Pay, plan, prepare
Three blog-posts in and I have finally spent some money. I paid the council and also the allotment association. Now I have the site keys I can really start planning.
Spend: £79.75
(£48.75 plot fee, £31 keys and allotment association)
Mood Word(s): Giddy trepidation
It didn't take too much encouragement to get my very obliging Dad (chief-allotment-helper), to visit the plot today despite the wind and the heavy, slightly sleety rain. We got soggy but he had the tour, including the kitchen and an introduction to the allotment association folks. I shared my 'vision' for the space and hopefully some of my enthusiasm has rubbed off!
I think in 6ish visits we can get it cleared. There is a petrol rotavator that I could use, but I am not sure if that is really a great idea. Perhaps it will just mix all the weeds into the soil and make it harder in the long-run. The rest of the planning has been focused on making a list of must-grows, and roughing out a plan of the plot.
Must Grows - loads of fruit, nice waxy small potatoes, nice big baking potato, small tomatoes (for mum), butternut squash, chard, cavolo nero, xmas veg, loads of orange flowers, garlic (also for mum).
You will see from the plot plan (at the top), and maybe from the spreadsheet snippet (below), that I plan to prepare three large beds which will be run in a 3 bed rotation. Bed A is legumes, Bed B is brassicas, and Bed C roots. What that actually means for the content of those beds is yet to be decided. I am finding it hard to work out what will go in the legumes bed. I know what belongs there in theory, but not what I want to grow and eat. I have also made the decision that these main beds (at least) will be traditional rather than no-dig; at least that is not how I am going to start the plot. Part of this is because I think the initial set-up of no-dig could be costly; perhaps after more reading - and a few months of digging - I will be convinced to change my mind.
There will be a little bit of an allotment break before I can get digging. The allotment association have some clearing up to do before we make a start. In the meantime I used Excel to make a plot plan. Each little square represents 20x20 cm, making every five squares a meter. Not being ready to plant has not stopped me from 'window shopping', that is opening lots and lots of browser windows and filling virtual baskets with things I may or may not buy. I got very close to buying dahlias today. Will see how long I resist on that front.
On the more sensible and thrifty front, I have made myself a spreadsheet to list all the seeds I already own. I have recorded information about planting and also if they are in-date or not. I have so many seeds in my collection, many of which have come with magazines over the years, and some of which I have purposefully purchased. I expect that I will look at testing some of the older and open seeds to see if they germinate before I put them into soil, and certainly before I throw them away.
What are your must-grows?
How do you manage your seed collection?
Dig or No-Dig?