentation where the growers use no fertiliser or weed killer and plant the same crop in the same place every year. I know it sounds mad but their tomatoes were excellent and the other stuff we bought was tasty too; the theory is that the soil gets used to growing a particular plant and adjusts you just have to plant seeds from the previous years crop. if you are interested look here http://shumei.eu/uk/aboutus/ . Honest they were growing all sorts.