Plot vs Garden

[Bigmallly]

This the alarm I have on the house, I just bought a couple of extra door contacts for the shed & garage. It's all wireless/solar so easy to install, all the contacts & PIRs are set to one house code using internal switches.

Friedland Response Wireless Intruder Burglar Alarm SA3: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

[womble]

It's an interesting question I've been pondering recently.
When I started veg gardening here, it was our new house and no allotments were available within 5 miles, I knew I wanted a garden big enough for growing stuff and having chickens.
After growing for a few years, I moaned a bit about not having enough space that I would have on a allotment, but I filled every fence with fruit, used every space I could and encroached a bit more on the lawn each year.
I love having the stuff close to home now, I'm more of a, walk out and see what needs doing gardener, rather than a, go to the plot for the day and work till there is nothing to do, gardener.
Harvesting at this time of year is the name of the game and I can spend an hour each day picking fruit and veg, then straight into the kitchen to cook. I just would not do that with an allotment, it would be an hour every couple of days, then I wouldn't bother to go down for a few days and alot of stuff would go to waste.

If I had an allotment, I could grow more carrots (if good soil) potatoes, onions, cabbages/sprouts, not much else really, I grow enough of the rest to keep us happy at home. You do have to know the amounts to grow, it's not like at the allotments where you can grow a 20 ft row of runners and then just chuck all the ones you won't need. There is not room for waste.
But also, your manure doesn't have to go so far, you can get your beds with brilliant soil much easier and it's alot less work to keep reasonable.

But it's not for everyone, I made the choice like Ruth to have a veg and fruit garden, even my front garden in planted up with them. So sometimes cardboard, enviromesh and other meshes, structures can be seen everywhere. but also like Ruth, it's a talking point for the family and friends and we always have a walk round. I've got a few other people growing their own now, since they walked round my garden and it's nice to be an inspiration to people.

Cats can be a PITA too, but as Mally says, no vandals to worry about.

[arpoet]

I share an allotment with my blind pal. I do the sowing and planting, etc and he does the jobs i cant do like digging and many other important jobs like making the tea.. lol. We share all the veg, never fall out and have not bought any veg in the shops since june.. I also grow some things in my home garden as does my pal, Les. I use my greenhouses and window sills at home for raising the plants.

We took on the allotment about 4 years ago in a poor state and find it a woderful way to get out of the house for a chat and get fresh air and exersize.
Maybe if people are finding it hard work alone then taking on a 'share of the costs, workload and harvest' partner, like we do would be helpful to both sides.

A notice placed on your gate or on the society notice board, or even in a local shop window may bring help.

Roger

ps...We spend hours down there planning and putting the world to rights.

PPS.. my pal was climbing the plum tree yesterday, so never think the dissabled cant be gardeners

[nomis]

My garden is too small and too shaded. The allotment is 6 minutes drive (or 20 minutes walk), so quite doable on my way home from work each day.

Our waiting lists were said to be long but I got a place in just 7 months which was lucky.

[solway cropper]

This has been an interesting thread for me. As a country boy I always yearned for land of my own where I could grow all my own food and keep livestock etc. Life got in the way and I had to content myself with a variety of gardens, back yards and even an allotment. Four years ago we moved to our present home with its lovely, south facing garden and I have to admit it is as much as I can now manage. Like others I've been tempted to grow just about everything but now stick to what the family wants to eat. Ruth is right about the potatoes. We had Kestrels for tea tonight from a large bag in the shed but they could just as easily have come from a supermarket. On the other hand the first few Epicures in June were to die for!

Just to be able to walk out of the back door in the morning and see the results of your work is a pleasure that is priceless. It wouldn't be the same for me if I had to get in the car and drive to an allotment.

[Croila]

I have a sqft gardening bed, made up of 30 squares to grow individual items in (only really works for short/low lying crops.. I tried PSB in there, and it was a disaster!)

Hello, I've got a sqft box too, just got it in June this year and planted PSB in it. It's a disaster as well - so huge! And so floppy! I'm just wondering, what was it about yours that you found disasterous?

[Kathy2053]

A quick update for you all... in case you're interested! I popped to the plot last night and found that it hadn't been completed destroyed by mother nature in my two-week absence - I turned a couple of pumpkins which are definately getting bigger, picked two cucumbers and a patty-pan squash and dug up the last of my King Edwards...

Have decided to give up the top half of the plot (which was suggested by the allotment "committee" previously but i was too stubborn to do so). This means that the half of the plot with the pumpkins, sprouts, etc can happily grow into the winter months. I will probably give up all together after Christmas and re-design the garden to grow there. Just hope I get some nice brussels as a result!

Now where's that squared paper and seed catalogue... Kx

[chris]

Hello, I've got a sqft box too, just got it in June this year and planted PSB in it. It's a disaster as well - so huge! And so floppy! I'm just wondering, what was it about yours that you found disasterous?

I didn't realise that PSB grew so tall, it outgrew the netting (I did have 5 per square too) so the CWB got in. The plants suffered big time, anytime I'd harvest my hands would be covered in caterpillars.. Something about them just creep me out so rather than picking through each spear everytime I wanted some I decided to compost the lot... I do have a brassica bed in my other garden though - so I've not lost everything. As it was so large it fell over other stuff too - pretty much flattened my Radichicco (or whatever it is ). There's a SQFT gardening thread here where someone suggested posting any failures/mistakes for others to learn from.. not sure if you've seen it but it's a great thread about the whole idea with some good links in there too.

A quick update for you all... in case you're interested! I popped to the plot last night and found that it hadn't been completed destroyed by mother nature in my two-week absence - I turned a couple of pumpkins which are definately getting bigger, picked two cucumbers and a patty-pan squash and dug up the last of my King Edwards...

Have decided to give up the top half of the plot (which was suggested by the allotment "committee" previously but i was too stubborn to do so). This means that the half of the plot with the pumpkins, sprouts, etc can happily grow into the winter months. I will probably give up all together after Christmas and re-design the garden to grow there. Just hope I get some nice brussels as a result!

Now where's that squared paper and seed catalogue... Kx

Good call, if anything you could use it as an extension to your garden.. or if it's too much just give the other half back later

[gojiberry]

Garden is just not big enough. Although there is only me and the OH I just like growing and pottering about and most of what I grow is given away. There is no one on our waiting list so I have taken on a second plot to keep it going till someone comes along. Will be putting out some rhubarb and currant bushes this week. Rhubarb grown from seed and bushes propagated from cuttings. Couldn't be without the lottie.

Ian

[chris]

Goji - where abouts is your plot? Everyone I've tried in Cardiff [assuming that you're in cardiff] has a list!

[Ruth M C]

Kathy, you sound a lot happier about your ideas now - that's great. For me (and reading the other's opinions) there's great satisfaction in using the garden instead of an allotment. For most people their gardens are smaller than an allotment so the discipline of growing only what is usable can be a bit tough. However, being someone who likes experimenting with unusual food stuffs I usually have a couple of pots dotted around trying to grow just for the sake of achieving something new. That's the extra fun part for me of working my garden.

KR
Ruth

[chris]

This thread has made me ponder if I'd be wise getting an allotment or not. For the reasons above I love growing in my garden - I can harvest something and cook it instantly...

Just wondering if I'll be able to dedicate the time- thinking about it now Maybe I should have listened to my wife and moved a little further out into the country [it's mad, if we moved an hour away from where we are now, for the same money we paid for this house we'd have had a similar sized house with between 4 and 7 acres of land!!! - argh]

[Littlemouse]

I grow veg in my garden in an imperfect situation. Backs on to copse of huge oak trees so lots of tree debris deposited all year round, and only has full sun for 5 hrs a day max, soil is pure clay. I used to have an allotment.

Pros of Garden:
Can garden spontaneously No need to plan what tools / refreshments, etc, to take to allotment - No need to drive there.
Pick / gather veg as needed.
Secure from vandals and can properly relax rather than looking over shoulder in case strangers are walking about when I am last one working in the far corner of a large allotment site.


Cons:
Small area - typical new build urban square. Husband won't let me use as much of space as I'd like.
Limited number of beds and cannot grow some things in the quantities I'd like.
The twinge of embarrassment when it looks messy and more allotment like than I feel comfortable with. I am mindful of the neighbours' reactions (and yes I do know it is my garden to do more or less what I wish with, but I do not wish to be unneighbourly).
Temptation to spend money on expensive and 'good looking' solutions to plant protection which I wouldn't bother with on a plot.

I'm on waiting list for allotment where I live now - although these have yet to be designed into next round of building development, there being no provision at all in our parish. I would use allotment space to go mad on fruit growing.

[planetologist]

Given that there are such long waiting lists, I wouldn't give up an allotment if I had limited space at home (I have a quarter acre garden, so I did give up my allotment). There's lots of things you can grow in an allotment that require very little attention (roots, soft fruit, perennial vegetables), especially if you mulch (I use lots of permanent cardboard, but that allegedly only works because I have more frogs than slugs :-) ). And lots of people who take up allotments don't use them well, so I wouldn't feel particularly guilty about finding my way while there is a waiting list. I occasionally help in an allotment, and find it great to talk while gardening, so I'd also recommend unobtrusively ignoring an allotment committee that doesn't favour sharing.