The message
from "Kim Bewick" contains these words:

Hi Folks
Well I've finally gone and got myself an allotment (125 sq meters) but
haven't got a clue what I should really be doing at this time of year.
It's fairly weed free thank goodness and was treated with Round-Up last
autumn (will this affect anything I may want to plant)?
Any advice would be much appreciated. I'm in Cardiff, where it's fairly mild
compered with other parts of the UK at the minute.

Take a look at Alan Gould's tips in this group's FAQs at

http://www.nugget.demon.co.uk/MetaFAQ/index.html.

You can also search in this group's archive of old discussions at
www.google/groups for previous threads about allotments.(Click the help
button to learn how).

Quite often new allotmenters get discouraged because during their
first season they over-extend themselves and can't keep up with the
weeds, which will start growing fast in a few weeks. Now is a good time
to cover bare soil with old carpets, or old tarpaulins (ask a haulage
firm for their throw-outs), or flattened cardboard cartons held down
with planks or bricks. (You can also use those materials to make paths
between beds).When light is excluded, weed seeds can't germinate and the
soil under the cover stays clean and ready for planting. Then you don't
have to try and prepare and plant 125 square metres all at once. If you
don't use the entire plot this year, covered areas won't be getting out
of hand.

Don't attempt to dig the entire plot between now and spring
planting.If you're doing potatoes this year, I would plant them into
small individual holes dug with a spade or trowel. You won't get the
yield you would from a properly prepared bed, but the earthing up and
eventual harvest, plus the potatoes' underground growth, will do a lot
to loosen up the soil in that area for next year. Brassicas will also be
relatively happy in firm, undug soil. Peas and beans, and root crops
like carrots and parsnips, really do need loose, fertilised soil, so
save your digging energy for their beds. Keep your seeds dry and fresh
inside a closed lidded tin or plastic container, and save the empty
packets for later reference. Always, always label each seed row as you
plant. You may think you'll remember what you planted where..but you
won't :-)

Protect your back and joints by not overdoing things in the first flush
of enthusiasm/urgency; the key to gardening on a larger scale is
learning how to pace yourself. Take a flask of tea/ packet of biscuits
and a notebook and pencil. Construct a simple seat (plank and bricks, or
upturned box) for resting and cogitating. Time will be well spent
walking round the other plots regularly, watching how they develop over
seasons and what other people do, and chatting to the other
allotmentholders.

Janet