GYO Garden Planner

I haven't used the planner, but where to start isn't that hard. You don't say how big your bit of ground is, so its difficult to give specific advice, but the general principles apply anywhere.

First thing to do is to make a list of everything you would like to grow and how much space it is likely to take up. Unless you have a huge area you will almost certainly have to prune your list. For example it is better to grow enough peas to make several meals than to plant a dozen pea plants and get a handful of pods, so you'd probably need at least a 1m row of peas for a decent crop. I draw my plan out in pencil on a piece of paper so I can rub things out and move them about. Try to keep similar things together so you can at least avoid planting it in the same place next year where possible - the position of any sun/shade may hamper "proper" crop rotation as it does in my back garden. If you are planning to net things like brassicas and carrots, consider putting these things near each other so you can avoid having bits of nets in several places.

If you are planning on planting perennial plants such as fruit think carefully about access and what it is going to shade before you start. Some things, like rhubarb, start off quite small but get very big - my rhubarb at the allotment takes up 4-5ft square per plant when in full leaf, for example. Fruit bushes against a fence or wall can be difficult to get at to pick the fruit. You can get cordon fruit bushes or trees, which need careful pruning but avoid this problem. If you are unsure, it helps to put perennials in a large pot for the first year so you can move them about to find the best place.

I hope this gives you some ideas.

Thanks Penellype, it’s about the same as 1.5 - 2 allotments but not laid out in one block. I’m about to go and measure up

Is it for planning what to sow when or for drawing a plan of your plot?
"Planner" is not a word I understand.

Both really. I have this massive scary bit of ground to keep under control and I’d love it to look as nice as my tiny plot in the back garden but that would be a full time job ! I forget to sow stuff at the right time, forget to harvest stuff and basically I can see this becoming a stress fest, haha.
I did see in another thread, your idea of drawing the layout and then using tracing paper to plan the crops which is brilliant

What condition is this plot? How much work is needed before you can start?

It’s feral. I think it’ll be a couple of years’ work chipping away at it but I need a plan, and a picture in my mind of what I’m working towards or I’ll never start. I’m the sort of person who can’t function well without a list

I have a son in law with a spread sheet for everything, don't think I could ever work like that. What I do though is stick to a type of crop rotation plan so I don't grow the same thing in the same spot in consecutive years and I make sure I don't add manure where root crops will be grown that year. I just draw rectangles on a bit of paper for each raised bed/greenhouse border/ open ground plot, then write in each block what type goes where, e.g. tatties in that bed, roots in that, onions and leeks in that etc, but don't actually go into detail as to which goes where until I have the seeds in my hand and start scattering.

What is your long term aim?

Grow edibles, fruit, flowers.
Keep chickens?
Look pretty?
Somewhere to play?

How far is it from home?
Will you go there every day or once a week.

How much time do you have to spend there?

Does feral mean its covered in vegetation and if so, does it all have to be cleared or can some stay for wildlife?

Is it open and sunny, or shaded by trees and buildings? Are there any trees on it?

Too many questions but unless you have answers you'll be planning in the dark!

I also forget to do things in time Muckdiva, so I've got myself a wall year planner, and written up each month eg sow sweet peas in January, feed raspberries by mid March etc.

The planner is up in my kitchen, and I just glance at it to see what's coming up. Means I can have seeds sown at the correct time - instead of realising I'm a bit too late AGAIN!

I've set up a tasks app on my phone to remind me when things are due. Except, I've got a little ahead of myself and put in reminders for the house and garden that I haven't even found, never mind bought. There's a reminder to buy my first apple tree, a reminder to plant it a year from now, and a reminder to prune it in 2022!

One thing I find very, very helpful with my allotment is weed matting. I use it to cover the paths between the raised beds and if I have any bare ground I put it there if I can. It keeps most of the weeds down (except horsetail) and stops the cats from using it as a toilet. It means you can concentrate on cultivating a smaller area and makes the whole job much less stressful. Cardboard will do a similar job, but soon rots and lets weeds through, so if you can afford it, weed matting is better (in my opinion) as a longer term prospect. It is plastic though, unfortunately.

I've tried the garden planner software a couple of times but didn't really like it. Once I'd made a list of how much space different fruit/veg take up it was quicker to sketch out a simple plan on paper. I then made a monthly calendar of when to sow, where, how many, transplant time etc. similar to the one you can generate via the Garden Focused website (https://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/cale...rsonalised.php). At the end of the growing season I edit the calendar to incoporate anything I've learnt through the year.

Thank you all so much for your tips. I went out and measured up this morning and am going to put some of your advice into action, and remind myself it’s a marathon not a sprint.

I use Excel to help plan my garden. It took a wee while to figure out how to use it and I keep on modifying it, but so far I reckon it's helping me a lot.