With the warmer weather approaching, you’re probably ready to spend much more time outside focusing on your allotment garden- or maybe you’re at the beginning stages after just purchasing your very own bit of land.
Taking on an allotment garden can feel like a huge responsibility. Suddenly you have all this extra space to grow veggies and plants, install a shed or a greenhouse, and basically just do exactly as you please.
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Things to Consider for Your Allotment Garden
All the opportunities may feel exciting, but also overwhelming. This is your opportunity to get as creative as possible and really put your stamp on your own little garden.
If you’re struggling for where to begin, then here are some tips for how to make the most out of your allotment gardening this summer.
Plan Your Allotment Layout
It might seem boring, but before you begin planting, you need to have a clear idea in mind of how the layout is going to look. Layouts are important because as you’ll be aware, some plants are either positively or negatively impacted by the plant that they’re growing next to.
Consider how your allotment garden will be used practically throughout the year, and don’t forget to think about crop rotations. Over time, you might figure out what works better and have to move some things around, but it helps to have a solid base plan to start with.
Weed The Entire Plot
This is another step which you might think of as boring- but it’s incredibly essential, so make sure you don’t skip it. Weeds compete with your garden plants for the same water, light and nutrients, so in order for your plants to grow in the right environment, it’s best to control weeds out right at the beginning.
Weeding can actually be pretty therapeutic, and as you work, you can think about all the plans you have for your garden once this step is over and done with.
For the quickest results, use a form to loosen the soil before using a hand fork to prise the roots out. This method is not only quick, but it should also keep the weeds away for a longer time, since you’re removing their roots as well.
Get Rid Of Old Or Unused Equipment
When arriving at your plot you may find that the previous owner has left behind their old equipment. By all means, take anything that you think could be useful for you, but don’t be tempted to keep things around that you don’t use, simply because it’s free.
It’s best to start with a clean slate, so that you can see exactly how much land you’re working with. There’s a chance that the previous owners might have left behind some plants, too, and this is your choice if you decide to keep them.
Many people would rather start completely from scratch, since it’s hard to know what variety of plants are growing. Now your land is completely free of old equipment, you may want to think about building a shed to securely store all your items in.
This saves you from having to bring equipment back and forth from home every time you visit.
Choose Your Plants Wisely
An allotment space isn’t the biggest in the world, and since there’s only so much you can fit in, you need to be really selective about the type of plants you decide to grow.
Make sure to choose allotment plants that are best for your environment and keep the seasons in mind. Plants that grow best in hot, humid conditions aren’t going to thrive in your English allotment!
From shrubs, to climbers, bulbs and trees, their large selection offers just about everything you could need to make your allotment garden look beautiful.
They also sell garden care such as compost and gardening tools, so you won’t have any reason to have to leave the house- aside from to tend to your garden, of course.
Final Tips for Your Allotment Garden
As mentioned before, it’s so important to keep the seasons in mind when thinking about what kind of plants to grow.
In fact, some plants thrive more off the cold weather, so the wintertime is the perfect opportunity to grow things that you couldn’t in the summer.
When it comes to ice and frost, it’s best to be prepared. To help keep frost at bay in the colder seasons, you can lay a mulch of compost and dried leaves to help keep your plants warm.
You could also drape bed sheets or plastic sheets over your crops to help trap in the heat. If the cold becomes too unbearable for your plants, you might want to think about investing in a greenhouse or taking your crops back home with you.
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