The Allotment Book

▸ Lock them safely in your shed, in their usual places to save time searching.

▸ Give them a thorough service at the end of the season: clean, sharpen and oil parts as appropriate (see page 210).

BASIC NECESSITIES

Although allotment tools often seem to multiply over the years, you need only a simple selection of essential tools for most cultivation jobs.

▸ SPADE This is the main digging tool, with a full size or smaller (border) steel blade attached to a shaft of varying length, topped with a plastic or wooden T- or D-shaped handle. Metal shafts are stronger, but less sympathetic in use and they cannot be replaced if they break. For comfort, make sure the blade has a tread on both shoulders, and its neck should be made from a single forged piece of metal.

▸FORK Structurally similar in other respects to a spade, this has tines instead of a blade, and is used for loosening and breaking down soil after digging, and for lifting plants. The tines should be forged from a single piece of steel for maximum strength. Some forks and spades have cranked handles or very long, straight handles for extra leverage.

▸HOE There are two important types of hoe, the main weeding tool. A Dutch, or push, hoe has a flat rectangular blade that is scuffled through the soil as you walk backwards, whereas the draw, or swan-necked, hoe, with its blade at right angles to the handle, is used with a chopping action as you move forwards. Gardeners generally disagree about which kind is the more useful. Other variations are available.

▸ RAKE This is a valuable tool for levelling and refining the soil. The width of the heads and length of the shafts can vary, but the most important quality is the strength of the head and tines, which should be made from forged steel. Check carefully for weight and balance, as it is difficult to manoeuvre a too-heavy rake head.

▸ TROWEL & HAND FORK These key hand tools are used for planting and a host of other operations. The trowel blade and fork tines are of varying shapes and sizes, and are joined to their handles by a straight or cranked neck – test which is easier to wield, check that the handle fits your palm comfortably, and make sure the blade/tines are secured in the handle with a separate ferrule, or metal ring.

▸GARDEN LINE Convenient, but easily replaced by sticks and strong twine.

▸WATERING CAN Essential on plots where hosepipes cannot be used. Metal is more durable than plastic, but it is heavier and may be less comfortable for frequent use. A large can holds about 9 litres (2 gals) and a filled can will weigh around 9 kilos (20lbs), so you may prefer to choose a smaller model. A fine rose (sprinkler head) for seedlings and a coarser one for general watering should cover all needs.

▸GARDENING GLOVES These are invaluable for the messier jobs and for handling prickly and stinging plants. Leather is the strongest material; choose a supple kind for easier manipulation when pruning, for example, and a stronger rigger’s quality for the heaviest tasks.

USEFUL EXTRAS

Other tools can be acquired as needed, and might include the following:

▸ WHEELBARROW An early addition to your equipment, for moving large amounts of soil or manure.

▸ SECATEURS, SHEARS, KNIFE For pruning fruit and hedges.

▸ MATTOCK Heavy chisel-bladed hoe, easier than a spade for hard ground.

▸ CULTIVATOR Hand tiller with bent tines and a long or short handle.

▸ BUCKET Always useful for holding both solid and liquid materials.

▸ CARRYING SHEET OR BAG Reduces trips to the compost heap with handfuls of weeds or trimmings.

▸ SHARPENING STONE, FILE Essential for keeping tool edges keen.

▸ POWER TOOLS A rotary cultivator and hedge trimmer are both useful but they can be hired.

Crops for your allotment (#ulink_4283dd09-1929-5c73-be58-6ed20a56229b)

The allotment landscape is full of all kinds of vegetables, herbs, fruit and even flowers. Choosing, planning and organizing your own personal selection of varieties to grow is an important part of ensuring success and productivity on your plot.

selecting your crops

Making a wish list The initial stages in establishing your perfect allotment all involve a certain amount of inevitability: the size of your plot, the type of soil and so on. Deciding how you are going to manage the land and plants, however, depends more on personal criteria, as does choosing what to grow, which is the subject of this chapter. The following pages will help you compile a wish list of appropriate crops and varieties from the wealth that is available.

GREENHOUSE CROPS If you have a greenhouse or cold frame, explore the possibilities for growing extra plants to mature under glass, with all the advantages of extra warmth and shelter.

You can grow many of the principal outdoor vegetables like carrots and lettuces earlier and later than you would in the open air, as well as tender crops such as cucumbers, peppers, okra and lima (butter) beans. Make sure you choose appropriate varieties: some of those used outside are dual-purpose and crop equally well (or better) under glass, but varieties that are listed only for indoor use have often been developed specifically for that purpose. Check whether these crops require additional heat, which will add to your growing costs, or merely passive protection from the elements.

HELPING YOU CHOOSE

▸ Compile a list of essential crops: include your favourites and any that might be expensive or elusive in shops. Add flowers for cutting and extras such as green manure or companion plants.

▸ Make a reserve list of plants you would grow if there is room. This could include vegetables like swedes, cabbages and maincrop potatoes that might be readily available locally; those difficult to grow well – cauliflowers or celery, for example; or crops to try for the first time.

▸ Match the essential list to your resources, to check that you have the space to accommodate them all, as well as enough time and energy to see to their needs. Check how long they take to mature, in case you can double-crop the space or fit in a catch- or intercrop.

▸ Decide if you want a long, steady harvest of a wide variety of produce, or perhaps several main flushes for freezing and storing: this will often determine which variety you choose and how much to grow. Make sure not everything matures at once.

▸ Go through catalogues to choose varieties. Note their qualities, especially commendations such as the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Compare with other plot-holders, who might already have discovered the ideal variety for the local soil and climate.

The easiest vegetables to grow

Beetroot, broad beans, carrots, dwarf French beans, courgettes, kale, loose leaf lettuce (left), marrows, New Zealand spinach, perpetual spinach, ridge cucumbers, Swiss chard

Crops with the greatest yield for the least effort

Beetroot, carrots, courgettes (above), dwarf French beans, gooseberries, lettuce, parsley, tomatoes

PLANNING YOUR PLOT You will find it useful to draw up a rough plan of the plot, together with any intended rotation scheme (see pages 32–5) and the positions of permanent plants such as fruit and perennial herbs or vegetables. Break down your list of crops into rotation groups (brassicas, root crops and so on), so you can allocate these to particular beds, and annotate each crop with the length of time it is in the ground – remember to deduct any time that the crop spends growing under glass or in a nursery bed before being planted out.

Now use this raw information to work out the growing sequences in each bed. For example, if you have chosen a fast-growing variety of a particular crop, you might be able to fit two or more successional sowings in the same place before the end of the season. Overwintered crops like Brussels sprouts and autumn-planted onions overlap from one year to the next, but there is usually time before and after they occupy the ground to grow a crop of something else. Identify gaps and see if you can fit in a quick catch crop, or use the space to grow a green manure.

CHIEF CROPS The variety of vegetables, fruit and herbs you could grow is enormous, but practical considerations such as time, climate and limited space inevitably mean that you have to be very selective, concentrating first on staples and favourites, and adding a few minor or speculative crops if you have the room or inclination.

This section of the book includes the most commonly grown allotment crops in their traditional garden groups: roots (potatoes, carrots, for example), legumes (peas, beans), brassicas (cabbages, calabrese), onion family, pumpkin family (squashes, courgettes), leaves and salads (lettuce, spinach), stem and perennial vegetables (celery, asparagus) and fruiting vegetables (sweetcorn, tomatoes), together with a selection of herbs and fruit. For rotation purposes, however, the botanical grouping for certain crops may need to override popular perception – for example, most gardeners regard turnips as a root crop, whereas botanically they are brassicas.

SEE ALSO ▸ Crop rotation pages 32–5 Green manures page 119Combining crops page 142 Growing under glass pages 170–5Sowing for succession page 185

GROWING FOR SHOW

Rivalry is traditional on allotments and there will often be an annual show for the best produce: you have every right to be proud of a good crop and might like to consider entering a particularly outstanding sample. Growing crops for competition, however, involves dedication, careful attention to detail and even esoteric growing methods (these are widely alleged but seldom revealed). Special seed varieties, an early start under glass to ensure the longest possible growing season and lavish preparation are usually essential, as well as a knowledge of class qualifying rules in the show schedule. Winning is immensely satisfying, but it is a good idea to wait until you are experienced at raising conventional crops before venturing into this challenging field, where the size, appearance and grooming of the entry often count for more than consumer delight.

Don’t ignore marginal or less familiar crops, though: the plot is yours for growing almost anything you choose. You might like to try Asian vegetables like karella or chick peas, grains such as wild rice or bread wheat, grapes for wine-making, or those crops that are generally unobtainable in shops, for example, whitecurrants, hyacinth beans, golden raspberries, skirret or fresh fenugreek.

DESIRABLE QUALITIES Even the dourest gardener looks forward to the arrival of seed and plant lists in the winter – the annual opportunity to dream and experiment. Choices on offer may seem bewildering, especially varieties of popular crops like peas, peppers and tomatoes. The best catalogues give an honest appraisal of varieties, although you sometimes need to read between the lines, especially with new, highly praised introductions. Don’t readily abandon a dependable, old variety for a new, untried one; always grow it alongside for comparison first. Characteristics you might want to consider include:

Eating quality This is probably the most important characteristic, and includes flavour and texture as well as nutritional value.

Tolerance Hardiness and resistance to pests, diseases or drought all reduce the need for intervention or treatment.

Appearance We eat with our eyes, so crop size, shape and colour may be important, as are height and spread.