New Allotment!! Advice will be welcomed

[welshboypaul]

Hi All

I have only posted here a couple of times last year, but thought this is a good place for guidance. My friend up the road and I have been growing in our small gardens this year, but I have always wanted a larger plot.

After 2 years on waiting lists I was offered a 4 1/4 rod plot last Friday - arranged to meet the council rep yesterday to view it. It was GRIM. 3 established trees in the middle of it (one a horse chestnut), no light and untended for 3 years. However she also mentioned that an hour before she left the office, a old lady had come in to return her husband's allotment key and cancel his tenancy as he had recently passed away, so his plot was available on the same site.

His plot is 6 rods, sheltered with lots of south facing area and a shed. It is in pretty good condition considering he has been poorly for about a year and has a crop of Cabbage, potato, strawberry, onion, beetroot, rasberry, blackberry, redcurrent and Broadbeans already growing (I'm sure there is more, but only had a quick look). Hearing the story that it was the old man's pride and joy made me sign on the spot and my friend is coming in on a co-worker agreement with me. We are both very much novices, but very keen to do justice to the previous tenant's efforts.

Spookily, the plot number on the site is 13. Lucky for me in that had I seen the original plot when offered on Friday, this new plot would never have come my way. I'm hopeful that the collective knowledge of this forum will help me do a good job.

Just wanted to share a slightly melancholy, but I think in some ways happy tale.

Looking forward to being a more active participant on this lovely forum

WBP

[gillian62]

Sounds like you have got a good plot, pretty well established too. Well done.

Just remember to do little sections at a time, so you can see something for your hard work, rather than expect to get everything done at once.

[rustylady]

Hi Paul, welcome to the Vine. Enjoy your allotment - sounds as if it is in good condition.

[zazen999]

I know you are sharing the plot - but make sure you don't end up doing all the work whilst your friend comes and takes all the produce.

But - congrats. It's great having a lottie. Hard work but great.

[Bren In Pots]

Congrats on getting your plot

Are you having half each because that way you can both do your own thing.

[Suky]

I am sure you will do justice to the previous tennants work and there are some amazingly helpful and knowledgeable people here as well

[welshboypaul]

I know you are sharing the plot - but make sure you don't end up doing all the work whilst your friend comes and takes all the produce.

But - congrats. It's great having a lottie. Hard work but great.

He is a very good guy, so will be halving the work work all the way, besides he is a chef, so if he doesn't pull his weight, I'll be round his for dinner getting my share of the goods

[welshboypaul]

Congrats on getting your plot

Are you having half each because that way you can both do your own thing.

We are going to leave it as it is rather than split it, I think the previous tennant has doen a pretty good jobs of planning his layout, so rather than a few beans on my bit and a few beans on my co-worker's bit, we thought better to keep the individual groups all in one place. Besides, we each have small gardens for doing our own bits and bobs. Getting very excited now.

[orchardside]

Well done on getting your plot, we got ours last year and this is our first growing season, well worth all the hard work. We just had homegrown turnip coleslaw and it was lovely far better than it sounds!

[snohare]

Ah, an heirloom allotment plot ! You are lucky indeed. It sounds like a little piece of heaven...as opposed to the herbal hell you so nearly took on !
I once inherited a veggie garden from an old man, about whom I never knew anything other than that he had existed, and looked after this garden for many years. Everywhere, his invisible hand lay upon the garden...it was a wonderful experience to see the outcomes of what he had done, find the survivors of plants he had grown, and realise why things were the way they were. And it was truly exciting to dig the lovely rich crumbly soil he had created, that the current owner didn't know from concrete.
It's just a thought, but why not try to give some of your first crop to the old lady whose husband had the plot ? It will mean so much to her to know that his pride and joy is being appreciated, and the torch he carried is being handed down to safe hands...

[ladylottie]

It's just a thought, but why not try to give some of your first crop to the old lady whose husband had the plot ? It will mean so much to her to know that his pride and joy is being appreciated, and the torch he carried is being handed down to safe hands...

What a lovely idea! I'm sure she would be very pleased.

[welshboypaul]

Ah, an heirloom allotment plot ! You are lucky indeed. It sounds like a little piece of heaven...as opposed to the herbal hell you so nearly took on !
I once inherited a veggie garden from an old man, about whom I never knew anything other than that he had existed, and looked after this garden for many years. Everywhere, his invisible hand lay upon the garden...it was a wonderful experience to see the outcomes of what he had done, find the survivors of plants he had grown, and realise why things were the way they were. And it was truly exciting to dig the lovely rich crumbly soil he had created, that the current owner didn't know from concrete.
It's just a thought, but why not try to give some of your first crop to the old lady whose husband had the plot ? It will mean so much to her to know that his pride and joy is being appreciated, and the torch he carried is being handed down to safe hands...

We have thought about this and would love to - just need her details which I'm sure the management company have.

[Creemteez]

Lovely story. I wish you many, many years of pleasure, excitement and - yes - blood, sweat - but not too many tears. And remember. He'll be watching you.......