Just got an allotment and have no idea how things work
- Thread starter frogwoman
- Start date
I have no clue what I'm doing tbh, would be great if someone suggested some places to start 
cupid_stunt
Chief seagull hater & farmerbarleymow's nemesis.
fork
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The39thStep
Urban critical thinker
I remember being totally overwhelmed when I first took over an overgrown plot. What I would suggest that you consider is :
have a good look round to see what might still be growing/salvageable underneath all the weeds ie are there fruit bushes, fruit trees etc .
divide it up into quarters, even 8ths, and clear one of those completely so you have a quick win , you might want to start with the area around the pond
make a compost heap for cut weeds etc
scythe/strim the taller weeds down/look for and collect rubbish that needs to go to tip
collect cardboard boxes to flatten and lay over areas cut down
you can dig/fork weed roots out when it rains and then cover the ground
try and get a friend or friends to help you but have a plan of what you would want them to do
walk round look at other people's plots and see if there is anything that inspires you or that you want to replicate
spend some time thinking about what you would like to grow and look at seed sites, plan what you might want to order
take things bit by bit it takes quite a while to get a plot into shape/always ask for the advice of other plot holders
have a good look round to see what might still be growing/salvageable underneath all the weeds ie are there fruit bushes, fruit trees etc .
divide it up into quarters, even 8ths, and clear one of those completely so you have a quick win , you might want to start with the area around the pond
make a compost heap for cut weeds etc
scythe/strim the taller weeds down/look for and collect rubbish that needs to go to tip
collect cardboard boxes to flatten and lay over areas cut down
you can dig/fork weed roots out when it rains and then cover the ground
try and get a friend or friends to help you but have a plan of what you would want them to do
walk round look at other people's plots and see if there is anything that inspires you or that you want to replicate
spend some time thinking about what you would like to grow and look at seed sites, plan what you might want to order
take things bit by bit it takes quite a while to get a plot into shape/always ask for the advice of other plot holders
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Work out how much space you have and do a little at a time, donāt do it all at once. Nothing kills enthusiasm more than trying to do to much and breaking yourself.
Set aside a little for any adventures this year but the majority cut down and cover over (with some poop and cardboard optional) ready to go next spring.
Set aside a little for any adventures this year but the majority cut down and cover over (with some poop and cardboard optional) ready to go next spring.
WouldBe
Dislicksick
Or in the case of my dad make your kid do it.
geminisnake
a complex mass of conflicting ideas
try and get as many weed seedheads as you can before they reach the ground! 2nd the looking to see what there may be already growing, good luck, it's hard work looking after an allotment x
davesgcr
Reading books
Well done and I am sure you will rise to the challenge. I am sure there will be some local help available to assist you , at least with ideas.
Building some sort of compost bins and (very topical) some rainwater storage would be a big help (unless you have easy access to a tap or similar)
I hope you do not have the misfortune of one of my ex neighbours in SW19 , on deep digging his new , somewhat neglected allotment found a lot of glazed tilework which looked vaguely familiar (turned out to be wartime bomb rubble dumped in haste after the catastrophic bombing of Balham Underground station - so one of the helpful old boys there pointed out)
Building some sort of compost bins and (very topical) some rainwater storage would be a big help (unless you have easy access to a tap or similar)
I hope you do not have the misfortune of one of my ex neighbours in SW19 , on deep digging his new , somewhat neglected allotment found a lot of glazed tilework which looked vaguely familiar (turned out to be wartime bomb rubble dumped in haste after the catastrophic bombing of Balham Underground station - so one of the helpful old boys there pointed out)
WouldBe
Dislicksick
Not sure steeleye span would help.
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Bunch of advice in the gardening thread over the years including my own efforts
www.urban75.net
Gave mine up this year due to moving commitments (that still havenāt happened
)
The gardening thread
There were loads of plane trees that had dropped their bark round my way. Never seen that before but apparently it's a way to conserve water! It looked pretty brutal, wouldn't fancy standing near one while big chunks of the outer layer fall off Anyone else noticed it?? I've been seeing that...
www.urban75.net
Gave mine up this year due to moving commitments (that still havenāt happened
)
WouldBe
Dislicksick
Chickens would probably make short work of the weeds or a goat.
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Ah youāve grown lettuce and Pak Choi before.
My plot had the best fed slugs on the planet.
An excellent time to get an allotment. No pressure to do anything apart from clearing and ground preparation. Weeks of good weather to gently clear and area at a time, with no pressure to show results. I have 2 allotments - one which I acquired in late July, so spent a lot of time building compost bays and mostly clearing,/spraying, while my second, next door allotment became mine in February, when I promptly did a quickie dig-over and started planting. 20 years on, I am still plagued by couch and bindweed in the 2nd allotment, while No.1 has remained clear of rhizomatous thugs. I did, however, spray the first allotment because it was a nightmare of pernicious weeds which digging utterly failed to alleviate (Bindweed can put down 20ft roots and is perfectly able to survive for years, even underneath corrugated metal covering). I know there will be scowling, but I considered it was worth getting a herbicide in over the autumn and hitting the weeds hard...which I also failed to do in my 2nd plot.
How you proceed now depends on what you are wanting from your plot. I am a flower grower and a plants-person, so the annual clearance appropriate for vegetable growing was not where I was at at all. While you may well be able to maintain a plot without needing an initial herbicide treatment, it was totally not an option when growing perennials and permanent shrubs. I also have a pond on my plot, which is surrounded by vegetation but has never successfully acquired resident frogs. (although I do have toad hibernaculums). I have never managed to persuade breeding amphibs...largely, I think, because the sheltered, enclosed aspect has encouraged birds to feast on frogspawn. My neighbours pond, in an old bath, but much more open and exposed than mine, has tadpoles every year. I really should consider removing some of the vegetation around my pond (but the huge wild roses, hazels and apples would be a nightmare to chop down).
How you proceed now depends on what you are wanting from your plot. I am a flower grower and a plants-person, so the annual clearance appropriate for vegetable growing was not where I was at at all. While you may well be able to maintain a plot without needing an initial herbicide treatment, it was totally not an option when growing perennials and permanent shrubs. I also have a pond on my plot, which is surrounded by vegetation but has never successfully acquired resident frogs. (although I do have toad hibernaculums). I have never managed to persuade breeding amphibs...largely, I think, because the sheltered, enclosed aspect has encouraged birds to feast on frogspawn. My neighbours pond, in an old bath, but much more open and exposed than mine, has tadpoles every year. I really should consider removing some of the vegetation around my pond (but the huge wild roses, hazels and apples would be a nightmare to chop down).
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frogwoman
No amount of cajolery...
I'd like to grow stuff as well tbh. I'm thinking potatoesYou might need to check about any allotment rules. They might not agree to actively maintaining the bramble patch?
What do you want from your allotment? I'm guessing straight up wildlife haven??
Epona
Sonic: 1 Nov 2006 - 8 Jan 2022
Presumably someone's been paying the rent on it, and that's about as much as the council give a fuck?
I'd love an allotment, I should have gone on the waiting list when I first moved in as I'd have got one by now, but I wasn't expecting to be here this long...
Good luck with yours frogwoman - The advice to clear a small area so you can achieve something and it doesn't seem overwhelming seems eminently sensible.
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Brambles will grow like crazy so cut back and work out how much youād like.
You can get no spiky blackberry bushes which are pretty handy
frogwoman
No amount of cajolery...
I got it straight away by approaching the site directly. it turned out half the plots were vacant
the site at the end of my road is completely booked up, this is a half hour walk near a rubbish dump, so i guess thats why. Theyre desperate for people. 
pseudonarcissus
fluttering and dancing
wasnĀ“t there another thread that said you needed a gun?...to get the old boys working for you when civiilization breaks down
kebabking
Not a Girly Swot, but I like them....
Chickens would probably make short work of the weeds or a goat.
Do not - DO NOT - get a Goat.
This is almost certainly the most/only useful contribution I can make to this thread, but it is - I promise you, a biggy.
That is all.
davesgcr
Reading books
I'd like to grow stuff as well tbh. I'm thinking potatoes
Good call as spuds (and handy for breaking the soil down) - consider Leeks and Spinach. All good low maintenance "starter" crops.
(Plus you can make your won leek and potato soup
)
8ball
Decolonise colons!
WouldBe
Dislicksick
Borrow one.
A380
How do I change this 'custom title' thing then?
Sounds like someone's got your goat...
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