I've bagged an allotment ! What easy grow veg should I go for ?

BADGER.BRAD

BADGER.BRAD

Suspended / Banned
Messages
4,252
Edit My Images
Yes
Hello all,

I have managed to bag an allotment on the opposite side of the road to my house , hurrah ! Just at the right time of year as well ! But what easy grow veg would you recommend ?
 
Lettuce, Brassica's, peas, root vegetables (avoid Carrots in your first year they can be difficult to grow if the to soil isn't fine enough). Leeks, but you need to start them off in trays.

Depending where you are in the country, you could probably get away with outdoor tomatoes. I have to grow indoors, too far north and too short a growing season.

You can always pick my brains, ex professional Horticulturist, so the 4 years at college has left me with a tad of knowledge, if I haven't forgotten it by now!
 
Speak to one of the current allotments holders about what to grow and when. The type of soil makes a lot of difference so only very local knowledge is useful.

Dave
 
Radish. Plant a small area every 2 weeks. They will give you your very first taste of allotment food and keep going all summer.

Whatever you do don't grow onions. You would get a great crop of ones that taste exactly like the shop ones just when shop ones are cheap. Grow stuff you like and can't buy.
 
Spuds will do some of the digging for you and you can help the process at harvest time.

As Dave says, ask the other allotmenteers what grows well on the plots - no point in trying to grow something that needs acid soil in an alkaline soil and vice versa.

Beans would get a row or 3 if I had a plot too. Courgettes are a favourite here too but we're away when they're at peak fruiting so they'd go to waste. Raspberries or similar.
 
Thanks everyone for the advise, most of the other people are full time allotmentiers ( new word) as for one reason or another they do not work, so for me my main aim is easy and low maintenance. I may well take you up on yours offer Mr Humphrey and will of course speak to some of the other holders.

Thanks all Brad

​

​

 
I was as happy as the OP, until it came to crop time , Apples pears figs all stolen and I mean stolen , Not one left for me.
I gave up the plot as it was pointless for me , other plot holders suffered as well , The plot manager commented " It happens " and was not prepared to do anything about it ,
 
I have had a small plot for a couple of years and have had success with:

Potatoes
Beans
Dwarf French beans
Peas
Carrots
Radish
Beetroot
Cauliflowers*
Swede
Broccoli *
Leeks
Pumpkins(with extra compost)
Lettuce
Cabbage
Cucumbers
Chillis
Rhubarb

*harvest earlier than you think as they turn suddenly.

Lots of people do well with marrows and courgettes so I don’t bother in the small space we have as everyone else can’t give them away fast enough when in season…

Tomatoes all had blight which seems to be a big issue on our site, so we are sticking to the greenhouse at home now.

I tried gooseberry’s but later found out it’s the wrong soil type.

Onions and garlics haven’t done well for us.

Last year we suffered massively with giant Spainish slugs and some crops took 3 or 4 attempts to get established and in the end we had to resort to pellets and nematodes to get anything to grow. This year I am automatically working on starting batch’s of seeds off two to three weeks apart as an insurance policy.

Do ask the established plot holders about garden centres, two of the local 6 are very good on almost always having reduced to clear veg crops if you can plant them quickly.

Greenhouses and polytunnels seem to be go big or go home due to the wind speeds on the open spaces of an allotment site.

Overall it hasn’t saved us any money but the quality and taste is far better than the supermarkets.
 
If you can be arsed to make a bed for carrots, straight out the ground are fantastic but pick them each day when you want some as they don't keep the flavour. Celeriac grew well - sauté with butter/etc. Peas, beans, garlic, new potatoes especially when I dug in some manure from the local agri college and stables. Don't sow all at once or you'll get a glut.

But oh the weeds. Think about weed control! There was always mutterings about plot holders who didn't clear weeds like the association would like.
 
F1.2 said:
I was as happy as the OP, until it came to crop time
Click to expand...
I have heard of these horror stories of vandalism and theft in the past on generally city/town allotments but luckily where I live there is a real community everyone knows each other and their kids on top of that it is over looked by my house and many others , The local kids are super respectful at the same time as this there is no tolerance of any scumbags and the few we have had never last long with the local militia booting them out of the village !
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone, The allotment although promised to me by the local Parish Council officially became mine today.I have a long weekend this weekend and then a week off after the next weekend so I'm hoping to have it up and running by then. I have a pledge of a shed, as much well rotted manure from a farmer friend including delivery, as much wood chip for mulch and paths as I need and have a source of pallets for making up beds and all this from a conversation with one person about me having an allotment which has spread around the local community.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top