'I was going to remove the turf on the first Sq. metre today. and then as I soon thought where am I going to put it? (is there anything I can do with removed turf? or should I just forget it?).' As pnbrown says do not discard the turf. Either compost it or put it at the bottom of the double depth trench. Look again at instructions for double digging. Find pictures of couch grass. If your turf is couch grass you need to shake off the soil and remove the roots. Don't dig them in or compost them because they will regrow. You can put them in bin bags and let them rot completely then put on the compost heap. Or burn them. Or bin them. If the turf is lawn grass just dig it under. Regarding 'first frost/last frost/frost dates', etc. All that really applies more to US gardeners who are working in much more clearly delineated temperatures than we are. I gardened for several decades before starting on these forums and never heard any of those terms until I came on here. You need to look up each plant you want to grow and follow advice for it. Don't assume there is a single rule. We could have one frost in September and then no more until Christmas so there's a lot of leeway. You can plant trees and shrubs all through the winter whenever the ground isn't actually rock hard. Broad beans and peas for overwintering need to be in when there is still enough warmth for them to germinate or they'll rot. ) October/ November is fine. Garlic can go in at a similar time. If your sister has access to manure, lucky you. Pile it up for 6 months before you use it or get it from the stables' oldest pile. Do use other allotment holders for advice. They'll be very pleased to see a youngster taking an interest, I'm sure. But you are still fixated on planting. Soil preparation is your top priority at the moment. If you can get say a third of the plot done this winter you can really get growing next spring. Meanwhile bash on with the rest of the plot prep.

10,000+ sq. feet. and had the spreader on 5.5 per the directions. Hmm. Fertilizer isn't usually (!) sold in much more than 50 pound bags because most people can't reliably lift more than that. Many bags seem to be 40 lbs. Even if we calculate it at 50 lbs of 24-0-8 over 10K square feet that's 5 pounds per thousand, or 1.2 pounds of nitrogen (high for a summer feeding...) and 0.4 pounds of potassium (also high for a summer feeding). The 40 lb bag would have been better, but still high for summer. A light doss of Milorganite (at most) would have been better, but you didn't know that. You live, you learn. I used Turf Builder my first year. In July. Bad move. I shifted to organics the next year. Bestlawn is quite right (if her statement ever contradicts mine, listen to her--she's right, I'm wrong). Your lawn is now stressing, but with good watering it will get over it. Unfortunately, good watering will also encourage disease, but you have no choice in the matter at this point. I also agree that your landscaper is an Idiot. Red thread is very easy to get rid of, or at least limit, in most cases (feed the lawn). He should know that. Get rid of him. I watered for a half hour per zone yesterday and 50 minutes per zone early this morning just to make sure. That was...a bit much, even if your sprinkler system puts down what mine does (0.45 in/hr on average because of heavy clay soil). The weather right now is really temperate in the Northeast and projected to remain that way until next week--when it gets hot, but rainy. Don't water again for at least seven days, and then only enough to bring that plus any natural rainfall to one inch total. Personally, I'd wait until the grasses show signs of stress and tell you they need water.

Hello Susan, yes, allotments are popular places for murder (of a literary type) although there certainly have been a few instances of real life (should that be death?) murder over supposed sabotage of giant vegetables (there are venomous rivalries over massive leeks - camping out to protect the particular pumpkin or long parsnip is not unheard of. They are measured in poles (or rods or perches), an ancient measure based on ploughing - a rod is the length between the back of the plough and the nose of the oxen doing the pulling. In reality, this equates to about 5 paces or 5.5metres. 10 poles - a standard allotment, is therefore, about 300 square metres (5.5mx55m) The rent is paid yearly - I pay �66 - �31 each as I have 2 ($80 approx.) There are also private allotments which can vary hugely regarding rent and amenities - not all sites have running water for example. I have a shed and a long coldframe, various experimental gardens, a fruit area, a veg area, a herb area and cutting beds. There are no words to truly express my gratitude for my plots (my home garden is 5m x 9m). I probably spend an average of 20 hours a week working mine. One of the loveliest things is to have a barbecue or bonfire with all the food from the plot - when the sweetcorn ripens, this is usually when we really get into our stride (although the first potato harvest is a reason for celebration too). I wassail my apples on 12th night (6th Jan), with a libation of cider poured on the soil - another excuse for a bonfire and party too. We also try and have a summer solstice party as well as celebrating the first broad beans (which I jealously keep mostly for myself). We have a party when the strawberries are ripe(which coincides with the roses) and we have a party after spring potato planting. Some sites have 300 or more plots but ours is the smallest in Cambridge with 17. There is generally a bit of plot envy but we are a mixed bunch. The best allotmenteers used to be retired old geezers but immigrants beat them into a cocked hat....and they grow some amazing stuff too. We are allowed to keep rabbits or hens and we have several taps although there are no toilets (a bucket in the shed although Reuben, my sweetheart, pees on the compost heap) Our site is right in the middle of town, surrounded by high density buildings (including a martial arts dojo - a source of endless entertainment for me). There are ancient laws regarding landuse - it would be hard for the council to try to sell the plot - but many people are reluctant to invest much money in their plots so there are many ancient fruit bushes and it certainly doesn't look as nice as the plots in Sweden (although some councils are creating what they call leisure gardens which have little chalets and quite strict rules but are not specifically for growing food). Allotments were really associated with old working class men - indeed, they were created for the urban poor who had no access to gardens, but the demographic has changed during the last decade. After years of unpopularity, they really are the must have accessory (I fought an underhand and quite nasty council attempt to take one of my plots back because there was a such a long waiting list. They tried lots of guilt-tripping which almost worked. There was all sorts of other stuff going on (intangible but profound desires, a sense of history, of class struggle, social justice, fairness and a sneaky pleasure at seeing middle-class angst concerning council waiting lists) At the time,though, there were already half a dozen plots leased out which were practically abandonned so I suggested they (the council) deal with those plots first. Since my plots clearly are loved and worked, the council really had to accept that being greedy and having 2 cultivated plots is still not as bad being greedy and having one plot....which has been paid for but not used.

twogirls, slightly differing opinion here....given the things you have told us about the two areas and what you are finding out about the 2 acre country lot, for me it would also be a no-brainer (buy it if you like it!) It would be nice if we could all find/afford/enjoy acreage large enough to ensure we never saw another building, close to conveniences, with a guarantee that our view would never change. ;~) Okay, back to real life...yours...with the facts you have shared about land around there being difficult to find and afford, your budget, etc. I can see more "pros" than some posters...just my opinion of course. I can see that there are already other houses on your street (if it becomes yours) that have acreage around them (so there will always be a feeling of space and more land than houses) and lots of open space behind you and a nice view. Yes, there are lots behind you and there is a chance that whoever purchases them could put their house farther back and thus more in your line of sight....it'll still be a long way from your house and chances are high they will prefer to build at least a bit closer to the road (so you would still have quite a bit of space and land behind you to enjoy.) So you will have a house beside you, and maybe someday another one, and be able to see some other houses...okay. ;~) You'll still have lots of open space and big lots around those houses and that is a very nice thing to live with. I do understand the point some are making, that large lots and long, narrow ones give you more space to take care of while still not ensuring complete privacy from the world...but in my book, more open space (around and behind the houses) and more "sky" and views around the area is still more open space and a desirable thing to live with.