Newbie question

[sesa]

I'm from the States and don't quite understand the allotment thing, is it like a rented plot of ground you plant a garden on?

[SarzWix]

Yes, that's right Usually the land is owned by the local authority, council or parish, and plots are rented out to local people, usually with a stipulation that are to be used for the growing of fruit and vegetables for the use of their family (ie. not to be sold). Sometimes the land is privately owned, with similar rules.

[Hazel at the Hill]

They tend to be of a standard size of around 250 square metres, and are sometimes split into two - hence you'll hear people talking about their plot, or half plot.

Mine's about 25' by 60' and is a half plot. Big enough for 8 off 4' by 20' raised beds, a toolshed, a fruit growing area and a front border for flowers.

[Hazel at the Hill]

....and demand at the moment is such that there aren't enough of them, so most allotment sites have a waiting list. Our plot came up within a couple of months, 3 years ago, however our site (of 70 odd plots) now has a waiting list of 22.

[Iamhanuman]

Hi sesa and welcome to the Vine!!!
how did you stumble on this excellent place?

[sesa]

OK I got it, is it mostly for people with small or no yards or is it just that you would rather not dig up your yards? And I found this site off a google search, something to do with chickens.

[Two_Sheds]

OK I got it, is it mostly for people with small or no yards or is it just that you would rather not dig up your yards?

We tend to have small or no backyards in the UK ... an allotment (rented garden) is much bigger than most people's gardens.

WWII started the allotment habit: the Dig For Victory campaign? It's having a resurgence right now as food becomes more expensive, and people want to cut their food miles too (& use less oil to transport food around the planet).

[taff]

is it just that you would rather not dig up your yards?

I use a garden attached to a house that was built just post-war, so the gardens are big, big enough to grow nearly everything except the biggest space hoggers.
New family houses being built down the road have gardens that are approximately 3 or 4 sq metres, so not a lot of room to grow much at all.

This might help explain
Allotment History, A Brief History of Allotments in the UK

[Growem]

They have something similar in the States. They are usually called community gardens and the individual plots tend to be (but aren't necessarily) smaller than your average UK allotment.

There are plenty of big gardens attached to houses here in the UK, but also plenty that are quite small. If you think of condominium houses, you can get the right idea of the size of yard some of us have.

[weekendwellies]

I just got my allotment and I put in for one because I tried growing some fruit and veg in my back garden last year. It doesnt get much sun due to high fencing all around, even though it is south facing. So my produce was small and late developing. But I got the fruit n veg growing bug, and thought I would try on a bigger scale. I will stick to flowers and shrubs in my front n back gardens. Plus the dog, cat and guinea pig compete for space in the back garden. Plants dont stand much chance really!