My poor itchy fingers!

[faerieprincess]

I am absolutely itching to do some gardening, but am waiting for my allotment.

My local council are opening up a disused allotment and are in the process of 'ploughing' it at the moment. I received a letter asking me if I wanted to go on the list for this allotment site and come off the other waiting list, as I was likely to get a plot much faster. The person at the Council office responsible for allotments told me that it was unlikely that I wouldn't get a plot (sorry for the double negative here!!) so I am well and truly excited at the prospect but am frustrated as to how long it will take!

The sunny days are teasing me, because with two young children I won't be able to do much gardening on the allotment when the weather turns bad (sheds won't be allowed so no cover for them there).

I'm gathering newspapers and cardboard and eyeing off the driveway of a local who leaves horse manure in bags for people to take. I have a seed stash ready to go (and more being delivered soon). Any ideas as to what else I could do to be ready to go when I finally get my allotment????

[zazen999]

Not much; when are they thinking of dishing them out? Frustrating as it is until you get the plot and can stand on it and DO SOMETHING you will just annoy yourself and everyone around you by thinking about it 24/7. If you don't even know the shape each plot will be you can't even make plans.....pfftt.

Have you space for any pots at all; I used clear plastic storage boxes - you can start onions and garlic off in them in multipurpose compost and transfer when you do get the plot; and then use the plastic container as makeshift cloches upside down, for stuff such as early sown lettuce and beetroot when you get your plot. You can use japanese onion sets or sow onion seeds into the compost and put a plastic cover over the top to keep the frost out and transplant next spring......fill the container 1/3 of the way if you do this......

You can also grow lettuce and beetroot during the winter; even if you just sow some beetroot seeds and use the leaves in salads; it is worth it to have colour on your plate over the winter.

Ditto; I grow sprouting red cabbages and pick off the leaves as babies to add to salads and rice [sprinkle some in the last minute of cooking to add some greenery].

And it won't be long before next year's seed potatoes are out and can be chitted.

[Two_Sheds]

I received a letter asking me if I wanted to go on the list for this allotment site and come off the other waiting list

er, no.
Come off the list when you get a plot.
If they won't let you have your name down twice, put your Other Half's name on the new list.

[geoff]

Mention to friends, colleagues at work, and so on that you are getting an allotment, and drop broad hints that you would be grateful for any gardening related items they have to spare. Most people have all sorts of junk accumulating in their sheds and garages and would be glad to give it a good home. I was given a wheelbarrow, a spade, a bent fork ( now repaired) and various other minor bits & pieces, like pots, labels, out of date seeds
You might even be offered a shed, if not given, then very cheap; that's how one of my fellow plot - holders got hers

[faerieprincess]

NHave you space for any pots at all; I used clear plastic storage boxes - you can start onions and garlic off in them in multipurpose compost and transfer when you do get the plot; and then use the plastic container as makeshift cloches upside down, for stuff such as early sown lettuce and beetroot when you get your plot. You can use japanese onion sets or sow onion seeds into the compost and put a plastic cover over the top to keep the frost out and transplant next spring......fill the container 1/3 of the way if you do this......

You can also grow lettuce and beetroot during the winter; even if you just sow some beetroot seeds and use the leaves in salads; it is worth it to have colour on your plate over the winter.

Ditto; I grow sprouting red cabbages and pick off the leaves as babies to add to salads and rice [sprinkle some in the last minute of cooking to add some greenery].

And it won't be long before next year's seed potatoes are out and can be chitted.

I am growing some things in pots at home, but I am hesitant to plant winter plants with a view to transferring them to the plot. I mean, they're 'ploughing' the darn thing so I can just imagine how long it will take me to get rid of the chopped up bits of grass that the ploughing process is going to leave!!!! And when they have ploughed it and resurfaced the carparking area, they then need to set out the plots, then they're going to send a letter to everyone and invite them to a meeting to get it all started...... Eeek, I hope I get it before Spring at that rate!!!! When I pushed for a time estimate they refused to give me even a vague one!

er, no.
Come off the list when you get a plot.
If they won't let you have your name down twice, put your Other Half's name on the new list.

No, they won't let you be in two waiting lists at the same time. I didn't think of putting my OH's name on the new list - not that I think they would have let me because they only approached people who were already on waiting lists to make sure they got first dibs.

Mention to friends, colleagues at work, and so on that you are getting an allotment, and drop broad hints that you would be grateful for any gardening related items they have to spare. Most people have all sorts of junk accumulating in their sheds and garages and would be glad to give it a good home. I was given a wheelbarrow, a spade, a bent fork ( now repaired) and various other minor bits & pieces, like pots, labels, out of date seeds
You might even be offered a shed, if not given, then very cheap; that's how one of my fellow plot - holders got hers

Not a bad idea, although being fairly new to the area I don't know that many people here (and am a SAHM at the moment, so no work colleagues!). If I did get offered a shed I would be in trouble because we can't have them at the allotment. Is that common, I wonder? No sheds on allotments? It's actually no buildings so that would be no greenhouses either I expect. And I wonder what they think of poly tunnels????

[binley100]

Can't understand why no sheds allowed. On our site there are all sorts that people have bult themselves from reclaimed materials eg pallets, As long as they're not permanent ie brick built. Surely they must let you have somewhere to store things.

[faerieprincess]

They were very clear in the letter that sheds would not be allowed, I guess so that people who objected to that knew straight away and wouldn't sign up for an allotment there. They rules for the allotments said 'no buildings without permission' - not sure how far they will take that. Maybe they will have some communal buildings or something for storage. But these allotments are so much closer to my home than the other ones I was on the waiting list for so I think it would be worth it.

[organic]

Maybe you could have a min-shed... think basically a locking box. In fact, if you had any plans for a bench seat of some sort on the plot you could have it double as secure storage for some tools, pots and the like.

My plot is slightly smaller than a standard half-plot so I've not got space for a shed. I've spoken to my neighbour and he's happy to share his shed, but I'm planning to make a small seat which will double as storage and possibly something similar along the back of the greenhouse/polytunnel to fill the otherwise useless gap between it and the border once I know how big it'll be.

If they explicitly say "no sheds" it sounds like they might allow greenhouses, maybe something to clarify.

On the other hand, my site's rules are no structures without permission - that includes compost bins! Permission is easy enough to get, but it does stop things being made from bits of rusty metal and rotten wood.

It sounds to me like you could do with clarifying exactly what their criteria are for getting permission for buildings and see if there's scope for things like a greenhouse on there and what their policy is on things like compost bins.

[chriscross1966]

Maybe you could have a min-shed... think basically a locking box. In fact, if you had any plans for a bench seat of some sort on the plot you could have it double as secure storage for some tools, pots and the like.

My plot is slightly smaller than a standard half-plot so I've not got space for a shed. I've spoken to my neighbour and he's happy to share his shed, but I'm planning to make a small seat which will double as storage and possibly something similar along the back of the greenhouse/polytunnel to fill the otherwise useless gap between it and the border once I know how big it'll be.

If they explicitly say "no sheds" it sounds like they might allow greenhouses, maybe something to clarify.

On the other hand, my site's rules are no structures without permission - that includes compost bins! Permission is easy enough to get, but it does stop things being made from bits of rusty metal and rotten wood.

It sounds to me like you could do with clarifying exactly what their criteria are for getting permission for buildings and see if there's scope for things like a greenhouse on there and what their policy is on things like compost bins.

You might be better disguising the "locked box" inside what appears to be a compost bin.... make it so that it has a "floor" half way up and one side that removes half-way down... this can be disguised if you use horizontal slats at that point. THe compost heap on top is strictly decorative so no need to go overboard, put things that will take a long time to break down in it.... as long as none of the local scrotes see you using it (hide it with other heaps and waterbuts etc) then you won't need to lug all the tools to and fro....


chrisc

[organic]

That sounds like a good idea, Chris.
I might even try something similar for my actual compost bins so I have a way to catch the juices that run off so I can use them on the plot rather than just having them seep into the ground and improve the soil under the bins.

[binley100]

I did hear of one guy who dug a deep hole to sink a wheelie bin for storage and then disguised the top .

[organic]

Sounds like a smart idea - though I imagine it could pose a problem getting things from the bottom!

[binley100]

Hahaha... now have this mental image of a pair of legs sticking out of the ground !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[faerieprincess]

I've got it!!!

Yay!!!! The plots are ready!!!!! I get to go and see my plot on Saturday. It's a half plot, and it's mine, all mine!!!!!! All of the plot holders have been invited to inspect on Saturday morning and we have a map showing where our plots are. I hope I get to meet my new neighbours.

The new letter says they will allow a locked tool box, but reiterated the no sheds policy.

[Jeanied]

How about a tent for the kids? That'll keep them happy for hours (that goes for the play house version too). Our lottie site had a no sheds policy for ages until enough plotholders got together and said that it wasn't very green not to have a way of collecting rainwater. And freecycle is always worth a try for tools and that kind of thing.