Allotmenting for Beginners part 1 - Winter

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Allotmenting for Beginners

"The what, when and how.”

Winter

• Preparing your ground.
• Crop Rotation.
• Manure – Fertilizers- Lime.
• Question and Answer session.

Introduced and run by Gordon Powell, Plot 20

What I am likely to say this afternoon is not the only way of doing things on the allotment but have worked for me over many years of growing on my allotments.

Just to say any time you see me on plot 20 you can come and chat or ask advice. 

Safety on your allotment

• Spades and Forks – Be careful, particularly with your feet.
• Rakes/Hoes – Watch how you place then on the ground.
• Canes – Easy to poke your eyes or face.
• Chemicals (If you use them) – Store and use safely.
• Machinery – Common sense, always switch off when doing something like cleaning or emptying. 

 There is a basic first aid kit in the toilet.

Some very basic things.

If you are new – Try to keep the whole plot clean and cultivate what you can cope with. Its easy to think you can do it all like on the Gardening programmes ( Remember there is probably a big team doing it behind the scenes)  
That way you won’t be discouraged. 

 
What do we need for anything to grow.

• Something to grow in – Soil. In good condition.
• Water – By the way when watering give plants a good water every so often IF NEEDED.
• Food – usually by way of Fertilisers, more of this later.
• Warmth – The sun etc.

Preparing the ground.

All this is very basic but essential, but should be in our minds.
Digging – I usually do mine with a spade as this allows you to turn the soil over, it also allows air down to the bottom of the spit.
Use the whole of the spade depth.
Don’t try to take more than YOU can manage.
Turn the spade over with a twisting action to get the soil that was at the bottom of the spade to now be at the top.
Clean any perennial weeds out, but annual weeds should be now be at the bottom of the trench. 

You can also use a fork – Very useful when the ground is full of perennial weeds. You don’t chop them up and you can remove them.

Try to do as much as you can late Autumn – Early winter. This allows the winter weather to break the soil down and make it nice and friable ready for preparing in the spring.

Not too early as your weeds will germinate again.

Don’t do it when the soil is frozen/snow too wet (not sticking to your boots, as this will turn it into mud not soil).

Crop Rotation.

This is to stop diseases and pest building up and treat the ground for specific crops.

It sounds complicated to start off with, but simple to put into practice.

There are two ways usually – A three year cycle or a four year one. I tend to use a three year one.

Three Year Crop Rotation Plan

We’ll start our rotation year in the preceding winter – just to add to the confusion. Don’t worry, all will become clear.

• Plot 1 has manure added to it and this will feed the potatoes The nitrogen in the manure tends to make the soil more acid, which is fine for potatoes that like a slightly acid soil. The other root crops do not like recently manured soil
• Plot 2 has lime added to take the pH level up towards neutral (7) for the lime loving brassica family in the following year.
• Plot 3 is ignored, although a mulch with compost if available would be useful. 

Manure – Fertilizers – Lime.

Manure.

By manure I mean well-rotted farmyard manure, green manure and compost.

What do they do

• Feed the soil a small amount.
• Improve the structure.
• Increase the humus within the soil and hence its ability to retain water.
• Provide conditions that allow beneficial bacteria and organisms to prosper.

Well-rotted Manure can be obtained from local farms (see notice board) – if you try to be organic be aware of where it has come from.
 
Green Manures. 
 
Green manure are seeds that you sow at any time of the year on spare ground and they can do the same job as farmyard manure.

This is a subject on its own and need more time than we have this afternoon.

Garden Compost.

Basically this is garden waste that has rotted down by one of two method. Either getting condition right that the compost heats up and breaks down, or allowing bacteria and worms to break it all down. Be aware of putting diseased plant material in the compost bin. Keep it covered to stop it getting too wet.

Spread this on the ground at any time.

Fertilizers.

A very wide subject, but just like you and me we don’t prosper without food and water.

Basically the are three types of fertilizer, which come in many different guises.

• Nitrogen ( N ) – For shoots.
• Phosphate ( P ) – For roots.
• Potash ( K ) – Fruits.

You can get these that are Chemical or Non Chemical.
 
Each different fertilizer is usually quoted as the % of the three element

( N% P% K% ) for example :-

Growmore . (N-7%, P-7%, K-7%)

Fish Blood Bone. – usually (N-3%, P-9%, K-3%)

Chicken Pellets. - usually (N-4%, P-2%, K-1%)

Bone meal. - is a natural fertilizer source of phosphorus and calcium that is slowly broken down and released over time in a form that is readily available for plants. It has been used as a staple soil amendment by gardeners since its inception and is known for reducing transplant shock and encouraging the development of strong, healthy root systems. It also helps to increase winter hardiness in plants through the development of strong root systems.

There are many other types of fertilizer as you can see on the shelves, some organic some derived chemically and some formulated for specific crops and flowers. But we will not bog ourselves down today.

Lime

Overtime the soil can become acidic and would need to be corrected. The ideal is a Ph value of 7. That’s neutral.

This is easily done with what they call Hydrated Lime.

I tend to use it on where I am going to plant my Brassicas. A handful a square meter. (Use gloves). 



Want to ask Gordon a question?

Leave a comment and he will get back to you.