This is the place to discuss not just allotments but all general gardening problems and queries which don't fit into the specific categories below.
(formerly allotments and tips, hints and problems)
Also, same goes for my onions, have I got time if I put them in at the weekend or have a missed the boat? Also, do I need to manure / feed the bed prior to putting the onions in and if so, what am I best using?
I planted an acre of Phacelia a couple of years back in early October (East Lothian) it gave good green ground cover, but of course did not flower.
I bought it from a local arable seedsman but can't remember the price. I left the end-riggs of the field unploughed in the spring and still have phacelia flowering there yet - it's great for attracting bees when it does.
I stuck down some Rye a few weeks ago and its done rubbish; hardly any came up.
Just chopped down the Phacelia and will dig in tomorrow. Might try and get tares on top of that before winter.
My soil is THAT rubbish. Newspaper and compost helped (a bit). One round of Phacelia looks to have helped a bit and now plan to do tares followed by straw in the spring.
I've just ordered startlingly expensive green manure from Thompson and Morgan - brassica-free mix of some sort that says you can sow in Autumn and stand over winter. Bit of a risk but I reckon I could use a bit of fleece till it's up and away. Struggling for manure, so need something - compost seems to vanish to nothing from bin-full - and it's not ready yet either!