Hello - I'm new and looking for advice

[ABBIEP]

Hello

I'm new to the site, my name is Abbie and i have just taken on my first allotment. I am thrilled with it and have started the digging over etc..can anyone give me any advice on whats good for a newbie to grow, or any other tips in general?

Abbie

[Milims]

Hi there and welcome

[seasidegirl]

Hi and welcome.

How was the allotment when you took it on? Many weeds?

[ABBIEP]

Hi

thanks everyone, the plot is ok. 70FT X 20FT and freshly ploughed, it has never been used for planting before and has been sitting as scrub land for years. We managed to level our plot and rotavite it but there is quite a lot of twich so i need to pull as much as that out as possible. We have dug a path out also so at least we can move about without stomping all over the place.

I'm hoping (weather permitting) to get down there tomorrow and build a composter from some old pallets and maybe dig some sharp sand into the soil as it is quite clayey

I'm looking for a cheap water butt...any suggestions?

Abbie

[fran]

Hi Abbie. I'm afraid I am not a lot of good as far as allotment advice is concerned, but I thought I would say welcome

[seasidegirl]

Depends where you are (the water butts). Local ads or freecycle?

[red]

welcome

[becks77]

Hi Abbie,
Welcome as far as water butts go best bet would be local freecycle (or Freegle as ours is called now)

[MuddyWitch]

Welcome to ISH

MW

[frozenthunderbolt]

If you have rotovatible clay then mix in as much organic material (horse poo, compost leaf mold etc) as you can, along with the sand and a generous helping of gypsum to help break down the clay :-) Only caveat being that if you till in a lot of woody (carbon rich) material like chipped plants or similar make sure you dress it heavily/regularly with a high nitrogen fertilizer to provide what is necessary to allow the carbon rich materials to break down to a rich hummus.

[Millymollymandy]

Hi and welcome!