Unsecure chicken perches

[batcatz]

.. and it is in a right state! As it's autumn now should I just cover the weeds until they die, dig them up or just leave it till March? I can't wait to get digging!!

[chickencam]

I would get out there whilst the weather is ok and clear what you can, then cover it, or mulch it with manure for the winter. If you leave it until the spring you will struggle time wise, because planting starts in February.

 

Our allotment needs to serious clearance to put it to bed for the winter.

 

I hope that you enjoy your plot and you find it as rewarding as we have found ours, we will be entering our 11th year in December.

[welovemarmite]

i would love an allotment but dont want to take it on if I cant manage to get all the work done on it. I work full time and gave up with a veg patch in my garden as my hens managed to break through the chicken proofing...

[chickencam]

The busiest time is April to June with the planting,sowing and weeding, then up to the end of August, with lots of picking and preserving to be done. It calms down a bit after that. We find that we love getting out there on the longer spring and summer evenings, a great way to de-stress after a working day.

[welovemarmite]

i want to do things particularly for preserving and had thought to do an entire fruit plot...

[Redwing]

Congratulations!

 

Check your agreement carefully, you my not have the option to leave it as it is - some agreements state that you need to clear X amount of the plot within X months or you lose the tenancy

[sjp]

as a chaiman of an allotment start digging it now do abit each weekend while the weather's dry even if it's only half an hour or so that way it want get on top of you. as long as the ground is water loged or frozen solid there's nothing better than spending an hour or 2 on a sunny winters morning pottering about on the plot

the main thing I tell new plot holders is don't over do it take it easy and ENJOY your new plot

[batcatz]

Thanks, little and often it will be then. It will keep me fit. It's only a 3 rod plot and I'll share it with a friend while she waits for a plot. I didn't realise planting began in Feb. I thought it was April! I'd love to grow a small apple tree.

 

I have a very crowded 12 x 12' veg patch at the bottom of my garden with cucumber, courgette plants that took up too much room and produced a total of 2 or 3 courgettes, butternut squash, tomatoes, peppers, french beans and sunflowers. It will be great to grow most of this on the allotment next spring. My freezer is full of french beans and my fridge is full of pickled cucumber. haha. I get so many slugs and snails that I can't grow some things e.g. cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage so I can't wait to see what I can grow on the allotment.

 

I plan to divide and move the rhubarb and some strawberries from my garden to start with, and plant some garlic and chard for winter. So excited. I hope they are quick to send out my offer letter.

[chickencam]

If you like broad beans, they can be planted between now and November for an early crop in May - June next year.

 

Shallots can go in in late January and you can get overwintering onion sets, but I have not had any success with these.

[Tara.F]

Ooh! how exciting!

and this is the perfect time of year to get one too!

 

Yes, little and often is the way to go but I'd also add....'with a PLAN'

Late autumn/winter is the time to plant raspberries, currant bushes and to transplant rhubarb so why not start with those? These perennials don't need much fuss so can be placed furthest from your water source and raspberries will tolerate some shade as well. Or you could use these as a hedge or a windbreak.

So decide where they are going to live and concentrate on getting that bit ready first.

 

Also worth considering is some spring bulbs. These will lure in bees to pollinate early fruit buds. They can go in now and you don't even have to dig their bit, you can simply use a bulb planter! and think how encouraging and cheerful they'll be as you work your socks of in February!

 

If you have anymore time (and energy) before the weather sets in, and if your soil is heavy clay, now it the time to 'turn over rough' so that the coming frosts can break it up for you.

 

congratulations!

Tara

[welovemarmite]

inspired by this I have just managed to bag myself an allotment. Waiting for it to be pegged out at the moment. Its just the rough of a field now so its going to be major work.. Neighbour having one too so we are going to split the cost of a rotovator.

[sjp]

if it's coverd in couch grass or pernial weeds don't use a rotovator all it does is chop the roots up and you end up with ten times more weeds the next year best to dig it with a fork and get as much root out as you can

I've got a rotovator and I still find it quicker and easier to dig by hand it just takes me from Boxing day till April at about a hour a visit

[welovemarmite]

oh no...... i can see bad backs ahead....

[sjp]

oh no...... i can see bad backs ahead....

digging the garden/allotment is one of the few things that frees my back up

think of it as a marathon not a sprint do a bit at a time dig a couple of rows stop dig a couple of rows stop have a cupper then carry on. if you don't feel like digging leave it till next time don't force it else you end up resenting the plot you've got till March to knock it into shape

[chickencam]

I agree about the perenial weeds multiplying with a rotovator, but we just couldn't manage our allotment without one. We have a big old Howard 350 and it is the best thing we have bought allotment wise. It is grat for chopping vegetation back into the soil, we have very sandy soil that needs all of the organic matter that it can get. We do a lot of forking out of roots too, but we grow things like potatoes, carrots and onions on quite a large scale and are self sufficient in these things, so the help of a machine is invaluable for us. We also have a furrow maker for planting potatoes, and the rotovator leaves us with nice fine soil for earthing up too.

[MedusA]

Congratulations batcatz. You won't regret it!

 

If you like broad beans, they can be planted between now and November for an early crop in May - June next year.

I'm just about to plant my broad beans. Aquadulce Claudia are the best variety for autumn planting. That said, I lost my autumn planted ones last winter due to the prolonged cold spell.

 

Shallots can go in in late January and you can get overwintering onion sets, but I have not had any success with these.

Autumn planted onions are the only ones I have any success with.

 

What works for one doesn't always work for another. Trial and error are the best teachers when it comes to finding what works on your plot.

 

I am in total agreement about not rotovating. We asked for our plot not to be sprayed with weedkiller or rotovated as we wanted to be organic. The council didn't spray but rotovated on a day we weren't there to stop them!

 

We're still digging out couch grass nearly 5 years later.

[welovemarmite]

Ours is in a really bad state. Its the really rough bit at the end of the field and is about a foot high.....

[welovemarmite]

i got the phone call yesterday to say my plot is now ready. Well to say its pegged out with canes and the farmer has strimmed the grass. Off down there at the weekend to see what to do. I have my planting list ready, so now need to spend until spring trying to get the ground ready. When we looked before it was very co"Ooops, word censored!" grass and thistles.... I may have to put weed killer down to start with just to get going, although we will keep some of the co"Ooops, word censored!" grass to make paths between beds.