Is an allotment a full time job?

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I've been offered an allotment. Is this going to improve or destroy my mental health? Has anyone got any advice please? It's about 125 sq feet apparently but I don't know about condition.

It doesn't have to be. As for mental health it can be rewarding and frustrating in equal measure.

Have you done much gardening before?

It will need a fairly regular commitment in Spring and summer if you want to keep weeds at bay and expect to actually harvest anything. You will need to water your plants in warmer weather. I wouldn't say it needed to be a full time thing but the more time you spend the lovelier and more productive your plot will be.

Have a look over in the Gardening section, loads of good advice there and there's a Veg Patch thread which will give you an idea of what's involved.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/gardening

Always a boost to mental health, but question should be, how much time do you want to spend on it? Choose plot and plant up accordingly. If you've a couple of hours a week then don't take on a ruin, and plant more perennial fruit and veg.

It's a 5min walk from my house and I imagine that it would be nice to get down there several times a week in the summer. I have two pre teen kids who would probably be keen to help or to have a section each, so it might be good for bonding with growing teenagers. Though obviously, like the puppy, it would be my responsibility. I also have a sister in law nearby who might be interested in sharing it.

I'm not very experienced but I do know what's easy to grow and to start on something easy and get more complex later!

I had the same size allotment but gave it up as I found it too much. Trying to stay on top of weeding (mine was covered with bind weed, which i couldn't get rid of) watering, etc, was hard work. Especially with 2 kids, animals and full time job. It was fantastic for my mental health, though, and I loved it there, but sadly, it was just too big of a commitment. Can you ask to have half a plot?

Oh take it! Learn and enjoy it. Id be there with my friend in the summer with wine snd snack!

I got my allotment in Jan 23 and I honestly love it. It's not a full time job, but does take some quite a bit of my time especially in spring & summer.

I think best to have a look at it and see if it was once well loved and start small.

I just cleared a few patches for the first year and covered the rest and then kept on top of the patches I cleared before moving on to create more beds. I also bought plants rather than grew from seed but now have started to grow my own as less maintenance needed.

If you've got the chance it would be good to go down to a) look at the patch and wht state it's in and b) suss out the other allotment holders. Having friendly, helpful neighbours to give advice will be very useful.

Ask for a half plot .

as a family we have a half plot

officially it’s my husbands , and I would say he spend a full day down there once a fortnight through the winter

in the summer he will aim for more smaller times - most days watering up if it’s hot

and fitting in an hour or so before after work for weeding and tidying.

I have summer holidays off and will go water up if he’s at work too many hours, and I will occasionally fill a bag of weeds .

eldest has absolutely no interest at all , the most she will do is drop off the compost or a drink for someone working.

youngest will spend an our or so if the power tools are about- he built a nice herb bed last weekend.

also you need to find some one to water up if you go away in summer for more then a day or so

we made half our plot into a grassy area with 7 fruit trees round the edge and a pond in the corner, making a lovely space to take a chair and a book but not so much work and we still get cherries and apples and pears - I just say we are helping nature 🤣

the things we grow well are tomatoes and onions………. Everything else is an expensive hobby lol

I have a full plot, 250 m2. That includes a shed, 3 compost bays and a greenhouse. Plus a seating area. So about 170 m2 for cultivation.
I spend 4 hours every Monday morning all year round.
Once a month I allocate a whole day just for the allotment. This is for big’ jobs’. My next one is on Friday, I’m redoing the compost bays.
In the summer (May, really) I like to go every other day, I find it easier to keep on top of weeding this way, I just do little bits at a time.
In the autumn I go once a week, and I shut everything down at the end of October, I cover everything up and I go to check on things twice a month in November, December and January. That’s for borders, cutting grass on the paths etc.
HTH.

I have an allotment, you do need to go down regularly in summer, if it's 5 minutes away that sounds ideal! I love pottering away on mine, the kids like being there too (mine are 5 and 9)

It's a huge committment.

My current plot (this is my second one) is a half size, it's about 2.5 hours a week in growing season minimum which I split into half hour slots acros the week, less in winter.

I went to visit when offered a plot, mt a couple of plot holders and had a chat to see what it was like there, found out where the water was in relation to my plot and looked at what others were growing, sun/shade and other aspects. Took measurements, checked the soil and made a plan of what to grow.

It's as difficult as you want to make it for yourself. It's good to get out and about growing what you want and it usually tastes better (except potatoes on my plot, all bar one variety taste bleugh).

Thanks, all this is helpful advice. I think I'll take it unless it's a jungle!

they are nice, good peice of mind, its an escape from modern life for a bit, you can build section by section, you can combine, reshape any designs, overall they can be quite creative, all that is limiting is materials, and resources depending on your budget,

You could cover the ground with weed controlling fabric to give yourself some thinking time.

Do you have a paid job? If not or you work a small number of hours it should be do-able. It wouldn’t be for DH (loves gardening, works full time)

125 square feet is tiny, it's about the size of a bedroom.

If you spend 2 hours a week in spring/summer and 1 hour a week in autumn, that should easily cover it

I had one alongside a full time job and it was fine but I did plant potatoes on quite a large section of it and they don’t need much upkeep. The DC weren’t very interested as they got older unless it was to pick strawberries and things.

I did love my allotment though and only gave it up because I moved too far away.

This. Do you mean 125 square feet or 125 square metres. As one is 10x the size of the other!

I had a couple of years involved with a community garden/allotment. It was huge though so lots of volunteers. My sister and her DH had a fab allotment but it was a very serious hobby for them both and they bottled and froze produce and had an extra huge freezer. They lived across the road from it and he was over practically every day, he did run a business from his home.

I have a small quarter plot, and because I have a full-time job (and am quite lazy) I have planted it up with mainly fruit bushes, herbs and easy-care bee-loving flowers like salvia and lavender. It keeps the maintenance down! I don't plant anything that requires lots of titivating, and I have a mate with a nearby plot who will run the hose over mine if it's getting too dry in the warmer months.

The worst bit was clearing it and that did take quite a bit of time but once it's done, you just need to keep things ticking over.

Mine isn't ever going to be the neatest or most productive plot but I'm very fond of it and it's a lovely way to spend a few hours on a sunny weekend.

As an allotmenteer I have seen a lot of plot holders come and go, especially people with kids. Don't count on your kids being interested- mine aren't, although when they were younger they'd come and play in the adjoining woods. Nowadays they stay at home while I spend a couple of guilty, hurried hours doing the essentials. I'd say in order to keep mine in really good nick I should be spending a day a week there March- August, and a day a fortnight the rest of the year. I don't, so it's a bit shaggy. I do have a full sized plot, though.