heading off to see the new allotment plot tomorrow. First time allotmenter, any pointers on waht to look for/do first/tools to buy.
Step 1 - get a shed......
Don't buy, borrow.
You will find most other allotment plot holders will be only too pleased to help you out when you start. Well if its anything like my allotemnt 😉
Just remember the 1st year is the hardest so pace yourself, if its well overgrown, tackle it in managable chunks.
Most used tool on my plot is a camping stove for brewing Tea.
If you have a choice of plots, find one nearest a decent water source is always a bonus, but apart from that, ennjoy..
Fork, Rotavator, flask, wireless with coat hanger aerial, gas heater, black sheeting stuff to stop weeds growing - a really good investment as first year our crop was taken over in weeks by weeds. This year we have tons of stuff.
DO NOT ROTOVATE until you've made sure there is no bindweed, ground elder, bramble, mares tail etc. on the plot. If there is, either glyphosate the f*** out of it or dig it out by hand.
Make a (rough) plan for what you want to put where, then start small - don't try to deal with the whole plot in one go. Cover the bits you're not going to cultivate with black sheeting/old carpet etc. to keep the light off, and just work your way through it as time & effort allows.
Shed goes without saying! The best ones are improvised/scavenged rather than s****y new ones.
is glyphosate whats in roundup?
aa - yes
Ask the other plot holders and get lots of good and bad advice. Buy a book that works through the seasons was pretty good for me. Got an overgrown mess of an allotment last year and am now enjoying bumper crop of spuds, onions, spring onions, corgettes, rhubarb, green beans and soon sweetcorn, oh and lots of salad. Im using seaweed off the beach as fertiliser and our allotment did get a grant for a load of compost. The local B and Q is also more than happy for us to raid there garden chuckaway for cains and pots etc.
Get a spade and dig, learn how to backfill!
One of the best books I have been giving was the Readers Digest - Food from your Garden & Allotment.
Covers everything from a basic garden guide on plants, veg, weeds ;-), growers calender, to a good section on home preserving & cooking.
You're a very brave man! First build a watchtower...
move your fence two feet onto your neighbours plot and then roller over their crops and snap their hoe
when it all kicks off point out that it was just symbolic of the Isreal-Palistine situation and hasnt really happened its all just in your head 😉
Allotments are a real life game of command and conquer!
DO NOT ROTOVATE until you've made sure there is no bindweed, ground elder, bramble, mares tail etc. on the plot. If there is, either glyphosate the f*** out of it or dig it out by hand.
This ^
We dug our plot over by hand (2 years ago), whereas our neighbour rotovated his. We have to pull out a few deep-rooted weeds every few weeks throughout the season, his is swamped by them. Any weeds that originate from tuberous or woody roots will also survive quite happily underneath sheets/carpets if you take that approach to try and 'kill' everything in the first year - they simply come back more strongly, taking advantage of the fact that everything else has gone!
Wise words also about starting small. Mark out some beds and dig them out/over one at a time. If the ground hasn't been worked for some time then use the frost this winter, and potatoes in your first full season, to help break up the soil in newly dug beds.
kick your old neighbour square in the balls before he tries to steal your land.