Me again with another question regarding my new allotment (many more
questions to follow, no doubt).

Looking north, my allotment is 34 feet long x 19 feet wide. My plan is to
construct raised beds of various sizes.

Potatoes, Corn, Lettuce, and miscellaneous other veggies will have their own
separate beds.

There will also be three main beds, running N-S, each 15 feet long x 5 feet
wide with a 2 foot pathway between each bed (totalling 19 feet wide).

These three main beds will have (1) Roots/Onions, (2) Legumes, and (3)
Brassicas.

Okay, the question is regarding the Roots/Onions bed -- Red and White
Onions; Leeks; Early and Late Carrots; and Parsnips.

Question -- is it better to grow one 15 foot row of onions, and one 15 foot
row of leeks, and one 15 foot row of carrots, and one 15 foot row of
parsnips, rows running north to south the full length of the 15 foot bed?
Or, should I treat the bed as 3 separate blocks (each 5'x5') and grow three
5 foot rows of onions, and three 5 foot rows of carrots, etc., (each 5x5
block would therefore contain just onions/leeks, just carrots, and just
parsnips - do you know what I'm trying to get at).

Sorry to be so clueless, but this is my first allotment and first attempt at
growing veggies.

Mel wrote:

Me again with another question regarding my new allotment (many more
questions to follow, no doubt).

(snipette)

I prefer block planting because I find it easier to get access. The
leeks stay in the longest and you don't want to disturb them. Though
the onions are better in a long row because they need more space around
them once the leaves dry out. You can just lay them on the same side on
a 15 foot bed. I use lots of companion plants, and just love flowers in
between, and the rows stop me doing this because I can't walk all along
it without having to step over other rows. I like being able to walk
around the square - kids will find it easier too. For thining carrots I
use scissors rather than pulling it out, so I don't disturb the roots
of other seedlings, and I find I don't waste so much seeds when
planting in loonnnnng rows. However, the 15 foot long rows will be
easier to weed. But once in a while I don't mind a poppy getting in
there. I find it more of a preferance than a requirement. I am a bit
messy, but I like the result, it is varied and interesting, colourful
and bright.

I would go along with La Puce on this, block planting is easier,
especially when you think of the time leeks are in the ground. There
could still be some in the ground when you want to start setting your
spuds out!
Regards

Clifford
Doncaster, South Yorkshire

"cliff_the_gardener" wrote in message
ups.com...
I would go along with La Puce on this, block planting is easier,
especially when you think of the time leeks are in the ground. There
could still be some in the ground when you want to start setting your
spuds out!
Regards
Alternatively carry on with the rows and plant your spuds in piles of old
car tyres. Saves loads of space and is easy on the back too. I would never
grow spuds in the ground again. Mind at £1.50 for a sack in the produce
auction locally I won't bother growing them at all.It's easier for me to
just buy a sack.

"PammyT" wrote in message
...

"cliff_the_gardener" wrote in message
ups.com...
I would go along with La Puce on this, block planting is easier,
especially when you think of the time leeks are in the ground. There
could still be some in the ground when you want to start setting your
spuds out!
Regards
Alternatively carry on with the rows and plant your spuds in piles of old
car tyres. Saves loads of space and is easy on the back too. I would never
grow spuds in the ground again. Mind at £1.50 for a sack in the produce
auction locally I won't bother growing them at all.It's easier for me to
just buy a sack.

But the earlies are much more expensive and do not taste the same as fresh
dug from the garden.

Alan

On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 11:03:50 -0000, "PammyT"
wrote:


"cliff_the_gardener" wrote in message
oups.com...
Snipped
grow spuds in the ground again. Mind at £1.50 for a sack in the produce
auction locally I won't bother growing them at all.It's easier for me to
just buy a sack.

True, but you can not always find the great varieties for sale, so I
always grow my own. Pink fir apple, ratte, and several others but
these i grow in old compost bags three seed potatoes to a bag.
Neil

A lot of produce is cheaper to buy,but it is not the same,(all that sweat and toil)! Thanks for the tip on old car tyres TammyT,I will try that this year.
Grumpy.

In message , Mel
writes
There will also be three main beds, running N-S, each 15 feet long x 5 feet
wide with a 2 foot pathway between each bed (totalling 19 feet wide).

Unless you have long arms, a 5 foot bed is probably too wide to reach
the middle from the paths (4 foot is the recommended size, our
experience would lead me to concur with this.

Question -- is it better to grow one 15 foot row of onions, and one 15 foot
row of leeks, and one 15 foot row of carrots, and one 15 foot row of
parsnips, rows running north to south the full length of the 15 foot bed?
Or, should I treat the bed as 3 separate blocks (each 5'x5') and grow three
5 foot rows of onions, and three 5 foot rows of carrots, etc.,

I think block growing works better on raised beds than rows.

Sorry to be so clueless, but this is my first allotment and first attempt at
growing veggies.

don't worry, you try something, if it doesn't work so well you try
something different next year.
--
Chris French

The message
from (Neil Cairns) contains these words:

On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 11:03:50 -0000, "PammyT"
wrote:


"cliff_the_gardener" wrote in message
oups.com...
Snipped
grow spuds in the ground again. Mind at £1.50 for a sack in the produce
auction locally I won't bother growing them at all.It's easier for me to
just buy a sack.

True, but you can not always find the great varieties for sale, so I
always grow my own. Pink fir apple, ratte, and several others but
these i grow in old compost bags three seed potatoes to a bag.
Neil

And, of course, you can grow them organically yourself.

Janet G

In article ,
(Mel) wrote:

My plan is to construct raised beds of various sizes.

If the lad is free-draining, consider NOT using raised beds - just use
ground level beds.

Steve Harris - Cheltenham - Real address steve AT netservs DOT com
A useful bit of gardening software at http://www.netservs.com/garden/

On Sun, 15 Jan 2006 21:19:34 +0000, Steve Harris wrote
(in article ):

In article ,
(Mel) wrote:

My plan is to construct raised beds of various sizes.

If the lad is free-draining

Presumably not potty trained g
SCNR


--
Sally in Shropshire, UK
bed and breakfast near Ludlow: http://www.stonybrook-ludlow.co.uk
Burne-Jones/William Morris window in Shropshire church:
http://www.whitton-stmarys.org.uk