Cable Forum - Allotments

Cable Forum (https://www.cableforum.uk/board/index.php)

- Lifestyle (https://www.cableforum.uk/board/forumdisplay.php?f=22)

- - Allotments (https://www.cableforum.uk/board/showthread.php?t=33653511)

We have a decent sized garden and I do grow some salad stuff, Herbs and even a few chillies but as the dogs like to dig I find I can;t do much more without fencing off half of the garden.

So between myself, partner and partners mother we've just got a local allotment (within 2 miles).

We have the usual plans of onions, beetroot, potatoes, maize, salad, herbs, fruit but I thought I'd ask others if they have anything strange and unusual on thier allotments that might give us an idea or two especially as it's a full size allotment.

FYI: Unlike the clay soil in the village this allotment is higher up and more of a sandy based soil and ideal for growing just about anything and also with our field and horses we also have an ample supply of manure ;)

not especially strange or unusual but freshly picked baby broad beans are gorgeous - and don't forget baby courgettes with the flowers still on :)

You could try the Purple haze carrots from here http://www.suttons.co.uk/Shop/Vegeta...eds+157351.htm
Very sweet when eaten raw

Dgardener...please repeat after me "Carrot's should be orange!!!!!"

[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

You may be browsing for more exotic sounding candidates for your planting list. Khol Rabi sounds and looks a bit of a different vegetable to grow....do not be fooled It's a total waste of space and I nearly chopped off a finger preparing one to find that all it tastes like is a diluted radish. :(

Is there anything you're not allowed to grow on your allotment (aside from illegal plants of course)?

I was going to suggest strawberries but you already put down fruit.

My Dad is growing some to see how well they grow, and they do so surprisingly well. We have had a fair number of fruit of it so far on just 4 of these plants and they are so juicy and suculent its beyond belief. So much nicer than supermarket strawberries!

Word of warning though, don't let the fruit touch the soil (let it hang) and make sure you have a net over it to stop birds getting at them. Water and feed regularly etc. We've neglected ours a bit due to lack of time (and it was only an experiment) and they're starting to die off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joglynne (Post 34846129)

Yep i remember your cooking it thread... Just how many hacksaw blades did you snap in the cutting process?? :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob M (Post 34846133)

Is there anything you're not allowed to grow on your allotment (aside from illegal plants of course)?

The allotments act specifies that you may grow fruit and veg and also keep small livestock subject to local rules (Rabbits & Hens but not Cockrels) as the average size for a full plot is 250 sq.m or more there's los of space.

The main idea though is to supplement food you a person and thier family.

Here's a PDF on allotments in the UK
http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/ari/doc...ldersguide.pdf

I raised Kiwi Jenny from seed from my own vines. Several went to allotment holders who grow them over and around their sheds. This is a self fertile variety that produces hundreds of small fruit on second year growth of a rapidly growing vine that needs supporting on wires. Some plants were raised on wire frames to form a seasonal windbreak. They are very hardy plants which have ripe fruits very late in the year.

As per Gardeners World, late summer sowings of oriental brasicas will keep you in greens right through to Xmas if the weather is kind. Also green manures sown now will help clear weeds ready for next year's season.

A decent pair (or more) of compost heaps where you rot down all the horse muck and old vegetation will be a must, as will a water storage tank.

A good chat with other allotment holders will give you a clearer idea of what can grow, and will grow, and what won't! Plus you'll get info about any pests and diseases (our local allotments have been cleared of hundreds of blighted tomato plants last week... a tragedy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AbyssUnderground (Post 34846139)

My partners mother is a retired professional gardener so we're fine with all the technical side, We're also looking very much at ballerina fruit trees (they're short versions of different fruit trees like apples, apricots, plum..etc) which only grow to about 5-6ft tall..

The thing is that I don't mind over planting as any excess will get pulped and made into wine :):):)

---------- Post added at 10:20 ---------- Previous post was at 10:16 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taf (Post 34846141)

ThanX...

We've already got a good green manure mixture ready to be sown and the composts bins at the bottom of the garden are already full, gonna get a bit whiffy in the car whilst we get it up there though but once emptied we're gonna tranfer a couple fo the bins to the allotment.

Water isn't an issue there atm but we do have a few spare water butts up the field and there are lots of taps dotted around the allotment for time of non-hosepipe bans ;)

It's not a bad place we've found and is only £16 a year for the ground rent..

No sheds though but as we have a large volvo estate with trailer that's not an issue :)

ThanX to everyone or thier suggestions so far :)

Quote:

My partners mother is a retired professional gardener so we're fine with all the technical side

Sorted then! :) Me and my Dad are still learning a lot of this stuff so we're figuring it out as we go along.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AbyssUnderground (Post 34846149)

Sorted then! :) Me and my Dad are still learning a lot of this stuff so we're figuring it out as we go along.

Sorted yes...but gawd I thought I got technical when sorting out IT problems... Her list to ask the Alottments chairperson was about 3 pages long and covered stuff like if potato blight was in the soil to local bye-laws...

But if you're gonna start you might as well start right.

My own view is that I expect nothing to grow... So like the Chillies, salad, herbs already in teh back garden anything that does pop up is little tasty miracles :D

Our council provide some information for allotments, might be worth a look? Obviously all councils will be different, but I assume not *that* different!

http://www.macclesfield.gov.uk/stand...p?pageid=11721

There's a plot holders guide up the top left which may be of some use?

Security is a big issue in many areas as chavs either wreck crops or steal the crops. Near us, it was Poles and Czechs that were caught regularly stripping allotments of anything edible.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kymmy (Post 34846081)

Dgardener...please repeat after me "Carrots should be orange!!!!!"

Not really, unless you're a keen supporter of the house of Orange. Orange carrots were developed in the Netherlands in the 17th century. Before that, they used to be purple or yellow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot

Quote:

Eastern carrots

Eastern carrots were domesticated in Central Asia, probably in modern-day Afghanistan in the 10th century, or possibly earlier. Specimens of the eastern carrot that survive to the present day are commonly purple or yellow, and often have branched roots. The purple colour common in these carrots comes from anthocyanin pigments.

Western carrots
Carrots with multiple taproots (forks) are not specific cultivars but are a byproduct of damage to earlier forks often associated with rocky soil.

The western carrot emerged in the Netherlands in the 17th century,[12] its orange colour making it popular in those countries as an emblem of the House of Orange and the struggle for Dutch independence. The orange colour results from abundant carotenes in these cultivars. While orange carrots are the norm in the West, other colours do exist, including white, yellow, red, and purple. These other colours of carrot are raised primarily as novelty crops.