I Don't Have One Yet But.....

[nick the grief]

In spud alone you'll make up £55. I bought the 1st ones last week but we had't bought any since lst October, so not too bad, 30 weeks free supply of spuds from about 3 rows? Good value for money!

I'm sorry if the comment about cost nearly put you off, it wasn't meant too. I only pay £20 so £55 is expensive to me, there again our Coach driver has an allotmen (600sq yds) and it's £5 per year !!! (mind you you have to buy the shares in the association that goes with the plot as well, that was £30 one off payment) but they own the land that there's is on hence the low price. Ours is leased from the local Quaker church & thats half the rent so we get a tenner per plot per year to cover costs.

I manage to look after mine with the same amount of time roughly, so it can be done.

How bigs your garden at home? you can always have part of this as your garden if you don't want it all for veg. But as Alice says it's down to you.

Another good book or two, the Allotment Handbook by Caroline Foley I found useful & she did another one with a similar title. Have alook on Amazon. The best bet iss to go and ahve a natter to the secretary & some of your "neighbours" they'll tell you whats what up there, and most will be really helpful.

[Shortie]

ntg, just me being me and trying to convince myself not to do something, don't worry about me

I think what doesn't help if the comment #s I keep getting from family when I sound it out... they seem really interested and then go on to tell me how ti'll take over all my time etc...

I spottd The Allotment on eBay so might bid on it, cheers for the hint ntg...

Alice, you're right, my thoughts were money saving thoughts, but also a very large part was around becoming more self sufficient and trying to force myself a bit more away from being the 'city bod' that I was beginning to dislike more and more... you know, get a bit more of a grounding in the way I had always hoped to... (not sure if this sounds like pure waffle to everyone else) But me being me, I always worry about things if I have time ahead to think them over... I'm a real stress head!

[bramble]

Shortie, if all that advice is all about whether you should go for an allotment or not my advice is, go for it. I am a lot older than you and am tackling a very overgrown garden. Whilst i do not work outside the home, i look after my husband, my aged mother, my grandkids, my overgrown garden, my two greenhouses and me, and still survive. Go for it, you won't regret it.

[Jaxom]

There seems to be quite a social club on allotments these days. Families are taking over. What could be nicer than for you newborn to be able to wear a babygrow that reads "I've been coming to this allotment since before I was born." That will make the cloth-caps sit up and take notice.

[Peter]

The Allotment Regeneration Initiative at http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/ari/ has a deal of info you may find useful.
This other forum http://www.allotments-uk.com/forum/default.asp has quite a bit of info as well.

My advice, for what it's worth, go for it.

Most sites should have a range of plot sizes, usually 2.5, 5 and 10 rod. My old site agent always used to start any newcomers with a quarter plot (2.5), or a half plot and then they could "graduate" to larger as and when they became available.

OK, you pays your money, you signs up, obeys the rules and has a go, what's the worst thing that can happen if you cannot cope?

At the end of the year you walk away.

[nick the grief]

It will only take up as much time as you let it Shortie.

I went down to mine last night fo a couple of hours & it was great after a day of banging my head up the wall, what could be better than to do a bit of digging having a natter with the other folks & listening to the birds .

We are on the edge of a town & not in the middle of a city, but I bet it's pretty much the same on your plot to be.

If your really organised you can get a gas stove in your shed ( & a meths stove for back uf ) & cook your tea there plot to plate in under an hour - Thats what you call fresh

[Nicos]

we have bbq's on our plot too!

[Sinta]

Hey Shortie. I'm in the same position as you. I have a 2.5 hour roundtrip everyday from work and home. The only time I can spend on my allotment is on weekends and some evenings. Everyone told me that it's a lot of work, you don't know what you're getting into, etc... but getting the allotment was the best decision I've ever made in a long while. It gives me a lot of satisfaction and very therapeutic, even if you're just weeding/turning the soil. The best thing I can say is: Do a bit at a time Don't overdo it. You might not get the whole plot cultivated this year, but plan for next year...

[mbj]

Hi Shortie

I've just taken on an allotment and I work and have three children under five so I feel a little daunted but I'm determined to do it for a couple of years just to see. If you have a garden at home you could always grow veggies in that? I only go up to my plot at weekends too and that will just have to do for the foreseeable future. You could always look into having half a plot? I'm keeping one half of my plot covered up until next year, possibly the year after that when I have a bit more time.

[Shortie]

I'm pretty much decided now, thanks all for the words of advice and putting my mind at rest... I'm speaking to the secretary tonight and hope to twist his arm to take me round tomorrow.. I am starting to be aware that they can take alot of time up and I am fortunate to have quite a big garden too, but I have explained to my OH the importance to me of being able to go somewhere that I call 'green' (i.e. earthy and away from concrete and cars even when nothing's actually growing yet). I'm building that in my garden too but I can't totally switch off in the garden as there will be the washing machine to remember, phone going (yet another cold calling product I don't want). I know I don't have to answer to the phoen or put the washing on, but there are too many distractions here and I get easily sidetracked as I always try to do too many things at once.

As Peter said, I pays up my money and if I don't like it after the year is out I leave. At least I've tried and will know if it's my kind of thing and won't always be wondering what I was missing out on...

Thanks all, but please keep the tips coming about quick, low mainenence fruit and veg, they'll always come in handy, for the lottie or back garden

[nick the grief]

You can have your flowers at Home Shortie & veges on the lottie if you want. If you've got a big garden at home it cries out for a greenhouse or two then you can raise the plants at home & keep an eye on them easier.

Hope it all goes well with the visit, I'm sure you'll like it

[Shortie]

B*gger it... got to 6.15 and remembered I needed to call him at 6.30 - 7, the totally forgot!

Just called him now and I'm meeting him on the site tomorrow at 10.30

Did feel awful though as I it sounded like he'd just gone to bed, oops

[Shortie]

It's decided

Decided. I'm having an allotment.

Might get on in a week or so as there on'e been under offer a while and the secretary is going to give the guy another week to decide or it's mine! He said he'll put rond-up on the plot for me, but when does that mean I can start planting? Hmm... Not sure wether to ask him not to so I cna dig by hand and get planting this year...

Otherwise he knows a couple of plots are coming up this year and he said I can definately have one of those... yeaaa

Any ideas of what to keep down there to keep my little boy amused? He may not always want to come down, but being a little bod he's bound to get bored after a while and I don't want to have to stop what I'm doing too much..?

[mbj]

How young is he? I have an 11 month old, 4 and 5 year old coming with me to my allotment and I find for the two older ones a spade and a patch of their own does wonders. They played with a little pool that had formed on top of the tarpaulin we've covered the soil with because it had about five frogs in it last time we went. The younger one is a problem, she's too young and I'm afraid the easiest way with her is to get other people to look after her until she's old enough to walk and dig etc. If your plot is big enough you might be able to just let your little one go free, they love a bit of freedom and as long as he's old enough to understand he can't go anywhere near anybody else's plot he might have a whale of a time. Failing that, I find chocolate and flasks of juice a real hit .

[Shortie]

Cheers mjb. He's 3 and the idea of having his own patch is something that totally slipped my mind - cheers! He can have his own bit to dig the weeds from and do his favourite past time - collecting worms.

There's also a park down the road so if OH comes with me he can wander down there with little one if he gets fracious..

Ooo, you've got me thinking now...... There's a fair sized shed on that plot too.... I'm thinking small table and chair... paper and crayons, magazines....

Just got to start my To Do List now

Oh, and I can plant what I like apparently - no limitations on fruit trees etc. That surprised me