Allotment blues

[Rose0411]

Last March I took on a small allotment. I thought I would be able to go up on my 1 day off and weekends with my DD2 but that didn't happen because every time I took her she would leg it off the plot and it wasn't safe. My Ds7 loved it but quickly got bored when I needed to work rather than walk around the site talking to people. I had to go alone every other weekend and the odd day when my partner wasn't working, we work opposite shifts and he works until 8pm most nights so weekday visits are tricky. It was hard work doing it alone, but enjoyed it and got some good crops but last year I had to have 2 operations on my hand and that limited me massively. I've had to abandon the plot for the last few months, it was very weedy in the end, I covered the bulk of the plot for winter but ultimately by the end of the season it was not in a great state and I felt overwhelmed.

I am debating whether I should persevere, try and keep it low maintenance and ticking over until I have more time and can invest more or give it up and maybe come back to an allotment in a few years time when the kids are older and I have more time?
Last year was difficult with the operations, I also changed my job so I now work more hours than when I first started and the allotment feels full of guilt and pressure when I'm not there but I did enjoy it when I got a chance.

The community aspect is also quite full on, I'm right by the main path so feel very visible, there are loads of emails requesting volunteers for communal areas and working parties, which I just don't have capacity to get involved in also the site has some open days so there are loads of emails about keeping boundaries/paths etc neat.

I do have a small garden but it is an odd shape, almost completely in shade and has been dominated by the kids toys/trampoline etc. I used to love gardening but now it feels like another task.

I wondered what people's thoughts were, how much time they are able to give to their plots and whether it is normal to have periods of falling out of love with the allotment? I just feel so torn, usually at this time of year I would be planning and looking at seed catalogues but I'm not feeling inspired.

It’s normal to fall out of love with things; just because something has been a big part of your life doesn’t mean you have to keep on doing it when the rewards no longer compensate for the effort.

What benefit (apart from produce) do yo get from the allotment? Pease, me-time, fresh air, optimism from the changing seasons? Are they commensurate with the effort you put in? Could you get the benefits in a different way?

If you gave it up, could you get another allotment when the children are older? Could you drop to a half plot?

No allotments in my area, but I 'borrowed' a garden a few years ago. Did all the slog work, cleared the rubbish, weeds, paths. Laid it out, planted it up. Then life got in the way, I just got too busy. It took so much time, driving to the garden, having to have a 'chat' with the owners.
I let it go. The time will come when having an allotment WILL fit in my life, but I am not there yet. It just became something else I didnt have time for and that took all the joy away and stressed me out!
You have to decide for yourself. Dont beat yourself up.

It is of course fine to give it up if you're not enjoying it as pp have said. If you decide to continue I've found that fruit and perennials are much lower maintenance than annual veg so depending on the rules on your site could you make the most of the winter dormant season to pick up a variety of bare root fruit bushes, raspberry canes, dwarf fruit trees and you could do a bed of asparagus and a bed of artichokes. Then cover the beds you plant them in with weed suppressing fabric or cardboard and a thick mulch on top like bark chips. This is what I've done, I'm in a similar situation with young kids. I've then left four beds that I really focus on growing annuals the kids enjoy eating like sweetcorn and pumpkins. I've also used up a chunk of the plot with a polytunnel too. It's hard when you feel other people are judging your efforts. It's an element of having an allotment I didn't expect either.

It sounds like the pros are outweighed by the cons.

It could be that it's just not the right time for you at the moment. That could change in a few years as the children grow up.

Why don't you focus on your own garden for the next year or so? You could plant up some pots and lots of hanging baskets. As soon as the children outgrow the trampoline that can go and you can add a few more plants.

You could always go and volunteer somewhere. There are lots of places around here that are desperate for volunteer gardeners for a few hours each week (National Trust and therapeutic gardens).

Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond. I am still very much in two minds, it's such a hard decision, I think because I wanted it for so long, spent time planning and getting excited and doing so much work on it last year.

I have been struggling with motivation generally. Attempted to get to the allotment for the last 2 days but was put off by family time and rain. I even went out into my own garden today and felt overwhelmed and came back in.

I think I am going to try and get to the allotment over the next few months and see how I feel. If I can summon the energy and motivation I will try and do some prep for spring - keeping everything as simple as possible and maybe more of a focus on perennials and flowers for this year. If I struggle with that then it will be time to let it go and maybe request to go back on the waiting list for a more suitable time.

Sounds like you have a bit of mild depression. Everything is a problem to be solved not a joy to anticipate. Don’t expect too much of yourself, celebrate what you do achieve. Set the bar low.

Books like the half hour allotment might help. I put my name down for an allotment thinking it would take years to get one, but it came up quite quickly while DS was still quite little. Loads of people said "just let him have a little mud patch and he'll be happy" but it really wasn't that simple, just as you have found. I gave up the allotment before it ran away with me, as I wished the previous plot holder had! I did okay for about a season, but I was able to spend time there on my own, once DH's shifts changed I rarely got to go to the plot without DS, that's when it started to get away from me.

It will be easier when they get older.

I'm planning to get a plant ladder type thing to go by the back door for herbs, lettuce, maybe strawberries and tomatoes.

I would stick with it. I would love an allotment but there are not many here and the waiting list is huge. I grow in my garden but am running out of space.

You could look at planting things that don’t need much upkeep? Fruit bushes and asparagus would be my choice, things like raspberries, gooseberries, rhubarb and strawberries are pretty easy and tend to look after themselves (just need cutting back when they finish fruiting) and asparagus takes a few years to get going so you could just leave it to do it’s thing. You could always pay someone to tidy it up once a month or you could offer to share your patch with someone who has more time?

It's really not the best time of year to be thinking about an allotment or gardening. It can get overwhelming as the weather is so contrary and everything wet. Remember it doesn't have to look perfect.

I found the half hour allotment book was really helpful.

I went through the same process last year, I'd had the allotment 10 years but suddenly it all got too much, I had a new garden, a new house, other stuff going on and it got really neglected.

What worked for me was not beating myself up about it. I thought that if I could get up there for a couple of hours I could tidy a bed, put manure and cardboard down on it then cover with weed membrane. so if i want to plant in it this year I can and if I want to leave it fallow it won't get out of hand. So about 2/3 of the allotment is now covered like that - just done in little chunks.

The rest of it is fruit bushes, a couple of trees, globe artichokes, and a patch where I put in cheap tulip bulbs so I can cut for the house.

I'm going to plant spuds as once they are in they look after themselves and suppress weeds. Also some peas as I like to pick them fresh. Nothing else may get planted this year, but it'll be enough.

I second raspberries and strawberries. They have been my most successful crops and are so wonderful to pick and eat - the fact that they are perennial is also a huge bonus. I also have asparagus and am going to try artichokes, jerusalem artichokes, Turkish rocket and some kind of tree cabbage and daubenton or Taunton Dean kale (all perennials). The pigeons and sparrows come and completely wipe everything out if I'm not careful so hoping perennials might fair better.

If it's all too much right now though and becoming a chore rather than a joy there's no shame in letting it go for a while and maybe having a little spot in the garden to jsut grow a couple of things in the sunniest spot. Runner beans, raspberries, a few strawberries maybe?

From looking round the allotment, people with young kids do find it really hard work. Kids just aren't that interested. A few salad plants and some tomatoes in the garden might be a better option.

Come back to it when you have more time. As I said up thread, mine is really on hold till I can start to work more flexibly, I'm in my early 50s, so hope to drop a day a week in the next couple of years.