got me an allotment!!

Food, Nutrition and Agriculture
jansman
Posts: 13622
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: got me an allotment!!

Post by jansman »

Get yourself a long handled ‘Irish’ spade.Save your back! English spades are too short, and I sometimes think they were invented to make work hard on purpose. A long handled mattock is a good tool on an allotment too. My Polish neighbours used one, and they know a thing or two about saving energy.
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
Yorkshire Andy
Posts: 8733
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:06 pm

Re: got me an allotment!!

Post by Yorkshire Andy »

IMG_20180726_192919339.jpg
Popped in tonight it was reduced to £16

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsy48zKEdnc#

Not tried it standing out in the thunder isn't appealing

Gutted as was off for some manure tonight the weather has stopped play!!
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong ;)

Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
Yorkshire Andy
Posts: 8733
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:06 pm

Re: got me an allotment!!

Post by Yorkshire Andy »

IMG_20180728_120312382.jpg

Well it's much easier with this!

Done twice as much in half the time :-)

:-)
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong ;)

Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
jansman
Posts: 13622
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: got me an allotment!!

Post by jansman »

Told ya! :D
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
Yorkshire Andy
Posts: 8733
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:06 pm

Re: got me an allotment!!

Post by Yorkshire Andy »

If you need a spare spade they are £16 in Lidl the floor to handle top is about 5 ft but it's also handle is curved meaning the turning bit almost does it under its own weight

Been a aluminium shaft it's very light and zero flex in just been and got a matching rake
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong ;)

Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
Post
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2018 12:02 pm

Re: got me an allotment!!

Post by Post »

Hi mate,

Top tip is cover the whole of the plot in black plastic in Autumn through Winter and it will kill everything off underneath, otherwise you’ll turn your back and it’ll be like the day of the triffids with the weeds. Don’t use the weed surpresent fabric material, youll know the sort, because it doesn’t work as weeds grow through it, it’s got to be plastic or visquine. Doing this will save you a lot of time if you’re not planning on planting anything this year.

Don’t use horse manure, horses eat all kids of weeds and poop them out including seeds and then your allotment gets more weeds, use chicken manure instead.

If you’re planting carrots go for the carrot fly resistant variety, root fly decimated mine the other year so opted for this variety last year.

Don’t plant gooseberries or raspberries otherwise they spread, plant in containers.

Good luck, there’s nothing tastier than veg you’ve grown yourself, it just bursts with flavour.
Yorkshire Andy
Posts: 8733
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:06 pm

Re: got me an allotment!!

Post by Yorkshire Andy »

I'm planting a cover crop of winter bean that I will chop off and dig in, in the spring using the greenery to outcompete weeds and allow the nitrogen fixing property's to help enrich the soil with the root fibre
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong ;)

Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
jansman
Posts: 13622
Joined: Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:16 pm

Re: got me an allotment!!

Post by jansman »

Yorkshire Andy wrote: Sat Jul 28, 2018 2:56 pm If you need a spare spade they are £16 in Lidl the floor to handle top is about 5 ft but it's also handle is curved meaning the turning bit almost does it under its own weight

Been a aluminium shaft it's very light and zero flex in just been and got a matching rake
Clever design that!
In three words I can sum up everything I have learned about life: It goes on.

Robert Frost.

Covid 19: After that level of weirdness ,any situation is certainly possible.

Me.
Yorkshire Andy
Posts: 8733
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:06 pm

Re: got me an allotment!!

Post by Yorkshire Andy »

jansman wrote: Sat Jul 28, 2018 8:05 pm
Yorkshire Andy wrote: Sat Jul 28, 2018 2:56 pm If you need a spare spade they are £16 in Lidl the floor to handle top is about 5 ft but it's also handle is curved meaning the turning bit almost does it under its own weight

Been a aluminium shaft it's very light and zero flex in just been and got a matching rake
Clever design that!
You just need to get used to having the shaft leaning past upright slightly away from you when pushing it in to keep the blade vertical

IMG_20180728_210754748.jpg
received_10216789075422969.jpeg
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong ;)

Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine
Yorkshire Andy
Posts: 8733
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:06 pm

Re: got me an allotment!!

Post by Yorkshire Andy »

And the rake is to the right. I used to work in a tool shop and it's probably as strong due to the clever bracing as a tarmac take but as light as a bog standard cheap garden rake. But the curved handle just feels right
If your roughing it, Your doing it wrong ;)

Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine