On our selection.

[redcollective]

Any other Aussies among us will get the Dad and Dave reference surely.

- anyhow - we just heard from our local allotment that we have been allocated a 1/4 plot - it's not much, and I don't know what state it's in or the type of soil yet.

Any other people got an allotment too? What are you growing? Any allotment photos?

We take possession tomorrow if we like it. I think we'll take it whatever it is and try and work up to something better. I joked with Mrs redcollective that I wanted to grow nettles and scotch thistles and fungi on it. She said that would make us popular with all the other tennents.

Cheers,

Stuart

[scanker]

We had an allotment for three years before we sadly had to give it up when the nipper came along - not really any time to go down and put the work in.

A 1/4 plot will be a good place to start with. We had a 1/2 plot for the first year and then a full plot. If anything I wish we'd stuck with the smaller plot - easier to manage.

The best advice I can give, is that given to us by one of the old boys when we started. Plant lots of potatoes. More than you'll eat and give them away if necessary. The spuds really break up soil that hasn't been used for a long time with minimum effort.

After that, we roughly stuck to a three year crop rotation on dedicated beds. Google or the HDRA will help with that.

Finally, obvious though it may sound, grow what you want to eat. Fresh sweetcorn can't be adequately described by me in type! Likewise freshly dug spuds. You name it, we grew it but personal favourites were sweetcorn, raspberries, rhubarb, mixed salad leaves French and broad beans.

I don't suppose our allotment was unique in that we were by far the youngest tenants but everyone was always keen to offer advice and answer questions we had.

Ask away with any specifics.

[redcollective]

Thanks for the tip about the hdra, I'd never heard of them before. Sounds like spuds might be in order then! Perhaps I'll get some seed potatoes sprouting now.

[redcollective]

Thanks for the tip about the hdra, I'd never heard of them before. Sounds like spuds might be in order then!

[scanker]

Just had a look myself and it looks like HDRA is now called "garden organic".

Two links on crop rotation:
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/gg19.php
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/croprot.php

Even though you may grow a few too many spuds in the first year - there's plenty of variety of potatoes to grow. I think First Early, Early. Main Crop and Salad are the groups they put them in. Someone at your allotment may be able to recommend a variety to try - for some reason Arran Pilot always did best in the conditions at our allotment.

Have a look at http://www.rivercottage.net and the forums over there too, also http://www.downsizer.net and http://www.selfsufficientish.com (seems down as I type this).

Also http://www.downsizer.net/Projects/Gr...ot_in_January/

[redcollective]

Great Links Scanker thanks for those!

[locum76]

i found this from an article on the native american 'three sisters' system.

could be a good place to start if you are interested in permaculture or polyculture.

"An ancient agricultural practice called “three sisters” by the Iroquois combines corn, beans and squash in a polyculture system. “Diohe’ko” in the Seneca language translates to “these sustain us,” and refers to the trio of plants. Corn, beans, and squash were important crops in early American agriculture. The three sisters complex was the dominant crop association of every tribe in the Northeast that practiced agriculture, as well as in many other regions in North America. Its adoption has been dated back to 1070 A.D.

In the three sisters system, the three plants compliment one another. Corn provides support for pole beans to climb, beans replenish the soil with nitrogen, and squash and pumpkin have large, broad leaves that protect the soil from moisture loss and suppress the growth of weeds. The prickly vines of the squash plants may also repel pests such as deer and raccoons. Numerous gardeners have claimed that when grown together, the three plants produce a greater yield than when grown separately in the same area of land. In the traditional Native American system, the corn and beans are grown on hills, which may improve root growth. Organic material becomes concentrated on the mound when crop and weed residue decompose, increasing soil fertility for subsequent crops. Planting in hills may also increase soil drainage and temperature, thus increasing crop productivity in colder climates and in poorly drained soils. When eaten together, the three plants form a balanced meal complete with vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and protein."

(http://www.ashlandwi.com/dailypress/...tory_id=212203)