Planning and Techniques Article 1

Planning and techniques

Planning and techniques

Planning makes perfect
Part One: Making your mind up

There’s nothing quite so wonderful as getting your hands on your first veg plot. For sheer excitement it’s right up there with your first house and your first car. Suddenly you’ve got enough space to grow everything you’ve ever wanted to grow. Your head is buzzing with plans and you’ll want to get stuck in right away.

But wait - before you even touch a spade, sit down, grab a pencil and some paper and put your thinking cap on. Getting your veg patch just right requires a little planning - and if you take your time now, it’ll make all the difference later on.

Step one: Make your wishlist

Your first task is to do a bit of daydreaming. And I mean real, wouldn't-it-be-lovely daydreaming: the kind of fantasy stuff we all indulge in from time to time. In your head, build your perfect veg patch, and then write down what's in it – the plants you want to grow and also the furniture, equipment and even buildings you'd love to have.

Step two: Decide your priorities

Once you've finished, you'll quickly realise that unfortunately, you can't have it all. Apart from anything else, you won't have the room, and if you clutter up your veg plot too much you'll run out of space for the plants. Start with the basics, and then aim to add a few luxuries from your wishlist as you go along.

Stuff you can't be without:

a shed or if you're on an allotment site and it doesn't allow one a large toolbox to keep your kit in.
at least two compost bins

Stuff that's nice to have:

somewhere to sit when you're having a breather
walls or solid fences to train fruit trees against
a leafmould bin and/or third compost bin
fruit cages save a lot of fiddling about netting your fruit from birds

And if you're really keen:

a coldframe: handy for hardening off seedlings and as extra growing space
a greenhouse: needs lots of attention but worth it for all those yummy tomatoes and cucumbers
a polytunnel: a greenhouse with knobs on, and takes up a huge amount of room
and time, but it'll revolutionise your growing season and what you can grow

Now you've got the blueprint for kicking off your veg-growing adventure, so it's time to bash your ideas into shape and create a practical plan you can work from. Time to pick up that pencil again!

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