Starting a nature-friendly allotment

Starting a nature-friendly allotment

Check out our handy guide to get your started on your nature-friendly allotment. 

Find out how to:

1. prepare your plot
2. work out your soil type
3. decide what to plant

Prepare your plot

Before you start growing, you'll need to:

• clear weeds. And be thorough about it.
• plan the area. Four beds is the classic configuration for crop rotation purposes.
• measure your beds. Tailor the width of your beds to your arm's length (no more than 1.5m wide). Make sure the middle of each bed can be reached from both sides without standing on the soil.
• plot your paths. Paths are best created with cardboard, woodchip or compressed soil. Standing on soil will compact it, reducing space for oxygen and making it harder for roots to get through. Use a plank of wood to spread the load if you need to step into your bed. The pathways through your plot should ideally not be grass, as it will creep into your beds.
• make your bed. Raised beds are a better option if the soil quality is poor. Plus, it's easier on your back. The downside to raised beds is that using timber adds cost, and can be a haven for slugs.
• dig... or not dig. The no-dig approach to supress weeds can be a great way to preserve the structure of a soil. To do this, lay down a thick layer of mulch, such as cardboard* sheets. Then add lots of compost on top. If supressing or digging over weeds or grass, leave it a couple of months before planting into the bed.  The plants will then have had time to decompose properly. 
  If digging, mark out your bed and dig out over a spade’s depth. Partially fill the trenches with compost, before backfilling.

*Note on cardboard: using cardboard is not generally advised in organic certified systems. This is because we can't be sure of the glue, adhesives and inks that have been used, or where the cardboard has come from. If you do use cardboard, remove tapes and staples and choose for blank, brown sheets.

Cover your plot and wait for it to be ready to plant up.

Work out your soil type and improve your soil health

Knowing the soil type will help you choose what you should grow and what steps are needed to improve it.

Types of soil:

• Clay soil is heavy, difficult to dig, difficult to plant into and often has poor drainage. But, it retains nutrients well and gives roots a good anchor.
• Sandy soil tends to dry out due to its coarse crumbly texture, so it struggles to keep in nutrients. But, seeds germinate well in sandy soil as it heats up more quickly.
• Loamy soil is a mixture of sand, silt and clay – probably the most desirable soil type.

Check your soil pH to see if the soil isn’t too acidic or alkaline. You can make your own homemade test or buy a soil tester kit. 

Improve the health of your soil by:

• increasing organic matter by adding compost and mulch. This will improve fertility, water retention, soil structure and biological activity.
• growing green mulches, fast growing ground cover plants, on beds that you're not using.
• rotating your crops - read about crop rotation below to find out more.

 

Decide what to plant

Perennials. These have lifecycles of many years. Decide where these go first as they will likely become a permanent feature in your allotment.

• Fruit. Plant these early. Apple, pear, plum, cherry trees, as well as rhubarb, berries and currants take 2-3 years to produce.
• Perennial herbs. Rosemary, mint (keep contained), sage, thyme have culinary uses, but also produce bee-friendly flowers. Plant alongside annual herbs such as chive, dill, coriander and parsley.

Other herbs and flowers. Plant a wide variety of herbs and flowers for:

• pest control (deterring and luring away from your crop)
• proving natural predator food
• encouraging bees and other pollinators

Rotation crops (annuals). Rotational planting involves planting in groups and rotating their position each year. This improves soil health and optimises nutrients in the soil. Leave a three-year gap before the same group returns to the same spot. Use four main beds to group the crops as below:

• Potato family – including tomatoes, aubergines, peppers
• Legumes – peas, broad beans, French beans
• Brassicas – broccoli, cabbages, calabrese, radishes
• Onions and roots – onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, carrots, parsnips.

Non-rotational crops.  A different approach is to combine different plant properties. One way is the three sisters method of mixed cropping. This groups corn, beans and squash together.

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