Sitting and swapping

It’s depressing to think that the last day for sitting out on the allotment has probably passed. For me it was yesterday, when the chill of the morning had passed, and it was almost possible to imagine it was July and I was shelling peas again under the summer sun. Almost, but not quite possible: the numb extremities gave the game away, as did the fact that I was sitting on two of our local free newspapers to provide some insulation between my nethers and the cold chair.

Even so, it’s a great time of year to look back on what worked and what didn’t, to plan for the year ahead, and to start browsing the seed catalogues or organising swaps with your neighbouring allotment holders. In many areas of the country there are seed swaps – Seedy Sundays – in February, and I know my own event in Brighton produced some great crops for me last year. And this year, a friend of mine who’s emigrating has given me some fantastically rare and lovely seeds from her garden, so I’m packaging them up, some for me, and some to swap at my Seedy Sunday.

Events are held in Lewes and Brighton in Sussex, Llanfairpwll in Wales, Blackawton and Instow in Devon, and Southampton. Many allotment groups organise their own swaps, or the Women’s Institute have some excellent swaps going on. If there’s nothing happening in your area, why not try to set something up?

Labels: allotment-rotation, seed swaps, seedy sunday

Allotment crop rotation

I've been looking at a variety of crop rotation systems, and while they vary in detail, they are all the same in basic outline. Essentially, over a three or four year period they vary the crops and fertilisers used to ensure maximum soil fertility and to avoid pest and disease build-up. Here’s an example – if you divided your plot into approximate thirds – this is how you would rotate:


Year One

Plot 1 - Beetroots, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, Swedes and turnips (fertiliser and lime)
Plot 2 - Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers and kale (compost and lime)
Plot 3 - Beans, celery, leeks, lettuce, peas, spinach and tomatoes (compost and fertiliser)

Year Two

Plot 1 - Beans, celery, leeks, lettuces, peas, spinach, tomatoes (compost and fertiliser)
Plot 2 - Beetroots, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, Swedes, turnips (fertiliser and lime)
Plot 3 - Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers, kale (compost and lime)

Year Three

Plot 1 - Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, cauliflowers, kale (compost and lime)
Plot 2 - Beans, celery, leeks, lettuces, peas, spinach, tomatoes (compost and fertiliser)
Plot 3 - Beetroots, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, Swedes, turnips (fertiliser and lime)

Labels: allotment-rotation, crop-rotation