hi , yesterday we got our allotment after ages of waiting , yahoo!
went to see it and its a lovely lawn!!!!!!!!
do we just dig it up?
any advice would be helpfull
thanks
anne
Hi
I would just strip of the top layer of lawn (this you can lay grass side down in a corner some where it will make good compost when rotted down). Then if you are not going to be planting this year rough dig and you can cover it or leave it to the winter elements.
WE were in the same position in March - double allotment almost all grass - couch weeds, rogue potato plants with a nice mixture of tangled up nylon netting stuff over 20 sq ft. Anyway.. We decided where we were going (eventually) to plant our all out fruit trees and bushes- and our veg- compost- water collection barrels etc. Decided to leave the paths grass. All this gravelling etc is way to much hard work. An we sprayed everything else with roundup. Sounds horrible but it olny kills what you spray and it kills it all including the roots. Spray when its sunny and not breezy wear goggles and gloves and its OK. Just leave it and you will be amazed how easy it is. We also invested in a small Honda 4 tined tiller. Quiet, dead easy to start and handle and tills the ground beautifully. So light I can put in into the back of my Miriva no probs. I'm 62 yr old senior so I'm well pleased. I want to spend my time enjoying my allotment not getting sore back all the time with digging I enjoy digging but not on that scale. So now its August and I have beds with paths all outlined and it hasnt killed me. Fruit trees and shrubs all planted. beds tilled ready for some winter brassicas and I'm sorted. Dont make it harder for yourself than necessary.
I should say This will be the only time I will use chemical on my allotment. Ihope to grow without chemicals I just needed a head start.
thanks for the advice , but we now have another problem A BADGER SET. i looked up on the net and its illegal to disturb or do anything with a set grrrrrrr. going to have to ring the council today and ask them for a different plot , the set is huge taking up most of the plot , didnt even spot it until the guy on the next allotment said they had a big badger problem , we know its still in use by all the fresh poo we found (sorry to be gross)
so fingers crossed we get another one!
anne
How fantastic! a real live badger set, I know that's no good for you and your allotment but how amazing is it, I live in quite a built up area and although our allotment site is the largest on the wirral and it does have a lot of land, I've never seen a badger, really if you think about it how lucky are you, I mean we've taken out window frames, toilet cisterns, doors, worktops in fact you name it and we've dug it up, I think when our allotments were less full years ago they used them as a tip, but nothing as wonderful as a badger set lol.
I'm sure you will be given another plot and hopefully the next one won't be as bad as this one{grass wise} but I'd be inclined to just sit and watch out the set and maybe get some photos of the badgers, It maynot seem it and I know you must be dissappointed not to be able to get on with your allotment but I think you are very lucky to be so close to the natural, beautiful wildlife of our country, I still get excited when the robins come to visit me on my plot lol and I followed a very large cat for an hour one evening because I thought it was a fox lol. I'd just say enjoy the badgers because I don't think it will be long before we don't have any left in their natural enviroment.
i may just try and get some pics while waiting for our another allotment to come up. if i manage to get any ill post on here.
we are dissapointed as we had waited ages for this plot , but good things come to those who wait!!! i guess, eventually lol
we dont really live in that much of a rural area but ther does seem to be a lot of wildlife .
that would be amazing, badgers are beautiful, I have lot's of pictures of the robin and other birds, butterflies oh and slugs lol.
I think slugs are getting ready for world domination there are millions of them lol,
we were really lucky getting our plot when we did as when I went at the end of march to choose it, I had the choice of about 6 yet only 3 or 4 months after that the waiting list began and now there are 14 people on the list, and some of the really overgrown plots can't even be cleared until september october time because of wildlife that may be living there. I must admit though I've had my plot 5 months now and I haven't seen any badgers or rabbits, I told you about my fox didn't I lol, I did see a mouse once and the pond is teeming with wildlife.
well wellytobelly i havnt lol'd so much in ages , you should have your own site!
we have slugs too in the KITCHEN as i found out one bleary eyed morning in bare feet!
will probably take us ages to get another plot now we had been waiting since easter(guess tnats not long really)
We are so lucky, we have just been allocated an allotment and the council dig it over for us to start with. Nice to hear that you have badgers in your allotments. I haven't noticed any wildlife in ours yet. Give it time though I expect we will be over-run by snails!
Well done and good luck, Dizzygoth. I've heard about allotments where councils rotivate the plots for new users - sounds fantastic and saves a lot of back-breaking work.
Anyone know what earthly purpose slugs actually have? Apart from sneaking around in places they aren't welcome in the dark. I collect them up each morning before I push off to earn my crust. As intent as I am on thwarting their attempts at world domination I can't bring myself to do more than deposit the days pickings in the field over the road.
For anyone plagued by slugs though you might want to try making some effective but cost free slug traps:- cut the base off a plastic water bottle at roughly three to four inches up from the bottom. Then cut the top off the bottle just about where the neck of it curves so the diameter is just fractionally smaller than the base you have cut off. Discard the centre portion of the bottle. Turn the cut off bottleneck part upside down so it resembles a funnel. Push it into the bottle base but not so deep as to allow the screwtop hole to touch the bottom. Put a bit of vegetable matter or a little beer into the trap through the funnel top. Scoop out a little soil in your plot and push the trap down into the ground so it is level with the earth surface. The slugs will be attracted by the rotting debris or sweet smell of the beer and once in the trap are unable to get free.
You can remove them by pulling out the funnel top each day. Then you can reset the traps as often as you need to.
I have just got a patch and havent got a clue about growing friut veg and what i can grow and when. The plot is kind of dug with loads of old carpet over it. Any advice would be great to get me started as i really want to make a go of it. ANY IDEAS too would be fantastic.
Happy growing
Jodie xx
Take it nice and slowly to start with, survey your plot and get to know it. Are there beds already made for you to dig over? Has it recently been made vacant or like mine left for ages?
I would start with weeding it all and then start to plan your spring planting.
I am a new plot holder as well, so some of this might not be 100%
Just a note to let you know that we have removed the link to another allotment website that you entered on your forum post.
We are sorry to do this but we are all working very hard to make this website a success and feel it undermines our efforts if new members are immediately advised to go to another website instead.
Some of the things you mentioned are great ideas - an allotment calendar, for example. Why don't we all collaborate on our own calendar? We could set it up so that all Down The Allotment members could contribute tips and advice and make it a really comprehensive resource.
We hope you'll understand our view and continue to use this site as a valued member
I am going down my plot for the first time today, am excited and also nervous after a year of wanting to have a plot to grow the veggies we have experimented with on the patio is fab.
I don't know whether to just sow it all with green manure, divide it up and plant up just one quarter with Winter hardy stuff, what to do!
Everyone else on the plot has lots of veg to harvest and i have brambles, comfrey and weeds!
Any advice about starting off would be fab also i want to use raised beds, any tips on where to get affordable and suitable timber to build these as diy stores are mega expensive.
Thanks folks
miffy
New member just joined,
i have found crushed egg shells round newly planted seedlings or coffee grounds work to deter the slimy little so and sos. They don't go near the nice juicy seedlings over that.
Hope that helps.
If you want wood for raised beds and pallets for a composter, I would try your local DIY stores to see if they are getting rid of pallets, and for wood for raised beds you could try local scaffold companies. They sometimes get rid of split or damaged boards which have plenty of wear left in them for the plot.
Offline
Hi
I would just strip of the top layer of lawn (this you can lay grass side down in a corner some where it will make good compost when rotted down). Then if you are not going to be planting this year rough dig and you can cover it or leave it to the winter elements.
WE were in the same position in March - double allotment almost all grass - couch weeds, rogue potato plants with a nice mixture of tangled up nylon netting stuff over 20 sq ft. Anyway.. We decided where we were going (eventually) to plant our all out fruit trees and bushes- and our veg- compost- water collection barrels etc. Decided to leave the paths grass. All this gravelling etc is way to much hard work. An we sprayed everything else with roundup. Sounds horrible but it olny kills what you spray and it kills it all including the roots. Spray when its sunny and not breezy wear goggles and gloves and its OK. Just leave it and you will be amazed how easy it is. We also invested in a small Honda 4 tined tiller. Quiet, dead easy to start and handle and tills the ground beautifully. So light I can put in into the back of my Miriva no probs. I'm 62 yr old senior so I'm well pleased. I want to spend my time enjoying my allotment not getting sore back all the time with digging I enjoy digging but not on that scale. So now its August and I have beds with paths all outlined and it hasnt killed me. Fruit trees and shrubs all planted. beds tilled ready for some winter brassicas and I'm sorted. Dont make it harder for yourself than necessary.
I should say This will be the only time I will use chemical on my allotment. Ihope to grow without chemicals I just needed a head start.
Best of luck
thanks for the advice , but we now have another problem A BADGER SET. i looked up on the net and its illegal to disturb or do anything with a set grrrrrrr. going to have to ring the council today and ask them for a different plot , the set is huge taking up most of the plot , didnt even spot it until the guy on the next allotment said they had a big badger problem , we know its still in use by all the fresh poo we found (sorry to be gross)
so fingers crossed we get another one!
anne
How fantastic! a real live badger set, I know that's no good for you and your allotment but how amazing is it, I live in quite a built up area and although our allotment site is the largest on the wirral and it does have a lot of land, I've never seen a badger, really if you think about it how lucky are you, I mean we've taken out window frames, toilet cisterns, doors, worktops in fact you name it and we've dug it up, I think when our allotments were less full years ago they used them as a tip, but nothing as wonderful as a badger set lol.
I'm sure you will be given another plot and hopefully the next one won't be as bad as this one{grass wise} but I'd be inclined to just sit and watch out the set and maybe get some photos of the badgers, It maynot seem it and I know you must be dissappointed not to be able to get on with your allotment but I think you are very lucky to be so close to the natural, beautiful wildlife of our country, I still get excited when the robins come to visit me on my plot lol and I followed a very large cat for an hour one evening because I thought it was a fox lol. I'd just say enjoy the badgers because I don't think it will be long before we don't have any left in their natural enviroment.
i may just try and get some pics while waiting for our another allotment to come up. if i manage to get any ill post on here.
we are dissapointed as we had waited ages for this plot , but good things come to those who wait!!! i guess, eventually lol
we dont really live in that much of a rural area but ther does seem to be a lot of wildlife .
that would be amazing, badgers are beautiful, I have lot's of pictures of the robin and other birds, butterflies oh and slugs lol.
I think slugs are getting ready for world domination there are millions of them lol,
we were really lucky getting our plot when we did as when I went at the end of march to choose it, I had the choice of about 6 yet only 3 or 4 months after that the waiting list began and now there are 14 people on the list, and some of the really overgrown plots can't even be cleared until september october time because of wildlife that may be living there. I must admit though I've had my plot 5 months now and I haven't seen any badgers or rabbits, I told you about my fox didn't I lol, I did see a mouse once and the pond is teeming with wildlife.
well wellytobelly i havnt lol'd so much in ages , you should have your own site!
we have slugs too in the KITCHEN as i found out one bleary eyed morning in bare feet!
will probably take us ages to get another plot now we had been waiting since easter(guess tnats not long really)
We are so lucky, we have just been allocated an allotment and the council dig it over for us to start with. Nice to hear that you have badgers in your allotments. I haven't noticed any wildlife in ours yet. Give it time though I expect we will be over-run by snails!
Well done and good luck, Dizzygoth. I've heard about allotments where councils rotivate the plots for new users - sounds fantastic and saves a lot of back-breaking work.
Anyone know what earthly purpose slugs actually have? Apart from sneaking around in places they aren't welcome in the dark. I collect them up each morning before I push off to earn my crust. As intent as I am on thwarting their attempts at world domination I can't bring myself to do more than deposit the days pickings in the field over the road.
For anyone plagued by slugs though you might want to try making some effective but cost free slug traps:- cut the base off a plastic water bottle at roughly three to four inches up from the bottom. Then cut the top off the bottle just about where the neck of it curves so the diameter is just fractionally smaller than the base you have cut off. Discard the centre portion of the bottle. Turn the cut off bottleneck part upside down so it resembles a funnel. Push it into the bottle base but not so deep as to allow the screwtop hole to touch the bottom. Put a bit of vegetable matter or a little beer into the trap through the funnel top. Scoop out a little soil in your plot and push the trap down into the ground so it is level with the earth surface. The slugs will be attracted by the rotting debris or sweet smell of the beer and once in the trap are unable to get free.
You can remove them by pulling out the funnel top each day. Then you can reset the traps as often as you need to.
I have just got a patch and havent got a clue about growing friut veg and what i can grow and when. The plot is kind of dug with loads of old carpet over it. Any advice would be great to get me started as i really want to make a go of it. ANY IDEAS too would be fantastic.
Happy growing
Jodie xx
Hi Jodie
Take it nice and slowly to start with, survey your plot and get to know it. Are there beds already made for you to dig over? Has it recently been made vacant or like mine left for ages?
I would start with weeding it all and then start to plan your spring planting.
I am a new plot holder as well, so some of this might not be 100%
Best of luck with it
Paul
Hi Paul,
Just a note to let you know that we have removed the link to another allotment website that you entered on your forum post.
We are sorry to do this but we are all working very hard to make this website a success and feel it undermines our efforts if new members are immediately advised to go to another website instead.
Some of the things you mentioned are great ideas - an allotment calendar, for example. Why don't we all collaborate on our own calendar? We could set it up so that all Down The Allotment members could contribute tips and advice and make it a really comprehensive resource.
We hope you'll understand our view and continue to use this site as a valued member
Best wishes,
I am going down my plot for the first time today, am excited and also nervous after a year of wanting to have a plot to grow the veggies we have experimented with on the patio is fab.
I don't know whether to just sow it all with green manure, divide it up and plant up just one quarter with Winter hardy stuff, what to do!
Everyone else on the plot has lots of veg to harvest and i have brambles, comfrey and weeds!
Any advice about starting off would be fab also i want to use raised beds, any tips on where to get affordable and suitable timber to build these as diy stores are mega expensive.
Thanks folks
miffy
New member just joined,
i have found crushed egg shells round newly planted seedlings or coffee grounds work to deter the slimy little so and sos. They don't go near the nice juicy seedlings over that.
Hope that helps.
Hi Miffy
If you want wood for raised beds and pallets for a composter, I would try your local DIY stores to see if they are getting rid of pallets, and for wood for raised beds you could try local scaffold companies. They sometimes get rid of split or damaged boards which have plenty of wear left in them for the plot.
Paul