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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be really excited that I have just been offered an alottment!

43 replies

KnittedBreast · 18/02/2011 10:33

Yay! im so happy, I got the call yesterday after being on the waiting list for a year. The plot is really quite big with two sheds and a lovely secret woody area at the back.

The amount of space I wont need to buy veg for a long time. Its only £35 a year aswell! im going to put it on my blog along with my sewing pictures!

Best part is its at the bottom of my road so not far to go.

Do you have an alotment?

OP posts:
ASecretLemonadeDrinker · 18/02/2011 10:34

I did but was too ill to use it & gave it up :( Am going to try & get another soo though :)

Quenelle · 18/02/2011 11:05

I did but it was enormous, was at the top of a very steep hill, had no shed and no water supply. I would love an allotment with a shed.

Hope you enjoy lots of peaceful hours there and will soon be enjoying the fruits of your labour.

MissRead · 18/02/2011 11:15

Why would that be unreasonable?! We got one last year and I love it although I must admit to finding it really time-consuming - we didn't get down there nearly as much as we'd hoped to but even so we got a fairly good crop and really enjoyed spending time there. Am scaling back a bit this year so my tip would be to start small with things you know grow well or that you will really enjoy eating - we did too much of too many things. Also the weeds will be a nightmare, you just have to try and keep on top of them. Lastly try and enjoy the 'journey' ie the growing, spending time out in the fresh air etc, rather than looking for the end result all the time.

newbeemummy · 18/02/2011 11:15

That is great news - we are lucky enough to have space in our garden to have a veggie patch, and it's great, everything does taste better when you grow your own.

Have you started planning your crops ready for planting next month?

rattling · 18/02/2011 11:18

I am 2 years into my expected 6 year wait. I am very Envy

Original poster
KnittedBreast · 18/02/2011 11:31

newbeemummy I have no idea what to plant or when.

ive tried looking online at allotment planners and gardening advice but there is alot of conflicting advice

6 years- thats along time. Apparently there are some people with 95 year waits

OP posts:
Punkatheart · 18/02/2011 11:39

Hoorah! I am number 42 on a list, after two and a half years. I will faint when I get the call!

Original poster
KnittedBreast · 18/02/2011 11:44

its amazing, i was so excited and i didnt expect the plot to be so big with little hidden places. i cant wait to put some pictures up and start preparing the ground

OP posts:
Onetoomanycornettos · 18/02/2011 11:50

If you love gardening yourself then having an allotment is really fun. As others have said, though, it's a massive time commitment, I didn't know that you would have to water most days in the summer for example, and personally I don't like gardening so left my husband to it. We only had it for one year as we moved away, but I can see the potential for fun with the children, if you are happy for your new hobby to be having an allotment!

KnitterNotTwitter · 18/02/2011 11:52

Hey

We've got an allotment - had it for 7 years now. Ours is one rod by 6 rods long - so 15ft by 90ft. We have a shed, greenhouse and compost bin on it.

My suggestion would be to only grow the things that you eat - sounds obvious but DH and I keep growing cabbages which we would never buy.

We can't grow enough peas and beans.

It's also to put in some permanant crops as they tend to need less TLC - we've got red, white and black currants; gooseberry bushes, rhubarb, asparagus, globe artichokes, strawberries, raspberries and hops.

In terms of stuff to be planting now i'd get some onion sets and some garlic - they can go in now and are fairly low maintenance. Also parsnips if you like them.

Then if you've got a warm windowsill you can plant outdoor varieties of tomatoes to get them germinating.

Squashes are fun to grow.

Leek seeds need to get planted next month - for next winter.

If you're going to do potatoes you should buy seed potatoes soon and get them chitting - that is sitting in a cool bright place to get started before you plant them.

In terms of tips don't be tempted to plant tings too close - we ALWAYS plant our potatoes too close and then don't get as good a crop as we might otherwise.

HTH :)

KnitterNotTwitter · 18/02/2011 11:54

Oh yes and in terms of the time committment I estimate that to do it properly our plot needs a day a week averaged over the year - less visits in winter and more in spring/summer obviously.

Now is the perfect time to get your plot - much more inspiring than autumn/winter when you have a long wait until anything crops.

Original poster
KnittedBreast · 18/02/2011 11:57

Thanks knitter, how far apart should i plant them?

OP posts:
SmashingNarcissistsMirrors · 18/02/2011 11:57

congratulations. i've been on the list since october 2004. i'm now #5 on the list although i suspect that is because others have moved / died waiting!

i'm guessing all you fellow waiters live in london or other big cities? other councils have a duty to get more plots once the list gets to a certain length.

sis · 18/02/2011 12:01

www.allotments4all.co.ukis a great site for allotmenteers. The forum regularly answers questions I didn't know I had!

Onetoomanycornettos · 18/02/2011 12:09

I also found that courgettes are easy to grow (and we eat them, brilliant point by knitter to only plant things you actually want to eat, sounds obvious, but...)

We now have a veggie garden at the end of our garden which is much smaller, I can't say we are living off the produce but it's great for getting the children involved.

And I think the estimation of a day a week is pretty much spot on.

Original poster
KnittedBreast · 18/02/2011 12:11

SIS i had a look on that website but is difficult to navigate. id really love to see pics of other peoples allotments for ideas.

I wouldnt plant anything i wouldnt eat, it would be a waste. what im really looking forward to is leaving a small wild area with long grass and countryside plants and flowers to encourage bees/butterflies etc

OP posts:
KazBarTheFriendlyGhost · 18/02/2011 12:17

YANBU to be excited that you have just been offered an allotment.

Congratulations!!

ratspeaker · 18/02/2011 12:20

My dad had an allotment
The taste of fresh tomatoes, tatties straight out the ground, lettuce from the green house. He even grew chillis.
bliss
I wish I'd beeen able to take it over when he took ill.

Original poster
KnittedBreast · 18/02/2011 12:23

sorry to hear that ratspeaker, is there no way you could apply to take it over now?

OP posts:
kreecherlivesupstairs · 18/02/2011 12:28

I like the idea of an allotment, but know that I don't have the knees or back to be able to manage one. I don't have the committment either, every year I grow some tomatoes and every year I don't water them enough.
This year I am going to. Even if me and DD have to leave them for DH to eat when we move, I will grow and eat more than 12 toms.

Hullygully · 18/02/2011 12:29

We have an allotment. Agree re grow what you eat - we don't grow potatoes, cabbages etc as we don't eat them much, but lots of toms, courgettes, onions, garlics, beans. Squashes are good and need little work, keep for months too.

My best advice is 1. preparation. We spent a year sorting theground and building raised beds so that now it is very low maintenance and 2. plant raspberries, strawberries as v little work and lots of lovely fruit (net from birds), and dwarf fruit trees.

Meglet · 18/02/2011 12:31

yanbu.

I am 1 year into my 3/4 year wait for mine. In the meantime am perfecting my veggie growing skills in the garden.

Original poster
KnittedBreast · 18/02/2011 12:32

hullygully-net from birds? what does that mean?

OP posts:
Hullygully · 18/02/2011 12:33

Put nets over the soft fruits or the birds will enjoy them rather than you..

RantyMcRantpants · 18/02/2011 12:39

We got our allotment in October last year and so far have just cleared it. Put up a greenhouse and a shed at the back and planted fruit bushes and onion and garlic.

We will be looking at doing some thing with it over this half term as we really haven't done much over the winter.

Hully what did you use to make your raised beds?