Numbers up on allotment list!

[PumpkinSpiceSeason]

Like many people during Covid, I put myself of the council's allotment list. Friday my number came up.

We have 14 days (from Friday) to get the key and have a look. Friday, the council office shut early and it's chucking it down all week. Is it an omen?

I can't even keep a cactus or succulent alive. DS3 I can keep alive and he might love a pumpkin patch.

Am I insane to even consider this?

Go for it!! I'll grant you it's not the most appealing time of year for it...

If you're getting an allotment, you'll need to be hardy, so take the rain as an introduction to allotmenting!

So many factors. How much free time you have. How close it is to home. How big it is. If you have to drive how easy is it to park there. How much do you genuinely love gardening.

Its a big commitment. Several hours each week at least.

Bt can be very rewarding

I don't spend several hours a week at mine apart from peak season in spring/summer. But mine is quite small and I keep it fairly low maintenance.

Same! I grow loads of fruit bushes, which are obviously perennial. I don't water them once they're established, so it's just prune/pick.

And I got rid of the grass (now woodchip) so no mowing.

You can have an allotment to suit your lifestyle, it doesn't have to be a daily grind.

We’re coming up to our one year allotment anniversary and it’s been great! Total
novices and do very minimal gardening at home but we’ve all enjoyed it. Learnt a lot this year and some stuff was really successful and others not so much……

Am I insane to even consider this?
What's the worst that could happen - you waste a year's rent and the allotment gets a bit unkempt? It wouldn't be the end of the world.
Now is probably a good time to get it, you can start thinking about and planning for next year. Take baby steps so you don't get overwhelmed and choose easy stuff to get started.
Good luck!

I had an allotment for 5 years when dad was very small and only gave it up when she was in primary and dh was spending 2 out of every 4 weeks overseas so I couldn't get to it.

Don't plan to work it all initially - dig and plant up a section, then another etc. If you spend so long digging it all, weeds are growing back and it gets depressing. If you can dig sections before being ready to plant, cover with cardboard (flatten out boxes) or weed suppressant membrane (cardboard is free, WSM is expensive!).

If you can, try and get some fruit bushes on it as they take space but are easy to maintain - and winter is a good time to plant them. You may also be able to put in some hardy veg like cabbages or brocolli or cauliflowers or leeks (you would need plants though, not seed at this time of year) to make a start.

Start a compost bed. Bring veg peelings, teabags and coffee grounds from home to help get it going but try not to put bad weeds into it (couch or scutch grass, manestail, dock or dandelion roots (leaves are fine) or bindweed as they don't die off in home composters.

And enjoy the winter planning. Look on freecycle etc for tools. Get the seed and plant catalogues to decide what you would like (grow what your family will eat!) and absolutely think about buying some as baby plants year 1 to get started.

Best of luck!

I loved mine and even though I only got there at weekends and often every 2 weeks rather than weekly, I got so much personal satisfaction from it and also saved a lot of money for the family in veg (spent a bit too especially to get started but absolutely saved money!).

Yes to soft fruit, I have a big section of strawberry plants which just need weeding around in spring, netting and picking and they produce enough berries to pay the annual rent when you compare to supermarkets. Also lots of raspberry canes.

Go for it! It will be great for your DS to learn about growing food. I had one before I moved house a few years ago. We grew some humongous pumpkins! Only cost about £20 a year to rent!

Thanks everyone. I'll get a picture when we have a look. I have the schematic and Google maps and think it's either the lovely cleared grassy one or overrun with trees of and shrubs of some sort.

It's 1.6 miles away heading out of town.

The plot is really good. They have left raised beds and a few other useful bits. We are doing this. Thanks for the advice and encouragement!

That's in LOVELY condition! How exciting!

You even have crops in already! Tuscan kale, and is that leeks further down?

What do you plan to grow?

Is ths shed and the fruit cage to the right yours too?

Congratulations, OP! You've got an excellent plot, I hope you are very happy there.

suggest you read up on no dig gardening. And if you dont like weeding, save loads of brown thick cardboard and plant through that. it will save loads of time.