Allotment planning – My Plenty Food Project

2019 review – the year I nearly lost the plot!

At the start of last year I made 19 allotment resolutions for 2019 – the year didn’t go according to plan (hence my failure to post any updates since March!) but wasn’t a complete failure. Before I post my plans for 2020 I thought I should revisit my resolutions from 12 months ago and see how many (if any) I managed to achieve.

So here they are with my current comments interspersed:

Reclaim and reconstruct my Polytunnel – had great plans for this winter but would be happy to get it back in place in time for Spring sowings etc

Ooh this is better than I hoped! I’m starting with one I can tick off as done! With help from plot neighbour Dave – well to be honest I just stood back & gave encouragement – the frame was fixed back in January, moved back to my plot and the cover refitted at Easter. And then refitted again a few days later after a Spring storm! But it was only in early July that I managed to get beds set up inside, filled with compost and tomatoes and peppers I’d grown from seeds planted out. I later added aubergine, cucumber and tomatillo plants that I’d had to buy in after my seedlings failed – long before they got to the tunnel. From an empty shell almost overnight it turned into a veritable jungle – and I had successful crops of tomatoes, cucumbers and tomatillos. We’ll gloss over the failure of the peppers and aubergines

Continue to develop and fill my lasagna beds so ready to plant in Spring.

A half tick on this one – one of the difficulties was finding enough material to add to the beds. I do save all of my kitchen waste (usually via a bokashi bin) & have also added leaves and weeds/old plants but still needed to top up with bought in compost -at a price. So filled a 3-4 this way and gave me some crops but still have another few that are still empty.

Complete layout of paths with addition of wood chips and add more chippings to existing paths

Back in March I was making good progress with this as there were quantities of wood chips on site and I was taking several barrowloads each time I was there – but so were other folk so the pile soon diminished. Did cover some new areas but sourcing new supplies of wood chips (preferably for free!) is a current priority as my need has increased.

Sort out seeds into monthly sowing order (today!) and resolve to keep tidy and organised throughout the year

A two part-pledge and I achieved the first part but have sadly failed on keeping them organised throughout the year. I ended up with seeds everywhere as moved them from home to shed to allotment etc. And finally a disaster when a leak in my polytunnel ruined about a dozen packets in an open container 😦

Complete garden planner and check measurements etc as I finalise positions of beds and paths. Resolve to maintain the planner and update with any changes of locations of planting – I lost a few plants this year 😉 Use to plan second crops and intercropping.

Oh dear – more good intentions! Limited time and headspace – mainly as a result of the acquisition of Carrot (a dog not a pet vegetable!) have led me into haphazard plantings and not sticking to my plans. But even more problematic has not been recording accurately where I have planted out seedlings. Note to self – must do better!

Resolve to accurately label seeds and plants – at all stages of the growing process. All brassicas look the same to me until they start to reach maturity!

Almost a tick for this one – I diligently labelled all seedlings and kept good control whilst they were in my shed and lean-to at home. But have had some problems on the plot – either because I’ve lost labels or because I seem to have failed to always use a permanent pen on my wooden labels.

Reduce use of plastics

I do reuse all my pots and have also used old yoghurt pots etc. Also made some pots out of newspaper (they do dry out v quickly!). Still using wooden plant labels – cheapest ones I’ve found are sold as tongue depressors!

Reduce costs by recycling as many materials as possible.

A big tick on this one. At times my plot has looked like a junkyard with all the foraged items I had accumulated from abandoned plots and also the school next door which is being refurbished. Still need to convert some items into usable structures. And I compost everything I can. Could do more perhaps to get compostable material from neighbours – they seem to give me some and then stop! Do acquire cardboard for mulching on a regular basis- can get some from a nearby shop but transport has been a little difficult lately.

Reduce long-term costs and workload by planting as many perennials as possible. Develop an area of food-forest on the plot and try to source as many plants from swaps and cuttings as possible.

A work in progress! In April I took on another half-plot next to mine and my intention was/is that I would treat this as my perennial food forest area and use my existing plot for the polytunnel, annuals etc. It all started well as the site had allegedly been cleared of brambles but I turned down the offer of rotavation as I strongly suspected there would be many roots of perennial weeds and brambles still in situ and rotavating would just spread them further. But before I could get the ground covered I took a decision that has had a major impact on my capacity to cope with my plots – at least in the short term. I adopted a rescued lurcher, who has been appropriately named Carrot, and hopefully in time will be an excellent allotment companion. But I had seriously underestimated how much input he would need in terms of training. For much of the summer I could neither leave him home alone nor can I get much done on the plot when he’s with me. And the result has been that the brambles are back! And so are many weeds including bindweed and docks. I am now having to arrange help and support to allow me to tackle these but its hard work and could have been avoidable if I had got ahead of myself with this new plot and could have spent some money on coverings.

Save seeds from as many crops as possible – beans, peas, tomatoes etc Reduce the number of new seeds purchased so saving a few £££

I did sow some seeds that I had saved last year – with mixed results! A few tomatoes, but failures with a pepper and squash. Some germination but then failure as seedlings.

Have saved peas – Kent Blue and Roi des Conserves – from this years crop and also beans and tomatoes and tomatillos.

Erect shed – make functional for storage of tools etc

Still awaiting construction of a base!!!! A priority for 2020

Encourage more wildlife including pollinators, natural predators etc by growing flowering plants, companion plants, bug hotels, and a wildlife pond.

Do have some flowers – marigolds, nasturtiums, sunflowers, borage etc which are good insect attractors. No bug hotels yet. And my pond is in (slow!) progress! In return for not having half-plot rotavated I cheekily asked contractors on site if they could scoop out a pond for me – which they duly did. It has filled up with rainwater which doesn’t drain out due to the clay subsoil so I haven’t yet got around to reshaping and modelling it. And it is now surrounded by weeds and brambles.

Use Garden journal regularly to keep track of what sown/planted etc

Have used my journal irregularly since Carrot came into my life – and the planner too. Am trying to get back on track.

Record weight of harvested produce – to enable tracking and comparison in future years

Ha ha! Initially no harvests worthy of weighing. And now not organised enough to do so. Will look at how to start doing this – maybe with specific crops eg tomatoes, potatoes rather than every lettuce leaf.

Make home-made pesticides from soap etc and use regularly against pests

Did this one! Made a spray from soap & used it on blackfly on broad beans. Possibly helped although seemed to get a rust infection afterwards. Cinnamon to deter ants has not worked well so tried nematodes in polytunnel with mixed results.

Sign up as a mother garden with Food Forest Brum and pledge to share cuttings of perennials I am trying together with surplus annual veg plants.

Not done this yet – still on back burner

Volunteer regularly with Stirchley Fruit & Nut Village – to learn skills, contribute to planting trees and forest garden in area and make new friends.

Started off well with tree planting and a grafting workshop but arrival of Carrot hampered this one.

Photograph plot and write regular blog articles about my allotment and other growing activities

Most I’ve managed are a few tweets and photos on instagram. Since Carrot arrived I’ve been under so much pressure just to do something when on the plot that I haven’t had time or capacity to take many photos. And its looked such a mess! Hopefully will start to improve in 2020!

Take time to sit and enjoy the sound of the bees

I’ve barely noticed the bees – although the ants are another story! But as I start to get back on top of the overgrown areas hopefully will be able to find solace once more.

So a some successes – and a few failures or put on hold for now. What the above doesn’t mention is the impact of my role on the allotment committee during a year when the council were implementing major works including construction of a new road and installation of a clubhouse and storage sheds. It had a major impact both on the actual time it took but also on my stress levels and the sense of enjoyment I had on the site. Thankfully the work is now (allegedly!) complete and in 2020 I should be able to give more time to my own plots.

Shedding light on it….

Tiny patchwork of seedtrays under the growlight

I may have jumped the gun too soon by starting off a lot of seedlings in February – seduced by that week of almost summer weather – time will tell. But my thinking was that if seedlings didn’t germinate or did but seedlings failed to thrive then I would have time to have a second try in March or even April. And I also thought that I may have my polytunnel up and running and providing a sheltered haven even for those crops destined to grow to maturity out in the raised beds.

The burgeoning number of seedtrays soon outgrew the kitchen windowsill and I gave over my spare bedroom with two very large flat trays covering the bed and those seeds such as peppers needing some bottom heat found a home on top of the wooden cover of the radiator. Despite a couple of failures (chives!) I was very happy with the germination and took great pleasure in stroking the tiny seedlings to encourage strong growth. But soon they started to show that what they really needed was light and they were growing at ever increasingly acute angles towards the window, probably not helped by worsening weather and greyer days. I took to carrying a lot of the trays outside during the day and back upstairs at night and then leaving some hardier types (kales and cabbage) in my lean-to which had some overhead light and a little protection. But the daily transportation of the seedtrays quickly palled and I also need to reclaim the bedroom for human use by the end of the month. So what to do?

Well as overhead light was what they seemed to be craving it seemed that a growlight might be the solution. I have to confess to getting a little confused by both the websites and Youtube videos I watched as to what size of light I needed. But finding myself close to a hydroponics shop last weekend I went in to see what type of lights they stocked and what they might advise. I don’t think most people shopping in such shops are actually allotmenteers interested in growing vegetables. I think its another leafy crop they are keen on propagating 😉 The shopkeeper was knowledgeable about the products but not so able to advise what was best for my situation. But I walked out with a large 125W CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lighting) bulb giving out 6400K (Blue spectrum light) for about £20. For some reason I couldn’t quite fathom it didn’t come with a lampholder and plug. I wasn’t sure that I wanted a reflector as thought I could make something suitable from cardboard and foil! But when I got home and researched online for an E40 size bulb holder and method of mounting the bulb it soon became apparent that a reflector would provide the socket, lead and plug and a means of suspension with handy loops on the top. So that’s what I went for with a side order of ratcheted cord hangers.

On Thursday it rained on and off all day – but what did I care? I spent the day sorting out my new growing room 🙂 Previously known as the ‘shed’ it’s actually a breeze block built structure and has electricity if no water supply. It’s got some free standing shelving and a fixed bench which I use for my potting. It also housed a certain amount of junk! But a couple of hours chucking out the rubbish, reconfiguring the shelf units and I had space for the light and for an array of seedtrays on the floor. The ratcheted cords allow me to hang the light at differing heights. My understanding is that it could be placed very close to the seedlings but I’m trying it at about 1.5m to give light coverage of the area I have. I’ll monitor it carefully over the next week or so to see if the seedlings are growing straight and staying healthy. Luckily my tidyup of the shed had unearthed a timer so at the moment I’ve set it to be on from 7am to 8pm but may make this a little longer. There’s a window in the shed which I can see from the house so I can tell its on and working. There’s also some glass bricks in the rear wall but I’ve blocked these off – I back onto a park and I don’t want to advertise that I have a growing room in case it attracts unwanted interest from those who think I might be producing something more exciting than green leafy vegetables 😉

I’ll be monitoring the growth of my seedlings over the next few weeks and hopefully if the weather warms up again I’ll be able to move them out of the growroom and into either my lean-to or my polytunnel (when I dare to put the cover on) before being planted out in late April onwards. If all works well next year I may be tempted to make a start with seed sowing even earlier in the year…….

Jan/Feb sowings

When it’s cold or wet outside there’s a limit to the amount of time I want to spend on the plot on preparation of beds or other infrastructure projects. And lack of forethought and loss of my polytunnel in the autumn mean that I don’t have a lot to harvest – now limited to cavolo nero, celeriac and parsley! So what other gardening related tasks are there that I can use to distract me from work?

I spent some time cataloguing my seeds (I’m a tad nerdy!) and then decided the best way to store them would be in order of their sowing dates. So I made 12 dividers that would fit into my storage box and dropped in the seed packets in the appropriate month for first sowings. For crops that I want to succession sow as soon as I’ve made a sowing I can just refile the packet in the following month and then it’ll be good to go again.

Last year I didn’t take on my plot until 1st April and had only known for certain a couple of weeks before that I was getting one so my early sowings were both not very early but also a little haphazard and not planned. I was then somewhat thwarted by a very wet April and a badly drained plot so didn’t get the best start. I’m hoping to be more organised this year and ready to go just as soon as I can.

I am a tad nervous about starting seeds in January and February in case they end up too far advanced before the weather is kind enough to plant them out. But hopefully my polytunnel will be finally in place and will provide a temporary home even for those crops destined to be grown outside in my raised beds or borders. But as I’m also nervous at my ability to successfully germinate and grown on young seedlings by starting early it gives me time for second sowings if/when the first ones fail. But one of the main reasons for wanting to start early is simply one of logistics – I don’t (yet!) have any heated propagators so my seedlings live on my kitchen windowsill and my spare bedroom. If I can get some of them ready to move on into the polytunnel or my garden lean-to before the main sowing months of March and April it will ease the pressure on limited space.

So what did I sow in January and have planned for this month?

Broad Beans – Karmazyb

Babingon Leek Bulbils

Seeds for February Sowing

Flowers too

Trying out nursery bags instead of plastic pots

Peppers for sowing in February

January sowings:

Babington’s Leeks
Leeks – Musselburgh, Stocky F1
Aubergine – Rosa Bianca and Black Beauty
Goji Berries
Kale – KX-1
Caucasian Spinach/Hablitzia Taminoides
Peas – Kent Blue, Charmette

February sowings:

Peppers – California Wonder, Unicorn, Grueso de Plaza, Bendigo
Chilli Peppers – Padron, Early Jalapeno, Hungarian Wax
Tomato – Brandywine Black, Purple Ukraine, Chadwick Cherry, Iraqi Heart-shaped, Green Zebra
Hops
Peas – Kent Blue, Roi des Conserves
Broad Bean – Karmazyn
Red Orach
Broccoli Raab
Celeriac – Monarch, Giant Prague
Shoo Fly Plant
Tiger Nuts
Parsnip – student (trying these in loo roll inners)
Welsh Onion
Crow Garlic
Beef & Onion Plant (Toona Sinensis)
Asparagus
Flowers – Aquilegia, Hollyhock, Echinacea, Cosmos, Zinnia

Most of the above are destined to be grown to fruition (hopefully!) on my allotment plot but some will go into pots in my garden. My front garden is very neglected and is mainly covered with small slates so not much growing. I’d like to get some more pots of flowers and maybe even some edibles out there too.

When it comes to sowing seeds I am still unsure as to how many to sow. I am still (overly?) enthusiastic about trying out lots of different varieties and hopefully giving myself an all-year harvest. So I may only want to grow small numbers of each type of plant but it seems hard to only sow 3 or 4 seeds of each type. So I’m not going mad with vast numbers of seeds but am probably growing more than I need if they do all germinate and grow on to suitable plants for planting out. But my intention would be to pass on to fellow allotmenteers & other growers. I may even get some swaps – and then have to try and squeeze them. But all that’s looking ahead. For now I’m just feeling content starting to see my windowledges filling up and the first few shoots from my January sowings.

Aubergine Rosa Bianca

Garlic chives

A growing addiction?

Laid up with a bad back recently (an unfortunate cycling-related injury – something went twang as I stood up after locking it up!) I decided to have a go at sorting out my seeds. Before I knew it I had opened up Access and was putting together my very own seed inventory and database – how nerdy is that? I was somewhat horrified to discover that I had over 120 types of seeds – is this usual?

I did only take on an allotment in April last year so I seem to have accumulated these packets in a fairly short space of time. And they don’t include the empty packets from varieties that I grew and used up all the seed this year. So where did they all come from? And what am I going to do with them all? Surely I can’t find space to grow that many varieties – and if every seed was viable I would have enough for a large market garden.

In my defence I didn’t buy all of them. My neighbour gave me quite a number of packets surplus to her requirements – many of them ‘free gifts’ with various gardening magazines. They were either varieties she didn’t like or types of vegetables that she had no interest in growing. I’ve had a few given me as presents – including a couple from my son after visits to a Cornish garden and Kew gardens. And they do include some seeds I saved myself last year – including two types of tomato I grew in the garden, pepper seeds from a green pepper my neighbour gave me to taste, french, runner and field beans I harvested on the allotment and several types of squash from fruit I’ve purchased from my local farmers’ market. But the majority I have bought myself either online from a variety of seed companies including small independents such as Real Seeds, Incredible Vegetables, Tamar Organics and Norfolk Cottage Gardens; or from garden centres and some bargains from the Malvern Autumn Show. Plus my six choices and a surprise freebie from my first selection from the Heritage Seed Library.

As I’ve added each type of seed to the database I have also been allocating space to the crop on my garden-planner. And adding the particular variety and any notes about it to the plant list. I intend to use the growing chart the planner produces as I probably couldn’t produce anything as good, let alone better, from my own database.

I’m reconfiguring some of the layout of my plot to allow for the hopeful restoration and resiting of the polytunnel and in the hope that I will finally get my shed erected. And I am trying to use the data about planting and harvesting dates to make some sensible decision about succession planting to make the most of the space and number of beds I have available. But trying to find suitable spaces for the sheer numer of varieties I really want to try is proving challenging! And I do have a nagging question at the back of my brain about how many vegetables I can actually eat! And fairly soon I will have to face the very vexed question of just where am I going to find space to get these seeds started – they’re not all going to fit on my kitchen window sill 😉

Is this normal – or am I becoming a secret hoarder of seeds? Am I making a newbie error behaving like a kid in a sweetie shop? Will I regret the error of my ways when I start looking closely at the sow-by dates? Answers on a postcard please….. 😉