Newcomer says hello
Hello.
I'm new here and relatively new to allotmenteering.
I thought I'd describe my plot, its particular problems and raise a few questions about what to do next with it...
I'm in North Staffordshire and right now going through a very dry patch (like most places). My plot is 20m x 9m and surrounded by completely overgrown empty plots and unkempt margins/paths. There are people queuing up for plots but the site is in the middle of re-development so allocation has been suspended. We currently have no water supply so I have taken to putting two 30 litre kegs of water in the back of the car to just water the delicate seedlings – back breaking work and it only really manages to dampen the surface. I find that using established plants works OK as long as I protect them from birds (broccoli, kohlrabi, leeks, cabbage etc). Except for beans, peas and (surprisingly) lettuce, seeds really struggle to get going with dryness, being choked out by weeds (mainly thistles) and flea beetles. Onions, shallots and garlic have been very successful this year (and previously). Leeks and lettuces are looking promising. Strawberries have been good. Potatoes have been disappointing in previous years but have been a total disaster this year being eaten by something (I'm not sure what - slugs, wire worms?).
Anyway - we have a couple of empty areas since I’ve pulled up my onions, shallots and kohlrabi (not including the vast expanse of uncultivated land I haven't yet got to) and wondered what I could plant right now to use the space. I'm not sure that anything I plant as seed will work out with the dryness, the weeds and the flea beetles so wondered what (if any) starter plants might be available this time of year?
Any thoughts?
Regards,
Jon
There is not a massive choice of things to put in at this time of year, I would go for quick-growing crops, you have about 2 months of proper growing season left before things slow down. That means salad crops like radish and lettuce, or you could get some cabbages in (I bought small plants from the garden centre last year and they did well under nets).
Otherwise I would concentrate on enjoying your harvest and preparing the spare beds for an over-winter crop like garlic or broad beans which can be planted in autumn. You could try digging in some compost and covering over with old carpet or similar to stop weeds sprouting until you're ready to re-use beds later in the year.
Have fun.