♪♪♪ Half an allotment is better than ... ♪♪♪

Hi Balcony,
First welcome to the wonderful world of allotmenteering! Lol
It's a bit early yet to be planting anything really. Potatoes, I don't plant until at least the end of March but keep a good eye on the weather forecasts for possible frosts. The same for tomatoes and peppers. Do you have a greenhouse or are you growing them outside? (There are varieties that will grow better outdoors than others which need a lot more heat, also keep an eye on them and if you see ANY signs of brown appearing, get them out of the soil and into the incinerator as soon as possible as it is blight and can wipe out all of your plants in a matter of hours!)
Lettuce are very fast growers and do need a little heat to start so I would hold off on those as well. As for your fruits etc. I don't really know enough about them to comment but I do know I wish I had some in my plot! Lol

I had autumn raspberries in my previous garden. I used to cut the old canes off in the spring. New ones will grow during the summer ready to fruit in the following autumn. Good luck with your alotment. I hope you enjoy having it .

glad you have an allotment now Balcony good luck with all your work on it...

Avis, did you want to grow horseradish or just buy some root for cooking? If it is the first then perhaps I can help you out. PM me with your address & I could send you some roots.

Thanks for your advice, Ian. Tomatoes & pepper seeds will be sow indoors as will the lettuce. I'll keep the former indoors for a few weeks after they germinate & I've pricked them out. Although I have a "greenhouse" on the balcony it's cold one & will only serve to keep the wind off them. Nevertheless I wouldn't consider planting them in the allotment till end of April / beginning of May but on the balcony they will have to spend at least the days outside, coming in at night. I want them reasonably developed by the time they go into the ground. The lettuce should be able to resist the frost free nights out on the balcony & even go into the ground much earlier than the tomatoes & peppers.

Hywel, thanks for the advice on the raspberries. I'll have to see what Gerry, my friend from church, wants to do with them. Can congested clumps be dug up & split, replanting younger portions? Other than strawberries, I've never grow any other fruit!

Thanks, Holyeves, I hope to enjoy the allotment & it's produce later. I'll keep you all informed from time to time with updates & a few photos.

Hi balcony, Glad to hear you got a allotment, we just got ours, shed going up
this weekend, then we will get clearing it,

Good luck with your allotment.

Yes you can replant raspberries, It will peobably do them good to be thined out. I've always grown them. They are quite easy.

It sounds as you are in for a very busy time with your new allotment, just think of all the wonderful things you will be able to grow, happy gardening Enjoy!

Wow - a lot of work, but well worth it, Balcony. :-)

Oh, lucky you!! :-)

It will be a lot of work!

Pepperpot we will see about getting the shed put up very soon. We have decide where it will go & now we have to level & prepare the area & see what we have.

It would seem that you don't have one - or even 1/2! David. Sorry for you but are you on your town council's allotment list? There is generally a long waiting list. :-(

Today I sowed the first seeds of the year, some tomatoes, peppers & lettuces. A few plants will go on the balcony & the rest to the allotment, but not until after Easter.

Hi Balcony, All done shed up, I hav'nt seen it yet cant wait, going to allotment
tomorrow, had some gardening goodies for mothers day pressis, so they can go in the shed, ie--camping stove and kettle to make a cuppa, and 2 folding chairs,(do know when i'll find time to set on them lol.

Hi Balcony, All done shed up, I hav'nt seen it yet cant wait, going to allotment
tomorrow, had some gardening goodies for mothers day pressis, so they can go in the shed, ie--camping stove and kettle to make a cuppa, and 2 folding chairs,(do know when i'll find time to set on them lol.

I spoke to Gerry, the guy from church who is letting me use 1/2 of his allotment, about the shed & he told me that he was going to recruit another one of the guys & then between the 3 of us put it up. As he hadn't spoken to him yet I don't know yet when we will be going down. But I hope it will be during this week. I'm dying to get started. :-)

Hi there. I've got a tiny weeny alotment too, and last year was my first year.
I experimented with potatoes and totally agree with what a waste of space they are - if your space is restricted. The only spuds I'm doing this year are a few salade/new potatoes which seem to take up less room, the results really are soooooo delicious, and you can pick them and get rid of them fairly early on in the season - leaving space for other stuff to grow before the growing season finishes. In the mean time you could start chitting them indoors now.
Enjoy your alotment - I totally adore going to mine for the peace, quiet with nature all around me. AND for the results!! Anne

Thanks Anne for your comments any comments from anybody on what to do with my piece land would be most welcome.

I have sown some tomato,sweet pepper & lettuce seeds. When I checked the tomato & pepper seeds that are in the bottom of the airing cupboard today I saw no sign of them germinating - nothing to be surprised about after all they have only been in there for 6 days! It will probably be a few more days yet before they germinate. I forgot to check the lettuce seeds which are outside on the balcony, nevertheless, I doubt they have germinated either just yet.

I've made a few updates to the blog above & have now included a few photos!

So you have! :-))))