Allotments on a budget

[Mumbles]

Not sure if they deliver but can't see why they wouldn't. Should probably have looked into this myself as I have to get my father in law to take me!


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[Dorothy rouse]

Home......e are doing 4 for 3, on lots of stuff, and also 120 L of MPC, for £7.00 ish, and cheaper if you buy 2, (sorry can't remember exactly)

The As.. MPC. Is good quality, on allotment tho, goes nowhere.

[Maddiesaur]

What a totally weird day! I'mg lad I checked my first and last frost dates the other day at the advice of someone here. I woke today to Snow and Hail hammering my windows, boo! Warmed up a bit now, but that of course means rain. Ach well, managed to get out to the shops between showers (being able to read weather charts has it's major pros ).

Picked up a pair of gloves, some garden twine and a hand trowel for £2 total.

Having put the word out at the beginning of the week that I was after a few bits, I was gifted a well loved hand fork, some toilet roll tubes, a milk carton, a mixed pack of herbs (8 types in total I believe).

As a random purchase, I simply couldn't help myself..

Sitting outside in a snowy bucket, shivering away and looking pretty sorry for it'self, a single raspberry bush grabbed my attention and I couldn't pass it by. I have no idea if it is rescuable or if I can keep it alive inside before I can safely plant it out in a month or two. I'll grab a pic of it and some details and head on over to the right part of the forum for that.

Raspberry bush cost me a grand total of 50p, since the vege shop owner didn't think it would do anything after all the snow.

First day up the lotty tomorrow and come hell or high water, I'm going to go. Unless it snows a lot.

[Maddiesaur]

Jake requested some pictures via another thread, so thought I'd pop them on here. Not uploaded any before so it might go belly up but will give it a bash.

Discovered some netting, bamboo poles, hooks, pieces of slate, some small seedling pots and some re-usable labels, which will all go towards saving me the pennies, wahay!

In the bottom bed we also discovered some Strawberry plants and looking pretty healthy they are too! They were half covered by netting so I did the best I could to recover for protection. The bed is pretty overgrown with grass and there are some larger stones on the ground too, so today I will hand pull the grass/weeds and pick a few stones off but for the most part, the bed will stay untouched (bar moving the Kale at the end). We wanted some strawberries anyhow, so this has saved us money too. Going to look at the runners and see if there is anything we can do with them as well. If on closer inspection later, it looks like we need to, I MIGHT try to track down a couple of fresh plants to pop in to boost the bed, I believe a few people on the plot had strawberries last year, so I might be able to ask around.

The other two beds obviously had things in them and there are a few shoots coming up here and there but I haven't a scoobies what they are.

The top plot is just one big bed with the grass creeping in at the sides, so that'll be edged today. I'm going to see if I can't find some wood somewhere and turn it into three or four smaller beds. Wanted to do the no-dig method but since that bed is so large and needs breaking up (into smaller beds) we will inevitably have to do a lot of walking over it. I'm going to mark out where I want the beds though, so hopefully I can reduce the amount of walking over direct bed ground. As previously stated, I bought twine but since I found markers and the like on the allotment, I won't need to buy anything in to help me mark things out and whatnot. Score.

After some tidying up, I'll use the bamboo I found to make supports and wigwams at the very top (north) of the plot for beans, peas, that sort of thing. Using the two lower (already marked out) beds for sqft gardening - or close to it, I'll half it length ways to save a load of measurement faffing and half or quarter squares in places. At the lower end of the northern bed, I'll throw in some potatoes, brussels, that sort of thing.

Right, pictures for you Jake..

[Maddiesaur]

Actually, in hindsight, would I be best leaving some of the grass around the strawbs for now? They are obviously handling the cold alright, we are just above freezing still at the moment. Will removing the grass open them up to extra cold damage, or am I over thinking? Also, should I be cutting back those older/last years growth and leaves, or is it a bit late to be doing that and best to just leave them be as is for this year?

[Jakejakeyjakejake]

Actually, in hindsight, would I be best leaving some of the grass around the strawbs for now? They are obviously handling the cold alright, we are just above freezing still at the moment. Will removing the grass open them up to extra cold damage, or am I over thinking? Also, should I be cutting back those older/last years growth and leaves, or is it a bit late to be doing that and best to just leave them be as is for this year?

Hope your going to take that kale home and eat it !! Waste not want not


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[Maddiesaur]

Sadly, only a few stragly leaves left on it, the deer (yes, deer) have helped themselves to most Kale on the plot over winter. I do know some pet mice who will be VERY happy for some fresh Kale, it is one of their favourites. So I shall be taking the leaves before digging it up later

[Jamesy_uk]

We get Muntjac deer on our allotment, this year I made it through without damage but last year they munched their way through some brassica's.

[Maddiesaur]

Oh deer.. Sorry couldn't help myself

It's Roe Deer we get. I believe the park rangers (Our allotment is on a National Park) are going to try to find the openings where the deer come through, failing that, we are going to look into some more permanent netting and fencing options I think. We just have to be very concious about the environment, being in the Park and work closely with the council and Rangers

[rustylady]

Actually, in hindsight, would I be best leaving some of the grass around the strawbs for now? They are obviously handling the cold alright, we are just above freezing still at the moment. Will removing the grass open them up to extra cold damage, or am I over thinking? Also, should I be cutting back those older/last years growth and leaves, or is it a bit late to be doing that and best to just leave them be as is for this year?

Remove the grass, and just cut off any dead leaves. They will be fine.

[Jakejakeyjakejake]

No work and the suns out that means allotment day whoohoo need to get the weeds sorted around me autumn planted onions and garlic then have my new plot to weed won't be long till we can put stuff in the ground me thinks


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[Maddiesaur]

Thanks rustylady!

Indeed Jake, a while yet for us though. Back down to below 5'c for us in a few days I believe. Though whatever is in the ground at the moment seems to be doing just fine and coming up regardless. I might chance a couple of early things and plant a second lot in early May, just to see/be safe

[Mikey]

Here's a use for the cut off bottom of a 2 litre pop bottle, it make a great cloche for a 4" pot. When starting seedlings off you don't have to go to the expense of buying special propagators when you can create you own mini ones. Sit them on a windowsill happy days, germination in no time.

This one is sat in my greenhouse for those seedlings which are a little hardier.

[polc1410]

It's Roe Deer we get. I believe the park rangers (Our allotment is on a National Park)

In Renfrewshire?

failing that, we are going to look into some more permanent netting and fencing options I think.

Or find someone with a gun (from my days in Renfrewshire there were plenty but maybe not the sort you'd want to make friends with!! Then you'll be all set for meat for a while too ;-)

[Maddiesaur]

Hehe yep! We are on the Gleniffer Braes Country Park site. It's beautiful