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How To Design an Allotment
GARDENACTION ALLOTMENT
How To Design an Allotment
Everyone uses an allotment in their own different way but when designing an allotment there are some key steps which are common to all good allotment designs. It may take a year or so to completely clear and dig an overgrown allotment but if you have a good design in your mind at the outset you will save time and effort.
The first step is to list all the plants, vegetables, fruit, herbs and features you will want on the allotment. The list can be changed in subsequent years but it will at least indicate the approximate sizes for each type of plant. You also need to classify them in groups (fixed or requiring rotation). As an example, our list for the GardenAction new allotment is shown below. This lists below show our chosen plants, yours may well be quite different. The important point is to categorize them as we show below:
FIXED PLANTS
ROTATION
VEGETABLES
Hard Fruit Soft Fruit Plants/Shrubs Herbs Tomatoes
Apples Raspberries Potentillas Basil Radish (sh)
Pears Gooseberries Sweet Peas Oregano Beetroot
Plums Blackcurrants Clematis Rosemary Lettuce (sh)
Red Currants Mint French Beans
Blackberries Thyme Runner Beans
Strawberries Chives Onions
Rhubarb Parsley Spring Onions
Garlic
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Peas
Features Carrots
Patio Area Leeks
Compost Area Swede (sh)
Shed Potatoes
The next step is to note the sun preferences of each of
the above. Most of the of the plants on an allotment prefer a full sun
position so we have marked only those that prefer a semi-shade position
(sh).
Name:
Shirley
E-mail:
Shirley Catalina@ hotmail. com
Date posted:
May 29, 2011 - 06:26 am
Message:
Hi. I moved house in January and also was lucky to get an allotment, where I worked hard to clear the ground and fertilise ready for planting. I have a variety of plants already in that have taken, so that the plot is looking quite productive but, I must admit that I am not far off being a novice. Therefore, any advice that anyone will share with me would be very much appreciated as I have always enjoyed plants from a very early age. I am chuffed with my allotment and look forward to reaping the rewards.
