I'm not familiar with what you are spraying. If it is anything like Roundup you have to wait several days before you can plant anything or it will kill it too.

Read the labels CAREFULLY with the Resolva ...

If you can find plain glyphosate concentrate it will work better and has a short (=======
As for advice on allotment gardening, search Google for allotment Gardening and all kinds of specific site advice shows up. I'd take their advice over mine, because I'm in the desert southwest of the USA ..,

http://www.nsalg.org.uk/

http://www.allotment-garden.org/

I think Resolva is an MCPA herbicide, which is restricted in the U.S. Allegedly, you can plant within one day of using it. But I'm not sure I'd trust that. If it's just the "off weed", why bother with any herbicide?

You're going to need a lot of onions and garlic to fill a 7x12m allotment.

the killer I use all the time! and yes it burns plants like hot ash. a little spray strays from tine to tine! abd I leave it 7 days to be safe.

I won't be using whole plot for garlic abd onions! will be doing other plants but what I want is the planting information confirmed for the sets. and if you have any suggestions on how to do it!

Resolva main ingredients are 2,4-D and MCPA. Rough stuff.

Spading the garden used to be the British pastime. Even a person in rather poor condition could easily keep up with 7x12 meters with hand tools rather than super-caustic poison.

With a sharp spade anybody with the use of all four limbs could turn over a sq meter in about five minutes. Take a five minute break between each meter (tea, coffee, or water), and do the math.

Yeah my advice is stay far far away from that dangerous chemical or any other pesticide or herbicide! Employ the methods that my fellow comrades suggested.

What is it with you all talking about the stuff ive used.

I want to know how to plant the onion sets and the garlic over winter. as i can't find constant suggestions online all contradict each other!

the a note, the resolver was used for MASS spreading on the far end that is heavy brambles and nettle before they went to seed!
i use an wet ear bud and rub that on a single leave on the dandelions! so i dont' hit others! but yes i have over used it before!
I wanted results!

so

how do you plant your onion sets?
and
Garlic?

Our climates are very different so I don't know if my methods will work for you, but this is what I do.
Garlic is planted in October. I plant each clove about 4" deep and space them about 6" apart. Cover the whole bed with 4-6" of straw. Leave the straw on in the Spring, the shoots will pop up right through it and it helps keep the weeds down. I harvest when half the leaves are brown in late July.
Onions are only planted here in the Spring. Our winters are too cold for over wintering.
You can get a lot of good information on this forum, Dave's garden website, and especially the Cooperative Extension websites (they will have .edu in the address).
BTW, I agree with the others about avoiding the chemicals.

Thank you, advice i needed, here the onions depend on the variety but as long they're not soaked they'll all be okay.

now the ground has had grass most of it's time,
should i add manure when i sort the ground? or just basic blood bone and super phosphate? OR all?

now the leeks, can i plant groups now and leave them over winter (i know they're hardy ?VERY hardy! )
parsnips ive had them growing in a flower bed at mums, they're hardy too, but if i bought some and planted them will they survive or is it too late to become established?
thank you

mushibu10 - If you are in Wilts I'm just down the road from you. I dug my allotment by hand. In order not to get overwhelmed you can cover portions you are not working on with black plastic. You can get wide sheeting at the garden centre. (I used old carpet but this was years ago - now it's frowned upon.)

Then buy a good spade and fork and look up 'double digging'. Get stainless steel tools if you have the cash. Start digging now and continue throughout the winter. Dig steadily and thoroughly and it will repay you many times over. Killing the weeds with a chemical does nothing for the cultivation of the soil itself and doesn't work for perennial weeds. If you kill the grass other weeds will just move in rapidly. You could get a pH test if you like but chances are in Wilts you will be slightly on the alkaline side of neutral and this will suit pretty much any veggie or fruit you want to grow - unless you try blueberries.

It is way too late to sow parsnips or plant leeks. (Parsnips are sown in situ, leeks can be transplanted.) If you really want to get something in the ground before next spring dig an area THOROUGHLY and sow broad beans and peas in October/November. Make sure you choose varieties which state they are suitable for Autumn sowing. Another thing you can, indeed should, plant in November is garlic. You could also plant soft bushes/trees during the winter. Again really good cultivation is vital for these permanent crops.

I know you are raring to go but I cannot emphasise enough how important really good preparation of the ground is before you even contemplate planting or sowing anything.

I would suggest you get a book to answer your questions so you can refer to it constantly. Any good book on veg gardening will tell you much of what you are wanting to know. The RHS 'The vegetable garden displayed' is good. But there are lots.

Bear in mind that most posters here are in the US and are dealing with very different conditions to ours.

Finally remember the Hare and the Tortoise. I've watched many mad keen allotment beginners burn out after one season because they try to do too much too fast and become disillusioned. Take it slow and steady, do it
properly, and you will be on your plot for years to come.

I have yet to find a website as good as a detailed book but this one is handy.

Here is a link that might be useful: RHS

thank yoy once again floral_uk, your advice is invaluable once again.

so basically st ick with the basic everyone can grow stuff for now and slowly go into more difficult (needy) ones.

so you don't think I should add anything to the ground as long as I dig properly?

I planted a blackcurrant bush, it's not fruited yet. but I knew it wouldn't till 2nd/3rd year. strawberries was planted but I think you know my problem with them. but I got them back green (I cut top growth off after fruiting, but I want to put them into a strawberry grow bag for next year.)

I think I'll say, to ensure I get true winter varieties of seed/bulb I'll go to garden centre and spend that little extra.

tools, now money is a little tight as I'm sure I'm not the only one. I see stainless steel blades abd what not but wood handle, is wood adviced?

this year catapillas where everywhere so I've been buying netting, it's stops butterfly but can bees and what not get in to help pollinate?

thank you.

thought I'd share this gif image I found on double digging so simple.

I found that book you recommended in library and it's great went online and bought one. thank you once again.

leo

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:102280}}

"What is it with you all talking about the stuff I've used."

Why mention the fact that you've used herbicide on a little tiny plot that could easily be managed with shears and a shovel if you didn't want comments?

I'm glad you are able to appreciate Flora's excellent advice, which notably does not include any mention of herbicides.

mushibu10 - I know you are desperate to get stuff growing but all the effort and cost in planting is wasted if the ground is not prepared properly first. It needs to be friable i.e. well cultivated and weed free before you even think of planting anything. I hope that was the case before you planted strawberries. One small part of my allotment was dug by my BIL - he was not through and I have suffered the consequences for over 20 years in the form of bindweed. By all means add your manure (if its well rotted) and any compost you have/make. A neglected allotment will take time to do thoroughly, that's why I suggested covering the parts you can't get around to with black plastic.

Using straw as a mulch is common in the US, I believe, and I'm sure it's valuable there. But I've never seen it used here, except for strawberries and I'm not really sure what its function would be. a) it would be hard to source here b) it would harbour slugs and snails c) it would have little role in a damp climate where there is usually ample moisture and even in winter the ground will rarely freeze d) it would be permanently soggy and rot in a few weeks.

Regarding the spade and fork. Clearly the handles will not be metal. It will be wood or some sort of plastic. Ash is the best. It doesn't have to be SS but that is easiest to dig with and strongest. I don't know your size or sex but a border spade is smaller and lighter then a digging spade if that is a concern. You can sometimes find quality second-hand tools in car boot sales, etc. The fact that you ask if a wooden handle is OK on a spade implies that you are just at the beginning of your gardening career and reinforces the walk before you run advice that everyone is giving you here.

Start digging. In November plant some garlic and broad beans. Your onion sets should be labelled with their name and when they should be planted. If they are overwintering types plant them at the time it says on the label.

We are so lucky here to be able to work at a more steady pace than people with a hard cold winter and hot summer. Our window of opportunity for getting the soil ready is months long and our planting windows are also generous due to a climate which lacks extremes.

Start a compost heap and spend the winter digging and reading. Talk to other plot holders. Find a really well cared for plot and watch what the owner is doing and when.

p.s Not sure what caterpillars you have. Are they cabbage whites? If so the bees don't need to get through as cabbages don't need pollination.

Good luck and relax.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spade info.

thank you, I'm 21 and male 5'11. the catapillas are cabbage whites.

thank for the spade info. my mum has out old trampoline fabric in shade. would that be okay? (it does have holes about 1-2mm)

it is the start of something new. I have been able to keep tropical plants and cacti alive this past year or so. but outside gardening it's limited on what I know I have books on what to plant ware how to care for pond (mum has one) and things like that but this is a new area.

I was going to remove the turf on the first Sq. metre today. and then as I soon thought where am I going to put it? (is there anything I can do with removed turf? or should I justforget it?)

it was going to be rotted. bought from garden centre. (now I know that one's like westlands organic rotted manure can be put on top of soil) what about the ones stables sell? or shall I also leave that alone? (my sister is a horse rider and I can get masses of it)

I thought yo plant before the First frost. hmm. I know garlic produces a bigger bulb with being exposed to cold. and onions have a like head start.

thank you

leo

I do watch gardeners world and beechgrove.
gardening bas always been in life but I've never done anything with it.

Turf makes superb compost - pile it up and let it rot. Or cut the grass short, and in late fall turn the sod over and let it rot in place during the winter.

thank you.

I'm assuming you'd advise not to brake it up and put it at bottom of double dug area?

'I was going to remove the turf on the first Sq. metre today. and then as I soon thought where am I going to put it? (is there anything I can do with removed turf? or should I just forget it?).'

As pnbrown says do not discard the turf. Either compost it or put it at the bottom of the double depth trench. Look again at instructions for double digging. Find pictures of couch grass. If your turf is couch grass you need to shake off the soil and remove the roots. Don't dig them in or compost them because they will regrow. You can put them in bin bags and let them rot completely then put on the compost heap. Or burn them. Or bin them. If the turf is lawn grass just dig it under.

Regarding 'first frost/last frost/frost dates', etc. All that really applies more to US gardeners who are working in much more clearly delineated temperatures than we are. I gardened for several decades before starting on these forums and never heard any of those terms until I came on here. You need to look up each plant you want to grow and follow advice for it. Don't assume there is a single rule. We could have one frost in September and then no more until Christmas so there's a lot of leeway. You can plant trees and shrubs all through the winter whenever the ground isn't actually rock hard. Broad beans and peas for overwintering need to be in when there is still enough warmth for them to germinate or they'll rot. ) October/ November is fine. Garlic can go in at a similar time.

If your sister has access to manure, lucky you. Pile it up for 6 months before you use it or get it from the stables' oldest pile.

Do use other allotment holders for advice. They'll be very pleased to see a youngster taking an interest, I'm sure.

But you are still fixated on planting. Soil preparation is your top priority at the moment. If you can get say a third of the plot done this winter you can really get growing next spring. Meanwhile bash on with the rest of the plot prep.

Thank you, I was on hands knees most of yesterday looking for any coach grass, i found non, but a few patches of moss.

I have been looking for bins for compost, then i saw an article online of people using old freight pallets, so i think i'll use them, i can get some from garden centre or B&Q if they say yes.

so frosts and what not aside as long as i follow the instructions on packet i can plant when it says as long as it's not rock hard frozen.

I found the spare pond liner in mum shed, so ill use that it's 10x10ft - would thick black bin liners work as well?

thank you,

The pond liner will be fine. Bin liners would be a right pain. They'd be far more expensive than a roll of plastic, they'd have to be individually held down and the weeds would find their way up between them.

There is no need to be on your hands and knees 'looking for' couch grass. Just dig the ground as normal with either a spade or fork. If you dig up a clump of grass and it has runners (stolons) coming out of it with wiry pale stems, then it's couch grass. I suggest you Google up some pictures to find out what it looks like.

And yes, follow instructions on the seed packets and also read the RHS book carefully. You can also Google up seed sowing times and you'll find plenty of calendars. Make sure you find UK sites so the info is relevant to your situation. As time goes on you will become more familiar with the micro-climate on your plot and be able to adjust sowing and planting times accordingly. (Note the difference between SOWING and PLANTING). You can plant many things in the winter e.g. perennials, trees, bushes, but sowing outdoors in winter pretty pointless. Seeds need a minimum temperature to germinate and are likely to rot or be eaten before that happens. Don't get sidetracked by 'winter sowing' info on Gardenweb. That's for different climates than ours.

Pallets make a perfectly fine compost bin. I have a double pallet bin and I also have various plastic bins. IMO the pallets are better as they can take a greater volume of material. Or you can just make a compost heap if you can't find pallets.

Can you post a picture of your plot? Have you spoken to any other plot holders yet? Have you looked to see what other people are doing?

Here is a link that might be useful: Example seed sowing calendar

sorry for the delay been busy.

so it's from mini greenhouse to thw tall tree stump!

and the very back as uou can see os waste land!
so it'd got sun all day.

so I've laid the pond liner and it wasn't enough, I had some wees suppressant fabric left. so I've used that and put a bit of mud on top to help suffocate the grass and for the 2sqFT left I used bin liner. the area in front of thw greenhouse is where am going to put garlic onions and a few winter greens. the compost pile at moment is beside thw greenhouse near thw fence for now.

OK, I see now that it isn't an allotment at all but just a back garden. So I'm afraid you can't ask fellow allotment holders for advice after all. It appears to be ordinary lawn grass, not couch, so I'd have no compunction digging it under. You'll have that dug over in no time and meanwhile the black plastic will stop the undug bit getting worse. Good luck.

sorry I thought all veg and fruit plots was called an allotment. sorry.

thank you. so the small patch I've chosen to do winter capable vegs is a small enough size to work with for now. so that book has arrived it's a 4th reprint the one thing that caught my eye that I didn't spot before is it was written during the war, so we know the advice works! I was goijg to follow the table of what to plant.

once again thank you. abd sorry for the incorrect terms used.

Allotmentary, Watsonâ¦

Re allotments - it's worth Googling the term as they have an interesting history.

The Vegetable Garden Displayed was FIRST written during the war but has been through many editions since. Are you sure yours is a 4th reprint - could it be a 4th edition? If you really have a 4th reprint you need to treat any advice about chemicals very carefully. The link is to the one I have. I bought it just after I got my allotment.

p.s If you had found the original 1941 edition in new condition it would have cost you around ã2,500!

Here is a link that might be useful: TVGD