Allotment Planting

Suggestions for Suitable Plants

Most allotments are approxiamately four meters by two metres or eight square metres. This size restricts the number and types of plants to grow on your allotment. Smart choices as to the type and number of plants you grow will result in a more satisfying harvest.

When you first receive the allotment, it is usually empty, ready for you to fill with plants. It is easy at this stage to go overboard and plant too many seedlings. This results in overcrowding and smaller vegetables produced.

So what should I plant? Carrots, egg plant, tomatoes, lettuce, asian greens, clumping sweet potato, beans (on a suitable trellis) and herbs are popular choices among allotment holders. Or why not try something adventurous by planting exotic plants such as Ethiopian cabbage, Khol Rabi, Brazillian spinach or Scotch Kale.

Plants You Should Avoid

Keep in mind the size of your allotment when choosing plants. For these reasons, the following plants are not recommended:

• · Running plants such as pumpkins or melons . These plants can quickly spreadout over your allotment and beyond. They are a poor choice as you will have little room left on your allotment for other plants. If you do choose to plant these, your neighbour is entitled to cut off any runners encroaching onto their allotment.
• · Large shrubs or fruit trees. Planting large shrubs or trees will cast shade over your (and your neigbours) allotment.  Larger plants require a lot more water to establish than herbs and vegetables. These plants also take a long time to begin producing a harvestable crop. Will you still have the allotment when they are finally ready to fruit?
• · Please limit the height of trellises to 1m. This will reduce the ammount of shade cast onto neighbouring allotments. Also, trellises should be placed in a North-South allignment (ie, York St to Beelarong St) to reduce the duration of shade cast onto neighbouring allotments.
• · Plant seeds in from the edge so that the fully grown plant does't cover your neighbours allotment or pathway.

Soil Care

The Queensland Department of Primary Industry has published a report titled 'Soil health for vegetable production in Australia'. From the summary on the web page:

The report can be found at this URL: http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/26_17025.htm or it can also be downloaded from the 'Documents' section of our website at this link.

Common Weeds

Begining with an empty allotment, the first plants you see emerging from the soil may not be the seeds you planted, but more likely weeds. It can be difficult at this early stage to know what to keep and what to pull out. If in doubt ask one of the farm volunteers.

It is important that you do keep your allotment free from weeds, particularly before they flower and disperse their seed. In many varieties this can be less than two weeks so regular weeding is important. One allotment with weeds can undo the good work done by other allotment holders by spreading weeds across the farm.

If a neighbouring allotment is becoming full of weeds, do not take it upon yourself to remove them (apart from any that may be encroaching on to your allotment). See the Allotment Coordinator and they will address the problem.

Refer to the table below for identifying common weed species found on the farm.

Weed	Habit	Photo
Nut Grass	Fast growing invasive. Spear like new leaves emerging from soil Nut like tuber underground
Wandering dew	Fast growing runners shallow root system Light blue/violet flowers
Cobblers pegs	Fast flowering Small daisy like flower Produces mass of clinging seeds; easily dispersed
Singapore daisy	Fast growing, invasive groundcover Forms dense covering Fleshy, dark green leaves Small, yellow daisy like flower
Blade Grass	Tall ( up to 2 meters) Flat, sharp leaves Identify from Vetiver grass
Billy Goat Weed	Rambling, small shrub. Small Lilac flowers
Dodder	Yellow string like vine, no leaves. Parasitic.
Madeira Vine	Aggressive vine species. Aerial tubers, fleshy leaves

Organic Fertiliser Recipies

Organic fertilizers are just as effective as chemical alternatives. Below are some recipes for popular fertilizers:

• Comfrey and manure
• Worm castings
  

Organic Control of Pests

Many pesticides do not discriminate between the good and bad bugs. The can also end up in your plants which are then eaten by you. Organic farming utilises other methods to control pests and weeds. These include:

• · Companion planting – Certain plants provide beneficial qualities when plantedtogether. Eg, Marigolds control nematodes (minute worms in the soil) that attack many plants, especially tomatoes. A comprehensive list of companion plants is listed at the back of this booklet.
• · Mulching can suppress many weed species
• · Healthy plants are less susceptable to pests and disease. Maintaining wateringand fertilizing will improve their resistance to attack.
• · Traps and manual control – Coffee grinds deter snails, a careful look at your plants may show up hiding grasshoppers and caterpillars.
• · Bilological control – If you take a quite seat, you will soon discover the army of lizards patrolling the farm. These little helpers have a vorocious appetite. Placing a few rocks around your plot will encourage the lizards to stay and feed on any grubs and insects they can find. You may also notice the Magpies, Willy wagtails, Kookaburras and other birds that frequent the farm. They all are aneffective method of controlling pests.
  

Below are some natural control sprays that can be effective:

• White Oil
• Chilli Spray (recipes to be included)