How do I let go of my allotment....not ready to...

[BarkingUpTheWrongRoseBush]

Huge full size allotment. It used to be my refuge and escape from a fairly full house and a back yard that I’d filled with plants.

We’ve moved, now have a garden, small but larger than before and the house is quieter. Not big enough for a conventional veg patch, but could have a greenhouse, herbs, and a small 8 x 6 veg bed.

The allotment is hard work, keeping on top of the weeds, it’s a 5 to 10 minute drive away. I’ve put a lot of it to fruit.

I really ought to give it up...I’d have a lot more time in my week, wouldn’t have that nagging guilty feeling that I haven’t bveen up to water, sow, chase pheasants..

But the views are stunning, I still enjoy pottering up there, but now if I wake up early I want to potter in my garden..not get in the car to the plot.

Do 8 make that allotment easier and do what I can for 5 years till I retire, give half of it up? Give it all up?

Sounds beautiful op. Is there somewone you can share the allotment with with a view to passing it on. If that's what you wish

Would you be wanting it when you retire? 5 years isn't a huge amount of time.

It sounds like it means a lot to you and that you;re not ready to give it up. I would wait the five years, then you know if even given (presumably) endless time in retirement, you still aren't going.

Does your allotment association have a community allotment that people share? I've been up to my daughter's allotment today to water some stuff for her while she's away, and there's also a community allotment there where people who can't commit the time or energy to a full one, have a bed or two within a large shared allotment. That seems a great idea to me. If I lived where she does, I'd be tempted.

I gave up my allotment last year due to time pressures but I created 5 large beds in my garden instead which is more than enough for me and it is much easier to look after. I gave up lawn space to build the beds (lawns are mostly a waste of space anyway!) and they are slightly raised (one sleeper high) so they look neat.

I gave up half my allotment - am so glad I did. I now have a manageable space for the veg I can actually grow and enjoy eating, it doesn’t get overgrown, but I still have that lovely ‘off to the lottie’ me-time and still get to chat to my lovely lottie neighbours and their chickens.

It does rather depend on what you can plan for your garden - if that can be a project and keep you busy then I’d do that. We have a smallish garden but when we tried sharing an allotment for a couple of years, we just didn’t have time for the garden. And our neighbour a couple of houses over spends all his time on his allotment, but his garden - which used to be lovely - is totally neglected and overgrown now. He can’t do both and he has chosen the allotment, and it seems a real shame as his garden was once lovely.

Thank you for the understanding comments.

New garden is very small, and, if I’m there there’s no hiding. And I don’t want it to be all veg. I love ornamentals too.

In reality we don’t eat much from the allotment and I should give up half.

There’s a couple I could swap with. And I know they’d keep it looking nice. They have a half allotment which would probably be perfect.

I’m not ready to give it up.

I have a couple of friends who have a couple of beds on my plot but they don’t help with the rest any more as have a huge garden.

We gave up half of our when we had kids, it's so much more manageable now. We did toy with the idea of giving it up totally but realised we'd regret it long term and would be unlikely to get one again as the waiting lists are so long in our borough.

If you think you will enjoy it again in the future, I would perhaps go for large area covering things like courgettes Try to keep the maintenance as low as possible.

a couple near here have roses and a bench in their allotment, as well as veggies,
sounds like you would miss it if it was gone.

This really strikes a chord with me. I was so sad when I finally got ti mine yesterday for the first time in a month because of the weather to predictably find everything really badly overgrown and the rhubarb flowers nearly as high as the shed.

I have a bit more garden now but will be selling next year or two so don’t want to turn grass over to veg beds and my allotment is so lovely with views and I also have used it to escape to. A couple of friends are helping but it’s hard to organise.

Think the answer may be to sort the paths and a fair few squashes for ground cover along with the fruit, borlotti beans so they are just left .

@FoolsAssassin. Exactly how I feel. I don’t want to give it up....but I can’t keep it the way I want to as too many other things going on...

There was a bit on Gardener’s World where a woman in Devon has an allotment with perennial vegetables. I keep meaning to do some more research on that .

Also think the traditional allotment planting in rows , although easy to hoe, may not be the best plan and more groups of things that may suppress the weeds a bit ?

Don’t give it up!!

Maybe look at making it absolutely as low-maintenance as possible just for the next few years. Accept that it’s going to be a little less involved than it used to be.

But absolutely do continue using it as your refuge - even if you mainly go there just to sit and watch the world around you. That peace, that space, is utterly priceless.

I am not sure what the rules allow but I watched on TV about allotments in a city used much like other gardens, so some apple trees, some lawn, flowers , seats and swings etc . It all looked so lovely with a community feel. It looked like a real escape and not just hard work. This is what I would do if it was allowed.

TBH it’s more of a garden than an allotment...most of them are as most people with them don’t have a garden.

So established plum trees, lots of fruit bushes and a bench with a view and lots of flowers, mostly self seeded.

Raised beds with potatoes, onions, psb, rhubarb, cabbages nothing that needs lots of looking after.

So apart from the edges which have gone wild and could be dealt with by a good strim, it’s fairly low maintenance.

It’s a garden and I suppose I don’t need one anymore as I’ve got one at home now. But the view from the bench of the hills and the sea is superb.

Don't give it up.

Those wild edges I would sow with wild flowers and have it as a mini nature reserve.

Plant low maintenance stuff. Pumkins are fab as they run and run and you could donate them to local schools.

Is there anyone on your allotment that would use a couple of extra beds for a few years? Maybe the couple with the half plot? Explain you are struggling for the next few years but want to keep it but they can use a few beds for overspill?

Don't feel guilty over it, it's your space and if it's a bit wild for a few years it doesn't matter, the wildlife will benefit much more than rows of netted veg and immaculate borders. My beds are neat enough but the edges are full of weeds and wild flowers for the wildlife.

@BarkingUpTheWrongRoseBush you still sound as if you’re convincing yourself that you ought to give it up...please don’t. It’ll all work out in the end.

Our allotment had to be productive but they did accept a huge herb bed for mine. I had a lovely big rosemary and sage that really took up a lot of space. Plus a tasty thyme that spread a long way and some mint contained in old tyres. Plus when i did get my own garden i took cuttings and populated my garden.
I found rhubarb took up a lot of space too.

If you don't want to give it up then don't!

You are contradicting yourself here. Your first post you say it's a lot of work, then further down you say stuff doesn't need much looking after and that it's really just the edges.so go do the edges.
I feel like you think there's some kind of overwhelmingly big job to do there and that's what's putting you off .
But it's clear as day you don't want to, so don't! Who cares if you "ought to" or not. If you want to keep it, just keep it :)

@BarkingUpTheWrongRoseBush have you got photos we could see? I’d love an allotment although we can’t have one at the moment.

What's the waiting list for allotments like where you are?
Because if it's very long (like where I am!) then I have a different perspective to other posters, I think.
I understand it must feel really sad to relinquish a much loved and long tended plot.
But if you no longer have the time required to make the most of it, and if you now have a bigger garden of your own so no longer need it as much, is it not a little selfish to hang onto the whole plot when there may be others desperate for even a small part of what you have?
I think if there is a long allotment waiting list you should seriously consider giving up half, at least. Better to let it go before the point it becomes too much, and gets very overgrown and neglected.

I'm going to go against the grain slightly. I gave up my plot about 3 years ago. It sounds similar to yours, I had it about 10 years, mature(ish!) fruit trees I'd planted myself, beautiful rural location, amazing views, nice seating area, mud kitchen for the dcs.

It was a wrench at the time but interference from the committee was starting to get to me and I was feeling anxious every time I pulled up in case the dandilions had run riot or something.

In the end giving it up was like lifting a huge burden and I'm now thankful that I just have my own (small) garden to potter in.