New Allotment

nice1franko

Just got word I got a new allotment in Donabate.



200 m2 of rocky goodness . Sharing it with a friend from work but we don't know where to start. Well, I have a book called the vegetable and herb expert and have few herbs to plant but apart from that...

What's the best way to get this de-stoned? (hoping the answer isn't "elbow grease"!!) - am I right in thinking it needs to be manually dug and de-stoned a before we rotavate it?

Also, can anyone recommend a good (cheap) place to get stuff to plant? We don't really care too much what we plant but would like maybe some raspberries, beetroot an apple tree or two would be nice!

HardyEustace

Just at the soil prep stage myself! However, it's my back garden rather than a vegetable plot.

If you know anyone that gets the Sunday Times, there was a ten rule starting guide in the back of the home section last weekend. I think this is somewhat similar.

Two things I do remember is
1. I think that you have to manuallly dig it and de-stone it before you rotivate it in order to enable the rotivator to bite into the soil.
2. You also need to manual dig it and remove old weed roots as otherwise the rotivator will happily chop them up and distribute about ten times the amount of weed root amongst your carefully prepared garden.

Aldi and Lidl are doing lots of garden stuff at the moment.

Dizzyblonde

Someone in this forum posted a link to this site and I refer to it all the time: http://www.allotment.org.uk/index.php

Beetroot can be sown from seed this time of year, as can carrots and lots of other veg. I grew Boltardy beetroot last year and it was so successful I'm going to grow it again this year. There's a recipe on that allotment site for beetroot chutney - I made it and it's amazing.

I saw raspberry bushes and bags of seed potatoes in Aldi in Santry last Saturday for a few euro each.

Tully's in Ballyboughal are really good LINK

aerosol

Hi nice1,we're neighbours,I'm just down the row from you.

There's a good few stones alright:mad: I've cleared about half of mine so far(putting them under my shed base) I'm then picking them as I dig.I've found a couple of huge docs on my plot so I'm going to dig all by hand first to try and get the weeds out before I rotavate.
Theres a couple of us on the same row going to maybes get a rotavator for a week and each have it a day,makes it loads cheaper.Come and say hello when you get up there.

As to what to plant, go for what you like eating!Everyone I've spoken to(seem to have done more talking than digging!)up there has been really friendly and full of good advice,get talking.........

The GIY groups are a great idea,I've been to the first couple of the Swords ones.http://www.giyireland.com/event.php?event_id=119

nice1franko

Sure I'll call over to you. PM sent...

Pkiernan

Hello all,

having spent a lot of time pulling stones out of my garden, I am surprised that the owner of the allotments would not have done that preparation for you.

Would you mind me asking how much you pay for the allotment there, and what services are included?

Thanks,

P.

nice1franko

Fingal County Council provide them. These are new allotments but there used to a small number close by that were transferred here (Fingal CC ones also).

Anyway, I was talking to a man yesterday who used to have one of the old ones and he said that these were *supposed* to come ploughed, rotovated and with fencing and shed! Not sure where he heard that.

As for services... well there is a tap shared between every two allotments, which is good. Cost is €200 per year for a 200m2 allotment which is also good.

nice1franko

... bad news is that the waiting list is probably a lifetime or two.

paddy147

nice1franko wrote: »

Fingal County Council provide them. These are new allotments but there used to a small number close by that were transferred here (Fingal CC ones also).

Anyway, I was talking to a man yesterday who used to have one of the old ones and he said that these were *supposed* to come ploughed, rotovated and with fencing and shed! Not sure where he heard that.

As for services... well there is a tap shared between every two allotments, which is good. Cost is €200 per year for a 200m2 allotment which is also good.

200 euro for 250 square meter plots out near the Naul.Large water tanks and taps for every 2 allotments.

Fully ploughed and rotivated too.

nice1franko

Nice! I do a bit of hunting out Naul way in the Winter. If I wasn't already set up here I'd definitely be looking (begging) for one of those! Is it Fingal CC that provide them too?