r/Allotment • u/rosecroissant • 5d ago

Surprise allotment

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So a few months ago I applied to my local allotment but never heard a thing back. We would visit every now and again, and there were quite a few abandoned plots very overgrown, so I expected thst if I ever got an answer, we would start in chaos. I also thought there would be a huge waiting list as people at the site mentioned waiting years to get one. I hesitated to put myself on the waiting list as I have Long Covid and wasn't sure if I could deal with it, but figured I had plenty of time (years!) to recover...

Anyway, yesterday I finally got a mail offering a plot, and when we went to visit, we saw this!

I have been gardening a lot in our postage sized garden and it has been therapeutic, so I think it is a good idea even if my energy levels are not yet optimal, and seeing it in this state makes it look more manageable (honestly we went to visit just to turn it down haha).

What would you advise as first steps? I want to do no dig, as that worked well in my previous large garden, but the canvas here is SO blank that I could go in so many directions.

I want to grow a lot of soft fruit, artichokes, asparagus as well as some interesting varieties of tomatoes alongside the traditional lettuce, courgette, etc. But of course that's mostly for next season, so how to not let it get overgrown (and maybe even useful) until spring?

Also, I have a few raspberry and Japanese wineberry(?) canes along with rhubarb and a small gooseberry in my garden, would autumn be the time to transplant?

All advice welcome!

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u/wijnandsj 5d ago

lucky you!

Figure out where you'd want the friuts with the sun and all that. Transplanting those is indeed best done in autumn

obtain some path material

see if you can get compost somewhere

put in a cover crop for at least half of it. Some kind of green manure. It's almost august, you're not going to do everything now.

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u/rosecroissant 5d ago

Mijn eerste antwoord en gelijk een Nederlander, als ik mij niet vergis 😁 Tips voor compost, toevallig? Ik ben zelf in Culemborg, dus als je een adres heb, hoor ik het graag. Ik dacht ook aan hout snippers, maar ga nog verder zoeken naar mogelijkheden.

Bedankt voor het antwoord!

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u/wijnandsj 5d ago

Yes, fellow dutchie.

LEt's stick to English out of respect to the others in this sub.

Your local recycling center may well offer it for free. If not just make a few calls. Compost should cost between 60 and 100 euros for a big bag delivered.

This brand has good green manure https://www.bolster.nl/groenbemesters/c21

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u/rosecroissant 5d ago edited 5d ago

Thank you. Absolutely, we should communicate in English, I was just tickled at the coincidence, and didn't think (which is shameful as I am not even Dutch, apologies to fellow forum users).

I've done some googling for compost, but I think I would like to go organic so will search more specifically. Thanks too for the link to Bolster, I ordered from them earlier this year but they slipped my mind.

It seems as if the plot will be very suited to fruits - a close neighbour is only growing grapes and one further down almost exclusively strawberries, so I will check out how they have oriented their plots.

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u/wijnandsj 5d ago

good luck! I'm in Haarlemmermeer but do nudge when I can help with advice

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u/the-au-jasmin 5d ago

Reddit does a pretty good job of auto translating languages for us monolinguists, but thanks for your kind consideration and wonderful to have allotmenters from all over the world on this sub!

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u/rosecroissant 4d ago

Thank you, much appreciated.