I got the allotment

[watervole]

Got a phone call this morning to say that I'd got the allotment. I'm going to be officially introduced to it on Tuesday.

I went to take a look this morning. If I've found the correct plot, then it's in pretty good condition. The last owner just wanted to harvest his winter greens before passing it on.

It looks pretty empty apart from a few sad looking raspberry canes and some rhubarb, but there's little in the way of serious weeds (which I'm sure won't be the case for long!).

This has come at both a good time and a bad time.

I'm struggling under masses of convention work, but the physical break will probably help me cope with the stress.

It's a good time of year to take over a plot, there's still time to get things in the ground.

Once I've had a day or two to do some thinking, I may well take up various people on offers of seeds and the like.

Meanwhile, what jobs would you do late March/early April? And what would you do to the part of the plot that will have to stay fallow while I'm working on the first section?

Comments

[ladyoflight2004.livejournal.com]

Taken from this month's issue of Gardens Monthly:

Vegetable plot:

1. Plant out lettuce 'Tom Thumb' and cabbage 'Golden Acre Primo'
2. Place collars made from old carpet underlay around young cabbages as you plant them out as a preventative barrier against cabbage root fly.
3. Plant out pea 'Douce Provence' under cloches.
4. Plant out carrot 'Siroco', broad bean 'Aquadulce Claudia', and onion 'Mammoth Improved'.
5. Plant out the rest of the first early, second early and maincrop potatoes.
6. Plant out sweet pea 'Geoff Hamilton'.
7. Plant out onion 'Lancastrian' and ''Ailsa Craig'.
8. Plant out peas 'Purple Podded' and 'Petit Pois'
9. Tidy through any spinach crops that have been overwintered (this doesn't apply to you at the moment but it's handy to know if you ever do plant out some spinach.)
10. Sow spring onion 'White Lisbon' directly into the ground.

They also have a webside 'www.gardening.co.uk' and if you register (it's free) and ask this question there, lots of somebodies will come back to you with lots of answers.

Good luck and hope it blooms wonderfully.

[asphodeline.livejournal.com]

Best start would be to give it all a good dig over - if it's too much then do a half or whatever. If you can get some compost or "organic material" then it's a great time to put it on. A fallow area might be good for loads of potatoes or something that will help to keep weeds down. If you don't want to do that then cover the area - you see loads of allotments with carpet down! - to keep the light out and the weeds down. OR, plant a compost crop that you can grow on the fallow bit then dig in at the end of the year/autumn time.

[ang-grrr.livejournal.com]

I managed to get half of my plot productive in far less time than you which was because it had been previously worked. If you are in the same situation you are already ahead of the game. My basic advice would be not to rush and try and get things done quickly. The only thing I missed out on last year was lots of brassicas because I got myself sorted too late. Carrots, lettuce, peans and beans have a nice long season and can be successionally sowed so even if you miss getting an early crop you should still have a lovely full plot come summer. That said:

1. Talk to the previous owner and try an get an idea of what s/he planted and where. Also see what weeds he had a problem with. I didn't realise I was in bindweed central until mid-summer.
2. Cover the fallow area with tarpaulin if you can.
3. Take up any offers of help you get, particularly to dig over.
4. I planted my potatoes at the end of April and got a good result, overall. It's not too late to pick up seed potatoes from garden centres and you may well get some from other plot holders. Definitely get them in if you can, though. They really do clear the land they are on.
5. Start your tomatoes off indoors around now. Once again mine started in mid-May and I got a good crop.
6. Legumes go in around now, as do onion sets. I put my garlic in last week but I'm more northerly than you so my timing is probably a good two-weeks out.

I'm chuffed for you. Good luck.

[kevinrtaylor.livejournal.com]

Unless you want to keep the sad raspberry canes, I'd double-dig that area, making sure you get out every bit of root, otherwise they will try to take over.

A good way to keep an unworked area clear of weed is to plant a large-leaved low-maintenance crop. Maincrop potatoes are good for this, and so are courgettes or marrows. I'd go for the latter if you don't want to be digging potatoes out for the next few years - there's always one little one left behind!

[artw.livejournal.com]

No advice, just - that's very cool. Good luck!