[Misc] My Poor Old Allotment

el punal · Feb 21, 2020

This time last year I managed to snaffle an allotment plot. Although it hadn’t been worked for a couple of years there was not much debris or rubbish to clear, more a case of a blank canvas to dig over a flat but bumpy site and prepare beds for this year.

Over the summer I did a lot of hard graft - putting up fences from old pallets, moving earth from one area to another to level off the beds and preparing the site to put down a path and foundation for a shed.

Then, along comes winter, and every bit of shit weather that nature can come up with. I now have a plot that is 50% submerged in about four inches of water, the remainder is absolutely sodden. My polytunnel has been ripped to shreds, and to be honest, I don’t know where to start, or even when.

So, for those in the know who have experienced this biblical type weather - how long before the ground becomes workable? And, any other salutary advice that you can offer would be most we most welcome. Cheers.

Hampden Park · Feb 21, 2020

make a paddy field?

Giraffe · Feb 21, 2020

Short answer, wait. You can only do more damage by doing anything now. We will hit a spell of dryer weather and then it will improve quite quickly.

Psychobilly freakout · Feb 21, 2020

el punal said:
Any other salutary advice that you can offer would be most we most welcome. Cheers.

Not sure if you would need a licence, but defiantly achievable given the description of the plot.....

BNthree · Feb 21, 2020

When I had my allotment I used to look forward to winter frosts, snow and ice killing off the weeds. Would be no chance of that this year.

Notters · Feb 21, 2020

It'll be fine come Easter.

1066familyman · Feb 21, 2020

Assuming it's clay soil. Don't touch it when it's wet, you'll just ruin the soil structure.

All you can do is wait until it's workable and then keep digging in as much organic matter as you can lay your hands on to improve it and make it more workable in the future.

BLOCK F · Feb 21, 2020

Give Jezza a call.
He's an allotment specialist and will soon have plenty of time on his hands to come and help!

el punal · Feb 21, 2020

Psychobilly freakout said:
Not sure if you would need a licence, but defiantly achievable given the description of the plot.....

What a superb pair of brassicas! :thumbsup:

el punal · Feb 21, 2020

1066familyman said:
Assuming it's clay soil. Don't touch it when it's wet, you'll just ruin the soil structure.

All you can do is wait until it's workable and then keep digging in as much organic matter as you can lay your hands on to improve it and make it more workable in the future.

Thanks, the soil is medium loam. It’s just unfortunate that with amount of rain we’ve had and that the allotment site is on flat ground the water has got nowhere to run. This time last year (late February) the weather was warm (20 degrees!) and sunny. :tantrum:

AmexRuislip · Feb 21, 2020

el punal said:
This time last year I managed to snaffle an allotment plot. Although it hadn’t been worked for a couple of years there was not much debris or rubbish to clear, more a case of a blank canvas to dig over a flat but bumpy site and prepare beds for this year.

Over the summer I did a lot of hard graft - putting up fences from old pallets, moving earth from one area to another to level off the beds and preparing the site to put down a path and foundation for a shed.

Then, along comes winter, and every bit of shit weather that nature can come up with. I now have a plot that is 50% submerged in about four inches of water, the remainder is absolutely sodden. My polytunnel has been ripped to shreds, and to be honest, I don’t know where to start, or even when.

So, for those in the know who have experienced this biblical type weather - how long before the ground becomes workable? And, any other salutary advice that you can offer would be most we most welcome. Cheers.

PM sent

The Andy Naylor Fan Club · Feb 21, 2020

Psychobilly freakout said:
Not sure if you would need a licence, but defiantly achievable given the description of the plot.....

LamieRobertson · Feb 21, 2020

Maybe time to build a pond....throw in some fish for eating later on with the spuds and veg

Weststander · Feb 21, 2020

LamieRobertson said:
Maybe time to build a pond....throw in some fish for eating later on with the spuds and veg

Deep fried Stickleback.

Coldeanseagull · Feb 21, 2020

Raised beds won't go amiss when the tide comes in. There's less bending down as well....this helps with the older generation...so I'm told

vegster · Feb 21, 2020

Don.t ever bother putting fences up around a plot, you just reduce your light and piss off the local wind.

10 years back someone took over the plot adjacent to mine late summer and spent a lot of time and effort collecting scores of fork lift truck pallets which he then broke down in to lengths of wood, he stuck posts in every 6' or so along and nailed all the pallet wood up so he had a solid wood fence up to waist height all the way around his rectangular plot … probably about 60 m in total.

He hardly did any work on the actual plot in this time, November/December we had a series of rolling gales, three quarters of the fence posts snapped clean off at ground level collapsing his home made fence.

He never re-appeared in Spring.

ady1973 · Feb 21, 2020

When i used to have an allotment. I separated it into 4 raised beds (for crop rotation).I found that you could get to every part of each bed with a hoe/rake without treading on it,( if you have a path down the middle)
I then used to use the 'No Dig' method which I found worked very well.After the growing season I used to cover each bed in mushroom compost, then over the top cover with black poly. All weighed down with a few bricks etc. The worms used to do all the digging turning for me, during the winter. Uncover in Mar/April quick fork and your ready to plant

vegster · Feb 21, 2020

el punal said:
This time last year I managed to snaffle an allotment plot. Although it hadn’t been worked for a couple of years there was not much debris or rubbish to clear, more a case of a blank canvas to dig over a flat but bumpy site and prepare beds for this year.

Over the summer I did a lot of hard graft - putting up fences from old pallets, moving earth from one area to another to level off the beds and preparing the site to put down a path and foundation for a shed.

Then, along comes winter, and every bit of shit weather that nature can come up with. I now have a plot that is 50% submerged in about four inches of water, the remainder is absolutely sodden. My polytunnel has been ripped to shreds, and to be honest, I don’t know where to start, or even when.

So, for those in the know who have experienced this biblical type weather - how long before the ground becomes workable? And, any other salutary advice that you can offer would be most we most welcome. Cheers.

When it does dry out, plant spuds, lots of them. You always need spuds, spuds are marvellous. :thumbsup:

Whosh51 · Feb 22, 2020

Don’t get too concerned at this time as it will dry up even as late as April it will dig up fine and anything you sow or plant out will catch up. I tend to sow a green manure crop in the autumn and leave it until the spring it keeps the weeds and rubbish down just cut it and dig it in, the roots will keep the soil in good condition.

OzMike · Feb 23, 2020

I managed to grow a pineapple in my front garden last year.

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