Time and money spent on allotment?

[gk141054]

Hi folks,

I am really interested in getting an allotment and am making enquiries about getting one at the moment.

The thing is, in the back of my mind I am thinking is it such a good idea. I don't know if I will be able to spare enough time to give it as much attention as it needs.

Can people give me an idea of how much time I would need to spend on an allotment as a minimum (summer and winter).

Living far away from families, my gf and I only spend 1 or max 2 weekends out of 4 at home. I would happily spend a sunny evening on the lottie, but will that be enough, and what about winter?

Finally (sorry for long post) apart from the cost of the allotment, what other costs are involved. Will I need to buy loads of stuff or do I just need seeds and soil?

Thank you for helping

[Geordie]

well if it was me I'd take half a plot...it depends a little upon what you grow but for a couple of people an hour or two a week would be possible. Really from about November to march there is very little to do unless you want to do stuff, over winter crops tend to take care of themselves. In the summer, anybody who takes a fortnight's holiday will be surprisd just how the weeds have grown on thier return.

Ancillary costs....planting eqipment like pots and seed trays, soil improvement like manure, fertiliser,a fork, spade and rake. the rest you can imporovise or buy to suit your budget. Like anything gardening equipment is cheaper at the end of season when shops want to clear their shelves.

On balance, for half a plot with a reasonable covrage of fruit and veg you should actually be well in profit by the end of the year, depending on your capital outlay!

Give it a try for a couple of years what have you got to loose?

[greendean]

yes keep it small to start with and build up slowly. the key is to make it enjoyable not a chore. make the allotment work for you. so many get a big plot then get downhearted because they cant spend too much time and when they do go it's back to square one.

choose wisely and your veg and fruit can look after themselves. easy stuff like potatoes and onion sets cost very little compared with the joy of growing your own. as you progress you will want to try other things too.

most plots cost £20-30 a year, tools, seed trays and pots you can pick up second hand. a few bags of compost and free labour adds up too not much

however be warned that if you take on an allotment it can and will take over your life just check out some of the guy's on here, me included.

on this forum you will get all the help, advice and encouragement you need

[Two_Sheds]

I am on my allotment at least 4 evenings a week, just weeding from April - September. then there is watering, pruning, harvesting, sowing etc.

It's a lot of work, but if you enjoy it, it doesn't feel like work.

[shaymen]

It's a lot of work, but if you enjoy it, it doesn't feel like work.

Quite agree,
I have seen many people come and go from our allotments, afraid that some people think its going to be a doddle. Although a fair bit of time initially getting it right it can then be just a few hours a week to keep it in good shape.
During the winter months I usually spend a couple of hours every weekend pottering about, but the other 8 months usually on it at least every other day.

[Snadger]

Every evening for I and all weekend! I do keep chooks there though. Plus some days like today that I take offf work to do specific tasks. And I'm still miles behind..............and there's still loads to do!

[Plot17B]

Well, we usually get a minimum of 1/2 day at weekend and a couple of evenings for our half plot. That ticks it along according to our 7 bed layout and planting scheme. But we do spend much more time there whenever we can. Definitely only go for a half plot. Easier to find I'd wager, keeps your rent down until you are sure you want this, and its still 220 square yards which is more than ample to start with. Even just that looks a little daunting at first.

Money? We got some good tools down the car boots, used wood, old paving slabs and bricks from the house renovation and rely on Freecycle for bits and bobs. But we have spent a few quid in our first year to set ourselves up properly. I put rabbit fencing around the rotational beds and whilst given 1 great shed, we did buy the bigger second one. Neither are essential - we get a massive benefit from them, but not an essential outlay.
We spend about £50-60 on seeds/spuds/ which massively fills the plot and sees us right for a whole year, including big giveaways to friends. Easy to do it cheaper though, as people always have extra seedlings which would get composted unless you could blag and plant up. And other lottie holders would give you cuttings and rapsberry canes spare.

Hope all our thoughths help you out!
Cheers
P17B

[Eyren]

We have a 1/3 plot, which (combined with our two raised beds in the garden) is OK for two people. We only go to the lottie occasionally between about October and January (to keep an eye on it and harvest a few winter veg) - the main time for work is March to June/July, when there's a lot to be sown and planted and the grass and weeds are growing like you wouldn't believe. I take a week off work each March to do any major work like digging new beds, and we go there every weekend in the busy season. If you and your gf could adapt your routine to spend more time at home in spring and summer and more time with family in autumn and winter, it's definitely doable.

For more ideas, see "The Half-hour Allotment", by Lia Leendertz - lots of tips on how to manage an allotment on only five 30-minute sessions a week!

[zazen999]

First things first GK

a - do you like gardening?
2 - do you like veg/fruit?
c - are there any allotments free near you?

[Beanie]

As said before, go for a half-plot if you're not sure - you can always take on a bigger one later. My first plot was FAR too big for me to manage & it got me down. I've now moved to a smaller plot & it's much easier to manage, & I get much more enjoyment out of it.
Also, you may be more likely to GET a plot in the first place, if you say you only want a half-plot: at my lottie site, there's such a long waiting list they're currently only giving out half-plots to newcomers, to try & let more people have something.

As for times spent - My current plot is 25' X 50' which I manage by myself - and I work full-time. So in summertime it's really only 1 or 2 evenings a week & 3-6 hours at the weekend. As for winter - I haven't really done much with it since mid-October, other than the odd tidy-up or to pick something. Be warned though, you can spend HOURS on it, once you get the bug!!

Biggest time-consumer on the plot is weeding, so the best way to save time is to mulch, mulch mulch! I now use weed fabric on my paths (which I bought, but you can use newspapers or cardboard instead) and around all permanent plants like fruit bushes, I lay a mulch of cardboard covered by about three inches of straw. I do this in March, & it keeps it weed-free till I take the straw off it off in Oct/Nov. It also stops water evaporating from the soil so you spend less time watering. One straw bale from the horse feed supplier costs around £3.50 & goes quite a long way (and can be put on the compost heap when you take it off). You can also use straw or newspaper to mulch around plants like cabbages etc - some people use weed fabric as a mulch & plant crops through it, to keep weeds down & water in. If you're hoping to go organic, mulches are definately the thing to use.

Other costs - don't buy compost from garden centres - look for stables nearby & get well-rotted manure from them, they usually give it away free. Good tools are not necessarily new ones - car-boot sales or Freecycle are excellent sources, as are recycling centres, & eBay. eBay is also useful for seeds - I just bought an excellent seed selection pack, which had 10 or 20 seeds each of 30 different types of plant, for around £3.50. Just enough of each to get you started.

Wilkinsons shops are also good for cheap-and-cheerful stuff like plastic seed trays, modules etc - much cheaper than garden centres! (they are also doing some WONDERFUL 12" slate plant labels at the moment, £1.30-ish for five . . )

And I'd also say, don't be seduced by the advertising in garden centres & catalogues! If you believed them, you'd believe you needed every gadget they sell. You don't (think to yourself - would someone in my Grandad's time have bought one of these? - usually works for me!!). You don't have to buy a compost bin - make one yourself out of old builder's pallets. Instead of buying water butts, use old baths or drums from the local dump (I do). At my allotment site, we're not allowed sheds so I have very few tools down there - a spade & fork, wheelbarrow, watering-cans, hand trowel & hand fork, a hoe and a soil rake are just about it. Oh, and several of those bright orange plastic buckets for 99p from B&Q, always useful. You may also want to buy protective netting & fleece but this is relatively cheap. And most of the above are one-off costs - once you've bought them they should last for years.

And beware of books - probably my biggest weakness when it comes to spending! I've also found that if you look something up in 5 different gardening books, you'll generally get 7.5 different ways of doing it. So just buy one or two, & stick to them!

So, to end what I've realised is now a rather lengthy post - don't be frightened by the cost or time -go for it, & enjoy.
And let us know how you get on!!

[Pottingpotting]

I am sure you will get the drift from the different answers - that an allotment can be time consuming but also that it doesn't have to be. It depends on how you like to garden. Perhaps the one thing that all the answers agree on its that it is a great way to enjoy gardening some of of can be a bit obsessive about our allotments. (Bu - give it a go and if you don't like it - lets face it there is always a waiting list so you don't have to keep it - unlike a garden attached to your house!)

[geoff]

For tools and equipment, put the word out. Friends, relatives, coleagues at work and so on; most people have all sorts of stuff lurking in their sheds and garages and will be glad to get rid of it to a good home
Don't buy anything till you actually have an allotment; the other plotholders will have accumulated stuff as well, and may give them you, of sell for the price of a pint
When I got my plot there were 2 hoes, 2 rakes a fork and minor odds and ends hiding in the old coldframe
Unless you want unusual vatieties your local DIY store or discount store will sell a basic range of seeds quite cheaply;and you can swap part - used packets with other plotholders
And, yes, start with a half plot if you don't think you'll have enough time

[chocobed]

All the above is great and I agree, it can be as time consuming as you make it, but can I make one request?
Please avoid buying tools from a car boot sale unless you are 100% sure of it's origin?
I and many other plot holders have had our tools stolen during break ins and discovered them within a mile at a boot sale only hours later.
Mark your tools eiher secretly with ultra violet or, my preferred method, carve initials into the handles.

[snohare]

Start small, like everyone says.
Use raised beds, but be aware that you will need the timber (pallets ?) and time to make these first of all. Then use mulch (cardboard or weedsupressant fabric) planted through to avoid the weeding. (Raised beds tend to need less weeding anyway.) Stale seed beds are a good idea as well. Or try no-dig.That's very quick if you have the materiels - use the search button on this site to find out.
After that it is the tools, netting, tubs, transport and the fertiliser/manures that cost, if you get into it that's when you start diverting noticeable money to it.
Averaged out, I go to my 2/3 allotment plot once a week for two or three hours at a time maximum with more time in summer and less in winter, the only time I exceeded this was when first setting up and building the shed, pond, compost heaps etc. If you have a car and some money, it is a bit quicker and easier.
If you actually enjoy each other's company and the weather is not too bad, then it will gradually grow on you, and begin to feel like a really natural way to spend time...which I suppose it is. And eating your own home grown food is really addictive.

[Two_Sheds]

I only spend 1 or max 2 weekends out of 4 at home. I would happily spend a sunny evening on the lottie, but will that be enough

No, that's not enough, sorry.
We don't get that many sunny evenings! Your plants will need weeding and watering more often than once a month