New Allotment

Hi All
Appricate some advice please,

Just aquired my half allotment, and have bit of weeding to do, I would like to ,make it a organic allotment, could anyone advise me what makes a organic allotment ,also my blog i started shows what i have done so far, well not much due to dry weather i been talking to the weeds lol.

thanks all
regards
steve

 

Woh! Big questions from peduk. Maybe a visit to the John Innes Institute website, or the Soil Association would help you with the basics.

What makes an organic allotment is strictly a matter of belief, and to a rational person might be said to represent an ideal rather than a particlar set of conditions or strategy to achieve such a state.

People would probably agree that you do not use artificially produced matter on it - mostly 'chemicals'.

However ask some and they'll tell you that a weed membrane is not acceptable because of fossil fuel use and it's implications, others will say that it is, and so are macerated animal products like fish blood and bone (also big industry products).
A third group will tell you that you should not dig the soil to prevent structural degradation or killing of invertebrates, a fourth that only endemic species should be allowed, a fifth that vigorous weekly hoeing is the only way to keep on top of your weeds, a sixth that spraying your crops with exotic bacterial/fungal solutions is acceptable. So it goes.

As an outsider I would suggest you go gently with your patch, watch what you already have in there/visiting because that is what you can least afford to ignore, and whatever you do enjoy the process, because if you don't remember that veggies from the supermarket will ALWAYS be cheaper if you start to attach a value to your time.

I suspect this is a case of 'Light Blue Touch Paper and Retire to Safe Distance'. Enjoy your post and the ensuing comments