Anyone with an allotment?

🐭 vs 🍓

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Wowzers. Tayberry smoothie is banging. So red it doesn’t look natural.

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X-post from the other thread....

Anyone got a RHD discount code for Hampton Court?

Cheers

About a month since taking it on

Slow going! But progress

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A few first earlies. Arran Pilot, I think.

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Looks amazin

Fig cuttings from march seem to have taken pretty well.

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Also really need to find my strimmer battery charger. A third of the plot looks like a meadow.

Just planted 30 lettuces on the plot, hope the slugs were not watching

Bloke down the pub says oatmeal makes them blow up like Mr Creosote.

After a week away on holiday and the deadly combination of sunshine and rain the grass around our plot is going wild.
I think it’s time to get a strimmer to keep it in check.

Currently thinking about getting a Makita as I’ve already got a couple of their 18v batteries for other tools.
Anything in particular to look for or avoid when I’m trying to figure out what to buy?

If its just grass maintenance then tbh even a shit electric one will do the job. Battery makes life easier, so I think the decision is made for you - whatever Makita is in budget. Brushless if you can.

If you're doing a lot of brambles or large areas then it's a different story.

I have whatever the cheapest 18v Makita is. Is fine, will handle a thick nettle with a runup but won't handle brambles.

Recommended for 3ah batteries and does seem to work better with them than my 5ah, don't know why.

Ahhhh, the return of constant low level stress of finding an extra half hour in the day to water my plot… I’d forgotten this part!

Lifted some first earlies yesterday (Pentland Javelin)

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Berry feast today. First luffa forming and maybe first toms at the weekend :)
*not my nails 😅

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I emailed the council to be put on the waiting list for our local allotments in April, just had an email offering me a plot!

Gulp, I am excited and terrified. Where's the best "having an allotment for the first time for dummies" guides?

Exciting times!

Hopefully it won't be in too bad condition and there will be some things worth keeping, but I think the priority with a new allotment is to get it set up how you want it, so do any hard landscaping over the next six months, so it's ready for next spring. There's probably some stuff you can get in soon for the winter, possibly leeks, parsnips, broccoli etc., but I'd focus on improving the soil, so lots of organic matter, and getting your lay out sorted.

I'm not sure there is a one size fits all guide, it comes down to personal preference and trial and error.

We have friends locally who have a horse so organic matter shouldn't be a problem.

This is excellent advice and makes me feel less anxious as I now have a plan for what to start with. Thanks.

Location is key to growing anything. So a good starting point is understanding the orientation, how the sun moves, any potential light blockers, etc.

You garden with those nails and still have them, I'm impressed

They’re my partners nails and usually much longer. Really handy for dividing seedlings.

@Cazakstan great news about the plot. My only advice is try not to do the whole plot in one bit of its overgrown, just break it up into quarters or similar and don’t beat yourself into a pulp. Good time of year to get it as you’ve got the rest of summer for clearing and landscaping in the dry.

We’ve had some good news at our allotment. Good for us. Not so good for the others involved. Our plot used to be a full, we got 1 half. When. My wife wanted a flower plot we got another half. But it was in a terrible and over on the furthest corner of the site away from our initial plot.

The tenements of our other half have given up. So now our plots are side by side. So much easier.

Thanks everyone, I'll now go back and read the whole thread before asking 50 questions which have been covered before.. 😄

Most of us will have forgotten those...