Allotment offer

[veggiechicken]

Congratulations!! Look forward to seeing some piccies

[anton002]

update



Well i have had the plot for two weeks now ,got as much done as possible around work commitments.

The greenhouse i managed to get for £15 ,its not the best but it will do the job ,im planning on raised bed throughout the plot.

Ive done the first bed as a square foot bed so i can atleast get moving on things and get a few different crops in the ground,also planted out some runner beans with more to follow ,felt i would stage plant them to try and get a steady crop rather than a glut.

As you can see in the last picture the plot wasn't in that great condition when i got it ,loads of weeding to do still and it feels like ive been doing it since christmas already.

Any ideas or feedback much appreciated.

Thanks

Anthony

[veggiechicken]

Looking good Anton. You've done a lot!
If you want to post your photos up the right way, have a read of this thread http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ml#post1342262
Basically, either take your photos horizontally or crop the vertical ones - otherwise they appear on their sides.

[Martin H]

Nice job so far. Best at this stage to focus on how far you've come, not so much on how much more there is to do!

For the runner beans, I'd recommend planting them all (weather permitting). If you keep on picking they will keep on producing, so you are just reducing the total harvest by delaying (potentially).

Raised beds take quite a while to build and cost time and money to fill, so I would suggest trying stuff directly in the soil where feasible this season. For instance you could get some job lots of cut price seed potatoes in right now, a bit of rough clearance, bung em in and let them fight some of the weeds. Perfection can come later!

[WendyC]

Looking good! Can I ask - how do you reach the middle of your square foot? It must be quite a stretch. Most people who use raised beds seem to make them about 4' wide.

[anton002]

Thanks for the replies guys

Vc - im going to take all future photos landscape on my phone ,this should solve it i hope

Martin - ive been told Rome wasn't built in a day twice this week ,but i'm that type of person i want everything done now lol

Ill monitor the runners i have put out and if all seems fine i will plant the rest out this week ,to be honest they will have to go out anyway i think as once they start growing they certainly don't hang around.

Im going to build the next raised bed tomorrow( as i have the materials, soil and compost to fill it) and then im going to get some things planted in the bed down at the bottom of the plot which is clear ,going to look into the potato idea also.

Wendy - Its a stretch but i'm pretty athletic ,worst case scenario i lean a plank of wood across the bed that i can lean one hand on

[Jay-ell]

Anton your plot is coming on nicely. I would struggle with the width of the bed (mine are 4' wide). It may be a bit of a stretch now - what's it going to be like when it's all planted out and you can't plonk your wood any where without crushing things. Even worse if you have to weave your arm around tallish crops.

Im building my plot up as well at the moment. Im only focusing on two things - the bit I'm working on now and the bit I've already done.

Crop rotation is basically out this year but as I have no idea as to what was grown where (apart from the alliums, brassicas and potatoes - all of which appear to have been grown in every bed) I don't think that this is a big problem.

And a greenhouse for £15 - you'd be pushed to get a blow away for that.

By the way- the runner beans you've planted out already will probably need to be beaten to death come November so staggered planting won't extend the season (unless the first planting gets done by an unseasonally late frost)

[anton002]

Well ive been on holiday so progress slowed slightly ,ive planted some courgettes at the bottom of the plot ,toms are potted into there final tubs and in the greenhouse ,some of the salad ,spring onions ,spinach etc is doing well and ive got lots of seedlings to get into that bed over the next week.The most progress is probably the second raised bed still lots of beds to build tho.

Oh and i forgot to mention the free shed i picked at the bottom of the plot

[Ding Dang Doo]

Well done Anton,

Your plot is coming on nicely...

I can totally relate to the 'do I take this plot' or not, predicament - I was in a similar position - the one I have excepted is not a 'forever' plot by a long way, but ANYTHING has to be easier after the one I've taken on!

Looking forward to see how yours progresses, I'm quite away behind on planting, and know I'm restricted a little now, but I'd rather be growing something than nothing - but if nothing is what happens, then at least I tried!

Keep posting the updates.

[jackarmy]

Looks a lovely , tranquill place to spend some time Anton and that greenhouse was a steal lol and a free shed ? happy days