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JulieSherris · **Posted: 01-12-2008 , 09:54 PM** #15

Hi Kieran,

I was brought up 'growing' with my old gran in Kent, UK & used to spend holidays on a smallholding on Isle of Wight.

After the kids grew up & I had time... and the inclination & time, I got an allotment a few years ago..... we're now in a position where we've bought a house & are about to transform one of the gardens into my home 'allotment' area.

Tip 1: The BEST book you can ever, ever buy is 'Grow Your Own Vegetables' by Joy Larkcom - I'm on my 2nd book - the first one was that dog eared & dirty! It really is my gardening bible - tells you all about crop rotation even in a small space & what companion plants to grow alongside your veggies to control the unwanted creepies. If it doesn't tell you everything, it gives you an idea of exact issues to google for.

Tip 2: RAISED BEDS!! Is the very best way to go wherever & whatever you grow. If crop rotation is difficult, then the soil in the raised beds can be changed each year. Carrots do better in higher raised beds.... the different beds can be given variable amounts of additives to alter the pH of the soil & of course can be cleared again at the end of the growing season.

Tip 3: Get a copy book or 2 or 3.... Plan, make lists, make lists of lists..... Keep a page for each item you grow - note the strain of seed you plant, note the date you plant, the date you harvest, what results, what you did with the soil..... etc etc - This will prove invaluable as the years unfold, Trust me!

Tip 4: Do NOT grow potatoes in the ground! Grow them in barrels, or in tyre towers - you can discard the soil at the end of the season which will guard against blight.

Tip 5: Enjoy it! It's hard graft, well worth it - the mental satisfaction from seeing a freshly dug bed, or the start of the seedlings, the basket of fruit & veg... Priceless!

Julie.

	Posted: 01-12-2008 , 09:54 PM #15
JulieSherris Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Co Galway/Roscommon/Mayo Border Posts: 15	Hi Kieran, I was brought up 'growing' with my old gran in Kent, UK & used to spend holidays on a smallholding on Isle of Wight. After the kids grew up & I had time... and the inclination & time, I got an allotment a few years ago..... we're now in a position where we've bought a house & are about to transform one of the gardens into my home 'allotment' area. Tip 1: The BEST book you can ever, ever buy is 'Grow Your Own Vegetables' by Joy Larkcom - I'm on my 2nd book - the first one was that dog eared & dirty! It really is my gardening bible - tells you all about crop rotation even in a small space & what companion plants to grow alongside your veggies to control the unwanted creepies. If it doesn't tell you everything, it gives you an idea of exact issues to google for. Tip 2: RAISED BEDS!! Is the very best way to go wherever & whatever you grow. If crop rotation is difficult, then the soil in the raised beds can be changed each year. Carrots do better in higher raised beds.... the different beds can be given variable amounts of additives to alter the pH of the soil & of course can be cleared again at the end of the growing season. Tip 3: Get a copy book or 2 or 3.... Plan, make lists, make lists of lists..... Keep a page for each item you grow - note the strain of seed you plant, note the date you plant, the date you harvest, what results, what you did with the soil..... etc etc - This will prove invaluable as the years unfold, Trust me! Tip 4: Do NOT grow potatoes in the ground! Grow them in barrels, or in tyre towers - you can discard the soil at the end of the season which will guard against blight. Tip 5: Enjoy it! It's hard graft, well worth it - the mental satisfaction from seeing a freshly dug bed, or the start of the seedlings, the basket of fruit & veg... Priceless! Julie.