Last Updated on March 9, 2022 by Real Men Sow
This whole new half allotment, the half garden idea is very exciting for me, and I’ve got loads of thoughts zipping around my head. The time comes of course when these thoughts are better off down on paper. Or in this case, a beginners’ allotment blog.
To help me plan, I’ve first of all decided it would be useful to jot down some of the fruit and veg that I’m looking to grow in the garden and those that will live at the allotment. They’re split across the two sites on the basis of their different growing and harvesting requirements.
6 Easy Plants For Your Beginner’s Allotment Plan
The crops at the end of the garden will be ones that need my attention regularly, whether it is to ward off pests, provide plenty of water, or need daily harvests.
French Beans, Peas, Mangetout and Runner Beans
French beans and peas need regularly harvesting to keep the flow of pods coming. As daft as it sounds, I’m not that great at harvesting, so when I grew these at the allotment, I often got there too late and ended up with stringy, tough crops.
Courgettes
Another crop that falls into the regular harvest category. They can turn from perfect size to marrows in a couple of days, so I’ll need to be on top of them. Courgettes also need plenty of watering in dry periods.
Strawberries
One of my favourite crops, especially when you can pick them there and then. That way, you guarantee the most flavoursome strawb possible. You may want to read on the updated strawberry growing guide too.
Salad and Lettuces
For me, these are a grab and use crop. They’re often veg that you suddenly think’ ‘oh yes, I need some salad with my dinner,’ so it’s very convenient to just pop out and get them. Having them close by also means I can be around for slug duty…
Tomatoes
Like courgettes, tomatoes need a lot of water, and like strawbs, being there to harvest bang on time is the key to the best tasting tom.
Curly Kale, Chard and Cavolo Nero
These winter hardies will be most welcome when frankly it’s far too cold and wet for me to want to walk down to the allotment. A quick dash to the end of the garden is much more appealing!
I can also be flexible when getting ready to fight off the inevitable cabbage white attack.
Vegetables to Plant in Your Beginner Allotment Plan
The Allotment will be the place for low maintenance crops that take up a lot of space. I’m aiming to spend about an hour on the allotment a week, which might sound ambitious but my former plot neighbour Merv manages this. The key will be to grow crops that don’t need me on hand every day of the week.
Potatoes
I grew a very small row of pink fir apples this year. They were very productive and really tasty, but as my wife said, they’re a one-trick pony. I want to supplement these with other versatile potatoes, which I don’t have room to grow in the garden.
Squashes
I love a big squash crop as they store so well and we can be eating them all through winter. I don’t have enough room in the garden for many plants, so they’ll be going down the allotment. They do need watering quite a lot but using mulching techniques and my mum’s planting method, I can work around this.
Onions and Garlic
Another crop I had to forego this year due to space. All they ask for is to be kept fairly weed-free.
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is perhaps the ultimate low maintenance crop. The crowns benefit from a split every few years and a good helping of manure in Autumn, but apart from this are incredibly unfussy. They don’t even mind the shade.
Fruit Bushes
Like rhubarb, fruit bushes are pretty easy to manage. I’m going to plant gooseberry, blackcurrant, and blackberry at the new allotment.
Leeks
You can never have enough leeks and having the plot gives me the space to grow plenty. I’ve found them reliable, uncomplicated, and easy to grow. They keep well in the ground and don’t require much water either, so I don’t have to worry about them very much at all.
A great selection. I think splitting them up as you have is a good plan – almost enough to make me want an allotment to supplement our garden plot!
I love it! I also am not so good at harvesting, must be because the ground turning, planting, and weeding is more fun? I like the plan and will be watching to see how you progress through the year 🙂
Thanks both 🙂
I think I’m obsessed with creating something. Once I’ve created it, I don’t know what to do. 🙂
That does sound like a good split – it’s so good having the space for lots of fruit 🙂 I’m sharing my plot (digging and produce) now, which is working out well. So we’ll put in a lot more sweetcorn next year as I’d only planted for one household this year. It takes up a lot of space and we still won’t get masses, but the hit of flavour and sweetness from the fresh picked cobs is very addictive. Happy planning Jono.
For the squashes this (my first) year, I dug a pit for each plant, lined it with newspaper and threw in a mass of horse muck before planting; I also built up a ridge around each pit so there would be be no runoff of water. We have a light soil here (Norwich) so I watered quite a bit to begin with; after that, it all had to get on with it and it all did really well. I grew Uchiki Kuri on bamboo tripods and limited them to 5 fruits each. I grew a pumpkin, courgettes and butternut squash and was pleased with the result. Still keen to grow Crown Prince, though. Tripods are the way to go for space saving. I’ve acquired an old football net for next season, as well- thanks to your example!
Thanks Tracy. Sweetcorn is worth the space if you’ve got it I reckon. Watch out for the badgers though, they love the cobs.
We have it for dessert, drizzled with maple syrup 🙂
Hey Sparrowgrass – couldn’t recommend Crown Prince enough. Lovely, nutty flavour and brilliant orange flesh. They keep for ages too.
How did you get on with the bamboo tripods?