Home News Forum Articles
  Welcome back Join CF
You are here You are here: Home | Forum | Allotments

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most of the discussions, articles and other free features. By joining our Virgin Media community you will have full access to all discussions, be able to view and post threads, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload your own images/photos, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please join our community today.


Welcome to Cable Forum
Go Back   Cable Forum > General Discussion > Lifestyle

Allotments
Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 02-08-2009, 20:11   #1
Kymmy
Inactive
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,398
Kymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny stars
Kymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny stars
Allotments

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
Kymmy is offline   Reply With Quote
Advertisement
Old 02-08-2009, 20:20   #2
homealone
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Allotments

not especially strange or unusual but freshly picked baby broad beans are gorgeous - and don't forget baby courgettes with the flowers still on
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 03:41   #3
dgardner
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Re: Allotments

You could try the Purple haze carrots from here http://www.suttons.co.uk/Shop/Vegeta...eds+157351.htm
Very sweet when eaten raw
  Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 09:54   #4
Kymmy
Inactive
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,398
Kymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny stars
Kymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny stars
Re: Allotments

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

[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]
Kymmy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 10:59   #5
joglynne
Born again teenager.
 
joglynne's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Manchester. (VM area 20)
Age: 75
Services: Maxit TV, M250 Fibre BB. Phone-Anytime Chatter
Posts: 13,693
joglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aura
joglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aurajoglynne has a golden aura
Re: Allotments

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.
__________________
"I intend to live forever, or die trying" - Groucho Marx..... "but whilst I do I shall do so disgracefully." Jo Glynne
joglynne is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 11:00   #6
Raistlin
Inactive
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: There's no place like 127.0.0.1
Services: Depends on the person and the price they're offering
Posts: 12,384
Raistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered stars
Raistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered starsRaistlin is seeing silvered stars
Re: Allotments

Is there anything you're not allowed to grow on your allotment (aside from illegal plants of course)?
Raistlin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 11:07   #7
AbyssUnderground
cf.mega poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Merseyside
Age: 35
Services: BT Infinity Option 2, HH5, synced at maximum 80Mbps/20Mbps.
Posts: 2,221
AbyssUnderground has reached the bronze age
AbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze age
Send a message via MSN to AbyssUnderground
Re: Allotments

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.
AbyssUnderground is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 11:12   #8
Kymmy
Inactive
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,398
Kymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny stars
Kymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny stars
Re: Allotments

Quote:
Originally Posted by joglynne View Post
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.
Yep i remember your cooking it thread... Just how many hacksaw blades did you snap in the cutting process??

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob M View Post
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
Kymmy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 11:15   #9
Taf
cf.mega poster
 
Taf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Kairdiff-by-the-sea
Age: 68
Services: TVXL BBXL Superhub 2ac (wired) 1Tb Tivo
Posts: 9,785
Taf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny star
Taf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny star
Re: Allotments

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.
Taf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 11:20   #10
Kymmy
Inactive
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,398
Kymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny stars
Kymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny stars
Re: Allotments

Quote:
Originally Posted by AbyssUnderground View Post
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.
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 View Post
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.
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
Kymmy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 11:28   #11
AbyssUnderground
cf.mega poster
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Merseyside
Age: 35
Services: BT Infinity Option 2, HH5, synced at maximum 80Mbps/20Mbps.
Posts: 2,221
AbyssUnderground has reached the bronze age
AbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze ageAbyssUnderground has reached the bronze age
Send a message via MSN to AbyssUnderground
Re: Allotments

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.
AbyssUnderground is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 11:33   #12
Kymmy
Inactive
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 18,398
Kymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny stars
Kymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny starsKymmy has a pair of shiny stars
Re: Allotments

Quote:
Originally Posted by AbyssUnderground View Post
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
Kymmy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 11:37   #13
Acathla
cf.mega poster
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,354
Acathla has reached the bronze age
Acathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze ageAcathla has reached the bronze age
Re: Allotments

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?
Acathla is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 11:49   #14
Taf
cf.mega poster
 
Taf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Kairdiff-by-the-sea
Age: 68
Services: TVXL BBXL Superhub 2ac (wired) 1Tb Tivo
Posts: 9,785
Taf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny star
Taf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny starTaf has a nice shiny star
Re: Allotments

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.
Taf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-08-2009, 11:54   #15
danielf
cf.mega poser
 
danielf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 16,687
danielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden aura
danielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden auradanielf has a golden aura
Re: Allotments

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kymmy View Post
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.
__________________
Remember kids: We are blessed with a listening, caring government.
danielf is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 16:31.


Server: osmium.zmnt.uk
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.