Off to look at an allotment...

[British Red]

Excellent - perfect time of year to get cracking - couple of months to get the site manured and turned over, you can start getting the early peas in soon as well

I have lots of opinions on how to set things up - but my approach is quite regimented and scientific - and that doesn't suit everyone - many prefer a more free flowing approach. Whatever way suits you will be grand! As well as reading the book, may I suggest "The Victorian Kitchen Garden" on Youtube? Features Harry Dodson who was one of the last great "head gardeners" feeding a big house. Amazingly inspiring if a little dated in feel.

I wish you guys joy of the "permanently dirty fingernails" battalion

 

[Everything Mac]

plot twist: a viewing tomorrow morning. Muwahhahaha.....

I looked up the john Seymour books. I bought a copy of one of them for me mum a few years back. Excellent books. I'll have to see if I can borrow it.

All the best
Andy

 

[British Red]

plot twist: a viewing tomorrow morning. Muwahhahaha.....


All the best
Andy

Excellent news

 

[Mesquite]

plot twist: a viewing tomorrow morning. Muwahhahaha.....

You know what the forum saying is, if there aren't any pics then it didn't happen. So you better take your camera

 

[Everything Mac]

Good call bud. I'll try to remember.

 

[Everything Mac]

This was the best of the lot I saw today. Most were heavily overgrown, and were on funny angles or needed a chainsaw just to gain access. One was in much better condition than this one and had a nice apple tree on it but required me to build a fence which seemed like added hassle.

So this one wasn't the biggest or the nicest but in my very inexperienced opinion offered the best all round deal.

Car access is easy. They have water points all around the grounds (which were huge) and the closest of two nearby points was about 40-50m.

This one one has a hedge all the way round which I figured would provide some privacy if nothing else. It also had a lockable gate on it. Not the worlds most secure but better than I could make in a hurry.

It was also slightly smaller than some of the others which suits me fine. But a bit of an odd shape.

The soil has lots of clay in it and drainage seemed to be an issue across the whole site. The other plots were all on a slight hill which put me off. This plot also has a big pine tree shading it on one side which might be good/ bad?

also had a couple of barrels and the remains of a fence or shed in there too.


So what do you guys think? Total rent and fees etc is £50 for a year. With the option of renting tools on site.

Andy

 

[Everything Mac]

I'd be really keen to hear a good plan of action. Methodical step by step is the way I generally like to do things.

 

[British Red]

Down sides to the plot you are looking at - 50m is a long way for water - thats a monster hose run just to water your plants, closer would be better.

High hedges and trees are not your friend - they shade out your beds and use up water and nutrients from the ground. Hedges can be a plus in a large plot in windy areas though as they provide a wind break.

Slopes on clay soil prone to water logging can be good - they mean the plot does not flood . If your plot is at the bottom of the hill, where do you think the water will end up?


Plus sides - that plot looks reasonably well tended - run a rotovator over it and you are good to go. Old fences or sheds can be piled up and burned - no biggy.

I'd be tempted by the other plot with the tree if they would settle for a post and wire fence - so long as its not a huge fence run, that could be done in a day with hand tools - but it would cost a bit in wire, postcrete and posts, so if money is an issue, skip it.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Down sides to the plot you are looking at - 50m is a long way for water - thats a monster hose run just to water your plants, closer would be better.

But in such a sheltered space, you could put a waterbutt or 2 in the corner, fill them by hose every few weeks. Rather than running the hose out 50m every day...

High hedges and trees are not your friend - they shade out your beds and use up water and nutrients from the ground. Hedges can be a plus in a large plot in windy areas though as they provide a wind break.

On what side of the plot is the tree, if it's to the north, then don't worry about it. If it's the south, then that isn't good.

Slopes on clay soil prone to water logging can be good - they mean the plot does not flood . If your plot is at the bottom of the hill, where do you think the water will end up?

Clay soil is also going to be heavy to work, and some plants aren't going to like it. Nothing some sand and manure won't solve. But fix drainage first...

Plus sides - that plot looks reasonably well tended - run a rotovator over it and you are good to go. Old fences or sheds can be piled up and burned - no biggy.

I'd be tempted by the other plot with the tree if they would settle for a post and wire fence - so long as its not a huge fence run, that could be done in a day with hand tools - but it would cost a bit in wire, postcrete and posts, so if money is an issue, skip it.

Apple tree for the cost of a fence. Yeah, I would go for the one with the tree.

J

 

[Everything Mac]

bad decisions then?

Im not sure what side the tree was on. I'll have to check on google earth.

There was a water butt on the plot.

money isn't a major issue but the blacksmith in me like to be as tight as possible...

I was thinking the hedge might provide a bit of security from prying eyes?

As far as I can tell, that tree is on the south side. The plot with the apple tree is actually directly behind this one. You can see the tree in the centre of the pic behind the hedge.

 

[British Red]

There are no bad decisions - just factors to consider

A tree on the South side is a real pain - to the point that I have felled and ground out five trees for shading out my veg plot.

Hedges aren't a problem per se, but they do use a lot of water and nutrients and can also shade beds from morning / evening or even all day sun.

That is not a bad plot - but its sensible to consider pros and cons since you have a choice!

 

[Quixoticgeek]

bad decisions then?

Im not sure what side the tree was on. I'll have to check on google earth.

There was a water butt on the plot.

money isn't a major issue but the blacksmith in me like to be as tight as possible...

I was thinking the hedge might provide a bit of security from prying eyes?

As far as I can tell, that tree is on the south side. The plot with the apple tree is actually directly behind this one. You can see the tree in the centre of the pic behind the hedge.

I would go for the plot with the apple tree then. Spend an afternoon putting up a simple fence, look foward to the cider in the autumn.

If the pine tree is to the south, it will eat up too much light.

J

 

[DavidJT]

Here's the one I've just taken on. It's about 6m x 40m.

From Shed, looking South down plot...



From other end, looking North towards shed...



Inside Shed...



(Where I found diagrams of all the previous planting left by last owner)

So plot will get direct light through morning and middle of day until mid afternoon.

Not much existing planting - just some raspberry bushes. Should they be pruned?

Really happy with it though of course!

 

[British Red]

Some raspberries fruit on last years wood, some fruit on new wood (current years). Only way to find out is to wait until the flowers appear - hold hard for now.

Not much wrong with that plot David except the grass - thats an easy fix

Nice shed too

 

[wingstoo]

Plenty to go at by the looks of it, Raised beds is a good way to minimise the back ache of digging, I set mine up to 8ft X 5ft with about 18" in between, you can get good drainage set up within the bed and enrich each bed separately also easy enough to get soil conditioners from all sorts of places, our local tip sells it as it is from their own composting facilities.

Set up a hose to fill water several butts at a time unless you can get a rain catchment created with a good sized IBC tank tucked away.

My plot is 20ft by 65ft, it took me almost a year to clear as it had been left unused by the previous owner for some 25 years, some areas even longer judging by what I was digging out.

From this... Note the apex of the roof to the left and the power pole to the right, they show on the other photo's.

To this...

To this...

All manually done with no machinery involved...

It has changed a bit since these pics were taken though,

 

[Bob]

Hi Andy & David

Raised beds are definitely a plus - I took over a 20' x 60' plot eight years ago and have constructed 18 raised beds to date using forestry thinnings ('poles') and other scrounged wood (ex-tree stakes for pegs etc). First rule of owning an allotment is never buy what you can find, make or swap!

Make a note of anything you find when first digging over (or old cropping plans) so you can plan your rotations. It is a good idea not to plant the same crop - or similar - in the same place two or more years running; this helps with pest and disease control especially if (like me) you chose to grow without using chemicals. Raised beds can really help in this respect as you can also rotate crops within those beds allocated to a particular family group of veg too. Any good veggie growing book (certainly any by John Seymour) will explain this clearly. On the subject of good books, charity shops often have a vast range - any of Geoff Hamilton's would be a good starting point.

Enjoy it - there is nothing like supplementing your diet with food you've grown (or foraged!) yourself.

Bob

 

[Everything Mac]

Cheers bob.

Expect to see a few posts on this in the coming months. I'm away offshore in the morning.

I think the pine would be an issue for the apple tree plot as it is directly next door. I can always hack the hedge to bits right?
Andy

 

[Everything Mac]

Plenty to go at by the looks of it, Raised beds is a good way to minimise the back ache of digging, I set mine up to 8ft X 5ft with about 18" in between, you can get good drainage set up within the bed and enrich each bed separately also easy enough to get soil conditioners from all sorts of places, our local tip sells it as it is from their own composting facilities.

Set up a hose to fill water several butts at a time unless you can get a rain catchment created with a good sized IBC tank tucked away.

My plot is 20ft by 65ft, it took me almost a year to clear as it had been left unused by the previous owner for some 25 years, some areas even longer judging by what I was digging out.

From this... Note the apex of the roof to the left and the power pole to the right, they show on the other photo's.

To this...

To this...

All manually done with no machinery involved...

It has changed a bit since these pics were taken though,

cracking transformation there bud! Very impressive.

I've just ordered a copy of the self sufficient gardener by John Seymour, I have a copy of one of his other books t my parents place.

All the best
Andy

 

[HillBill]

Summer fruiters on last years wood, Autumn fruiters on this years. You can tell them apart by growth habit. Summer fruiters grow like blackberries, long canes. Autumn fruiters tent to be shorter with more upright canes..

Some raspberries fruit on last years wood, some fruit on new wood (current years). Only way to find out is to wait until the flowers appear - hold hard for now.

Not much wrong with that plot David except the grass - thats an easy fix

Nice shed too

 

[British Red]

Want to make any bets on variety in January Mark? I wouldn't I agree on the tendencies, but with an unknown variety in the middle of an absurdly mild Winter I wouldn't place any bets based on a visual ID!