It's nearly all in the planning...

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I was going to title this blog post 'It's all in the planning', but then I thought, well clearly, it's not.  There are so many factors that get in the way that you can't totally plan for.  Weather, disease, pests or unforeseen opportunities to name but a few.  But I don't think that should be an excuse for not planning at all.  I love to visualise what the allotment will look like from one month to another.  Equally, I like to be able to look back at what I've grown where before, previous varieties I've grown and when I have harvested different crops.  I've been keeping a written diary for many allotment activities since I've been growing, but what it doesn't do is give an easy one time glance at what the allotment will have and where.  Great to look back on, but not so good for looking forward.

I then came across a tool call Veg Plotter This is exactly what I was looking for.  Veg plotter allows you to create an allotment or garden space for growing, and then using a simple drag and drop interface, you can set out our planting plan for your space.  You can even customise your chosen plants to include information on the variety, when you intend to plant them, when they should be ready to harvest and a whole host of other details.  And what's also really good is that once you have it all set up, it produces an easy to use monthly job list including when you need to make sowings, transplants and harvest.  Because Veg Plotter knows what you have planted in each space previously, it also helps you with crop rotation planning, advising you if you have already grown a crop of the same family in a previous space in the preceding few years.

The plot footprint for 2025 showing the original plot and the new section.

Though we've only just taken on the new part of the plot, I'm already planning what it could be used for using the features in Veg Plotter.  The new section will be used to incorporate 5 beds of around 1.2m x 2.8m, a new polytunnel with seating area to the front (something that the original plot has always been lacking) and finally another thinner but longer bed running alongside the tunnel.  The space at the top right of plan is occupied by a shed I inherited from the previous plot owner, but which I've given to our new allotment neighbour.  For now, I'm happy for him to use it in it's current location.

As I post more, I'll look forward to using Veg Plotter more and more to help illustrate the future plans and ideas.

If you are interested in using Veg Plotter to help with your growing plans, please consider using this Veg Plotter referral link   By subscribing to Veg Plotter using this link, you will automatically be given one month free on top of your annual subscription, and to remain completely transparent, I will also receive one month added to my subscription for free too.

Until next time, Cheers 😊