There's plenty of advice to help you get the most out of your plot at Longton Nursery allotments, from seasonal updates to info on composting, cutting down on plastic and those pesky perennial weeds. So whether you're new to gardening or an old hand, you'll find useful tips here...
General Plot AdviceFor new members, basic advice on the essential allotment kit you'll need to work your plot can be found in this document:
There are wheelbarrows to use around the site but please return them to beside the Committee or Anderson sheds after use. We usually get manure delivered at the Longton Grove/Markwell Close entrance of the site on a regular basis. Wood chippings can normally be found outside the Churchley Road entrance.
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Seasonal updates for Winter and Spring
Useful growing tips and cultivation information will be added to this page throughout the year so check back. We have pulled together these tips for Spring and Winter:
Tips for Spring
Here are a few tips for what you can do in Spring to make sure your plot will be full of great produce later in the season.
If you’ve cared for your plot over the Winter and the soil is warm and damp, direct sowing, planting out and regular weeding should be occupying a lot of your time.
In Spring French, Runner and Borlotti beans can be sown direct (or in pots in a warm greenhouse if you have one) and plants grown under cover can now be planted out onto a good solid support. A quick look around will show you how other plot-holders grow their climbing beans and a sturdy wind-proof construction is recommended. Imagine how heavy plants will be when grown to 6ft+ tall and loaded with beans – better to build something strong to start with so that your crop doesn’t end up on the floor if we do have some high winds. Some materials for this can be found next to the LNAA shed along with other useful items.
Overwintering brassicas can be sown now, such as Kale, Cabbage, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Calabrese and Cauliflowers. Make sure you net seedlings to keep the cabbage white butterflies out and also to stop hungry birds from pecking the small plants!
Keep sowing salads (eg lettuce and rocket). Water them often and give them a little shade if you can to stop them bolting in very warm weather; a fortnightly sowing will give you plenty of salad over the whole course of the summer without having it all come ready at the same time. Courgette and squash plants should be planted out now (although you might just get away with a late sowing under cover before the end of May), with plenty of good quality compost in the hole for a good start. Sweetcorn raised in modules can be planted out, but sowings can be made direct now that the ground is warm.
Fruit bushes should be netted as the fruit is forming to prevent wholesale robbery by the hungry pigeons and blackbirds.
When planting up to the margins of your plot - especially if the plants are permanent - please take into account the eventual size and spread of the variety and the amount of space and access you need for pruning. Thinking ahead like this will ensure that there are no future issues with plants overhanging either the main site path or paths between plots.
I cannot emphasise enough that disposing of weeds in any way other than composting is a waste of resources and valuable nutrients that should be going back into the soil. If you have not set up your composting zone, an essential element for a successful allotment, now is the time to make sure you have at least one plastic ‘dalek’ composter and perhaps one ‘drowning bin’ so that you can dispose of any weeds that you will be removing.
And finally, make sure you water your plants regularly, even if we have had a torrential downpour! Every day is best if it is dry, or at least every other day if this is not possible.
If you’ve cared for your plot over the Winter and the soil is warm and damp, direct sowing, planting out and regular weeding should be occupying a lot of your time.
In Spring French, Runner and Borlotti beans can be sown direct (or in pots in a warm greenhouse if you have one) and plants grown under cover can now be planted out onto a good solid support. A quick look around will show you how other plot-holders grow their climbing beans and a sturdy wind-proof construction is recommended. Imagine how heavy plants will be when grown to 6ft+ tall and loaded with beans – better to build something strong to start with so that your crop doesn’t end up on the floor if we do have some high winds. Some materials for this can be found next to the LNAA shed along with other useful items.
Overwintering brassicas can be sown now, such as Kale, Cabbage, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Calabrese and Cauliflowers. Make sure you net seedlings to keep the cabbage white butterflies out and also to stop hungry birds from pecking the small plants!
Keep sowing salads (eg lettuce and rocket). Water them often and give them a little shade if you can to stop them bolting in very warm weather; a fortnightly sowing will give you plenty of salad over the whole course of the summer without having it all come ready at the same time. Courgette and squash plants should be planted out now (although you might just get away with a late sowing under cover before the end of May), with plenty of good quality compost in the hole for a good start. Sweetcorn raised in modules can be planted out, but sowings can be made direct now that the ground is warm.
Fruit bushes should be netted as the fruit is forming to prevent wholesale robbery by the hungry pigeons and blackbirds.
When planting up to the margins of your plot - especially if the plants are permanent - please take into account the eventual size and spread of the variety and the amount of space and access you need for pruning. Thinking ahead like this will ensure that there are no future issues with plants overhanging either the main site path or paths between plots.
I cannot emphasise enough that disposing of weeds in any way other than composting is a waste of resources and valuable nutrients that should be going back into the soil. If you have not set up your composting zone, an essential element for a successful allotment, now is the time to make sure you have at least one plastic ‘dalek’ composter and perhaps one ‘drowning bin’ so that you can dispose of any weeds that you will be removing.
And finally, make sure you water your plants regularly, even if we have had a torrential downpour! Every day is best if it is dry, or at least every other day if this is not possible.
Winter Tips
Lots of people assume that because the weather becomes inclement in Winter and their crops stop growing that weeds will also stop growing - they generally don’t! Maybe they will grow a little slower but they will keep developing, particularly perennial weeds with deep root systems, so it's worth considering how to save yourself a lot of back-breaking digging in Spring by taking a few moments in autumn to ‘put your plot to bed’.
First, consider sowing a green manure on any open ground. This could take the form of grazing rye, crimson clover, mustard or field beans. There are plenty available, so do a little research and decide what might be best for you. The good thing about these plants is that they hold the nutrients in the growing layer of soil so that your crops can utilize them next year. In the spring they can be cut and dug into the soil, adding in valuable organic matter.
You may also consider covering your soil with a thick layer of mulch/manure, cardboard, a tarpaulin or a combination of all three. This keeps the soil warm and prevents it getting waterlogged. It also allows the worms to do their job in a slightly warmer environment and drag down any compost or manure you place on the surface. Make sure that the various layers are well anchored to the ground or secured with heavy bricks, stones or metal poles. Winter winds blowing through the site can be ferocious!
Even if you prefer not to do any of the above, your plot should be dug over and weeds removed so that the frost can kill off any pests or diseases that might otherwise survive over winter in the shelter this provides. Digging your plot over and clearing the ground will also help to ensure that any weed seed or couch grass etc is prevented from spreading to other member’s plots.
Please remember to secure everything on your plot, particularly items that are likely to blow away or make unnecessary noise, which will annoy our close neighbours. Putting things safely in your shed if you have one, or tying them down, is often the best idea. Remember to bring into a greenhouse or protect with fleece any tender plants if cold weather is predicted, and also remember that small pots often freeze and kill the plants within. Tools that are being put away should be cleaned and oiled, to keep them in good condition for next season and, again, are not harbouring soil-borne diseases/pests that may be inadvertently spread around the site.
If you have a greenhouse then you can also start off next year’s Sweet Peas, for example, to grow stronger, taller plants that can be planted out after the last frosts. Greenhouses should be cleared of the last season's crops and given a good clean with disinfectant to ensure that spider mites etc don’t have a nice home in which to overwinter ready for next spring.
Finally, there are certainly many varieties of veg that you could consider planting in the autumn, which will be ready to crop next spring. Japanese onion sets, American land cress, some varieties of peas and broad beans (protected with cloches or fleece), as well as kales and purple sprouting broccoli are worth considering.
First, consider sowing a green manure on any open ground. This could take the form of grazing rye, crimson clover, mustard or field beans. There are plenty available, so do a little research and decide what might be best for you. The good thing about these plants is that they hold the nutrients in the growing layer of soil so that your crops can utilize them next year. In the spring they can be cut and dug into the soil, adding in valuable organic matter.
You may also consider covering your soil with a thick layer of mulch/manure, cardboard, a tarpaulin or a combination of all three. This keeps the soil warm and prevents it getting waterlogged. It also allows the worms to do their job in a slightly warmer environment and drag down any compost or manure you place on the surface. Make sure that the various layers are well anchored to the ground or secured with heavy bricks, stones or metal poles. Winter winds blowing through the site can be ferocious!
Even if you prefer not to do any of the above, your plot should be dug over and weeds removed so that the frost can kill off any pests or diseases that might otherwise survive over winter in the shelter this provides. Digging your plot over and clearing the ground will also help to ensure that any weed seed or couch grass etc is prevented from spreading to other member’s plots.
Please remember to secure everything on your plot, particularly items that are likely to blow away or make unnecessary noise, which will annoy our close neighbours. Putting things safely in your shed if you have one, or tying them down, is often the best idea. Remember to bring into a greenhouse or protect with fleece any tender plants if cold weather is predicted, and also remember that small pots often freeze and kill the plants within. Tools that are being put away should be cleaned and oiled, to keep them in good condition for next season and, again, are not harbouring soil-borne diseases/pests that may be inadvertently spread around the site.
If you have a greenhouse then you can also start off next year’s Sweet Peas, for example, to grow stronger, taller plants that can be planted out after the last frosts. Greenhouses should be cleared of the last season's crops and given a good clean with disinfectant to ensure that spider mites etc don’t have a nice home in which to overwinter ready for next spring.
Finally, there are certainly many varieties of veg that you could consider planting in the autumn, which will be ready to crop next spring. Japanese onion sets, American land cress, some varieties of peas and broad beans (protected with cloches or fleece), as well as kales and purple sprouting broccoli are worth considering.
Dealing with Perennial Weeds
The pdf below contains some useful information about how to deal with the perennial weeds that you're most likely to encounter on your plot, such as couch grass, mares tail, creeping buttercup, dandelions and so on.
As daunting as they may seem, these weeds can be composted if you follow a few simple rules and set up some basic equipment. All that goodness can go back into your plot to help you grow more veg, not weeds!
As daunting as they may seem, these weeds can be composted if you follow a few simple rules and set up some basic equipment. All that goodness can go back into your plot to help you grow more veg, not weeds!
composting_perennial_weeds.pdf | |
File Size: | 55 kb |
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Composting Advice and Information
We encourage all plotholders to set up a good, practical and well maintained compost 'zone' on their plots, as this will help to ensure that any green waste produced on the site is well managed and ends up being used as compost to put back into the soil. Composting is a very important element of working an allotment plot, and is an essential part of successful veg growing. We'll be posting our own tips and guidance here later, but for now take a look at this RHS advice.
More useful composting advice can also be found on the Garden Organic site. The two short videos are well worth watching, especially if you are new to composting and are starting out by using a standard plastic 'dalek' compost bin. You may find that you need to use at least two of these on a plot to keep on top of the amount of green waste that you'll produce. You can order a basic 'dalek' compost bin from Lewisham Council and you can also sign up for one of their composting courses.
For even more composting advice (this is a topic you can never know too much about), this is a great article by Alys Fowler written a couple of years ago.
More useful composting advice can also be found on the Garden Organic site. The two short videos are well worth watching, especially if you are new to composting and are starting out by using a standard plastic 'dalek' compost bin. You may find that you need to use at least two of these on a plot to keep on top of the amount of green waste that you'll produce. You can order a basic 'dalek' compost bin from Lewisham Council and you can also sign up for one of their composting courses.
For even more composting advice (this is a topic you can never know too much about), this is a great article by Alys Fowler written a couple of years ago.
Cutting down on plastic
Cutting down on single-use plastics is a hot topic currently, and for good reasons. If you want to do your bit on the allotment, there's advice here from Gardeners World and this blog. If you’re using plastic at the moment, don’t throw it away - use it until you’ve worn it out completely. Many of us have plastic plant pots that should last years and if you have too many, share them out with friends and fellow plot-holders.