New allotment. What have I done

[blackheartsgirl]

Ahh What have I done, panicking slightly about new allotment.

Ive been on the list for quite a while for one, now ive got it and ive had the keys.

its not too overgrown, its got a shed which is full of crap, it’s really not that bad, there’s some overgrown beds and a nice raspberry patch.

but here’s the clinch. I’m now financially in a worse place than what I was a few years back, I’m really hovering just above the breadline and I can’t afford bags of compost or fancy raised beds.

luckily I have loads of garden equipment like forks and spades, trowels, a hoe, a wheel barrow, rake, pots. I have fence paint left over which will do for the shed. I’m absolutely rubbish with power drills or making things but I do have some garden edging rolls that might make a bed.

im doing this entirely by myself, I am a lone parent to 4 dc, the youngest are teens who don’t want to help and I also work part time. I’m peri meno and I get tired quite quickly and overwhelmed (ADHD 😆)

am I crazy for even thinking I can do this. I went down there earlier and I loved it, it’s such a beautiful place but oh my goodness I felt anxious about it all

You absolutely do not need raised beds. It's just more wood to go rotten in a wet winter.
Get a lot of cardboard fruit boxes [thick ones] from a supermarket. Get some free horse manure from a local stable- they otherwise have to pay to get it taken away. Dig up any weeds or grass in a series of decent sized rectangular plots bit by bit ( mind your back!), cover with cardboard manure on top, leave a few months before planting.
Grass paths between.
Ask your fellow allotment holders for prep advice and you may also get stuff.Only when you've completed prep do you need to plant anything.

Congrats on getting one OP. We absolutely love ours, just do a little at a time. We planted some old sprouting potatoes from the cupboard last year and had a brilliant crop, straight in the ground, no additional compost or raised beds etc. Finally digging them up to eat was one of the highlights of last year for me. Facebook marketplace is good, as are your allotment neighbours for extra things you might need like old paving slabs and second hand water butt's. Good luck and enjoy it! X

@blackheartsgirl ask your field steward (or whoever runs the allotments) if there is a seed buying scheme. My society is signed up with Kings Seeds which means I can get a 50% discount on their seed prices.

The people who usually fail at allotments are people who spend money on unnecessary tools and fancy things like 'raised beds'. I had an allotment (70 ft x 20 ft!!) and spent nothing on it (I did have someone to borrow tools from on the allotments - is the 'crap' in your shed maybe dibbers, trowels, canes etc that might be useful?) and it provided all the potatoes and onions I needed all year, and for half the year all the vegetables I needed, and I didn't freeze anything and was very basic and inexperienced so with some research you could grow all your vegetables (freezing some, growing good winter veg). Don't think you need to buy anything more than seeds, and let your kids play and join you there. Weeding is VERY stressful: weeds grow FAST and choke things, and sometimes other people will have all the time in the world to be there and will expect you to maintain your plot as nicely as they do, but just do your best. Give it a chance and don't send money on it that you don't need to. Go to the tip to look for old tools or freecycle / facebook marketplace. And take advice on wrist position etc so you don't get aches & pains with repetitive movements in the wrong place. Be open to advice and help. Good luck! I really hope it works out. I miss my allotment s much. I let a relative take it over when I got too pregnant and she made that stupid mistake of sending loads of money on it then giving up and it was taken back off her.

Grow Veg channel on Youtube is excellent- he is very enthusiastic in a gentle 'British' way, and gets straight to the point. Loads of tips and 'masterclass' films, also some guest films Charles Dowding and others. He has a film on no-budget gardening too. You can also download his vegetable gardening guide free.
Great to watch through all seasons, and gives month by month guides to planting. I re-watch him through winter when there's not much doing in real life.

Hi OP, it can be a bit overwhelming at the start, but this is the right time of year to get sorted. Firstly you don’t have to plant the whole area, think about a few things to grow and clear an area. A 10’ x 10’ section once weeded and raked is a good start and enough space for some dwarf French beans and a few courgettes. Seeds for these are quite cheap and you only use a few, store wrapped up in the dark and they’ll be ok for next year as well. Start small, and do some reading on line, there are some excellent resources on Allotments for beginners. I don’t use fertiliser, just a bit of well-rotted manure which is supplied free at my site which I spread on some of the areas (don’t use manure on areas where you might grow root veg like carrots or parsnips as they don’t like it). You can buy ‘plug plants’ which are ready to put into the soil, or grow from seed in little pots at home before planting out. For things like tools and pots pop to a local Lidl if you have one. This time of year they have a lot of gardening bits for sale. I find it very therapeutic, it’s better for you than going to the gym! And see if you can get the kids involved as well. Start small and build from there. Good luck.

id do one section at a time, and use those plastic sheets especiall with summer and warmer weather. @blackheartsgirl

Thinking about water butts (who doesnt?), we use ours as dips so dont need to put them up to access the tap. A small thing but makes watering easier.

On our field we arent allowed to use hoses to water plants, only to fill butts. Over the years DH has created a series of interlocking hoses which allow us to fill the butts without dragging hose about over the plot.

Get to know your plot. Ask fellow plotters if the soil is acid or alkali. Someone will know. This will help you to know which plants will thrive. Eg blueberry bushes need acid soil.

I don’t think we’re allowed to use hoses either @GnomeDePlume, most people do seem to use water butts. There is one on the plot full of water, I will empty that out and put it under the guttering coming from the shed.

I dug over and created a small bed and stuck some potatoes in, haven’t a clue what I’m doing, made deep channels for the potatoes, covered them with soil and I will earth them up with soil from the side. I’ll hope for the best 😂.

there are some lovely people on the site though, ones given me some rat proof wire to fix my shed windows and given me gossip on who is who. He did say just do a little bit at a time and it will come together

Potatoes in, well done!

I'm rubbish at remembering names so end up giving fellow plotters nicknames in my head:

Tattoo man
Vlad the Impaler
Mrs Pearl Clutcher
Academic Lady
The Clampits

To name but a few!

Most plotters are really nice. Some will chat, some just want to get on with their jobs.

Theft from plots/sheds can be a problem. Our field occasionally gets raided: van load of people break the gate lock then storm through the field taking tools. We used to have a problem with people taking petrol but now it's all escooters that problem seems to have stopped.

We dont lock our shed as the damage breaking it open to have a nosey was more costly.

If you’ve got room at home for a chest freezer that’s a good relatively cheap investment. I found prepping the veg after picking it took the longest time so roping people in to help is good. Not everything needs blanching before freezing.

Congratulations. I never understand why they allow allotment plots to get in that state considering the waiting lists and what I've heard some allotment "managers" taking the heavy hand with allotmenteers.

Tidy it up, dig a small patch this year and then look on local Facebook pages for free/low cost plants. Gardeners always plant more seed than required in case of failure and then can't bear to kill the surplus. I'll probably plant 5 courgette seeds but will only need 2 plants so I give them away. I always keep cheap pots for the ones I give away but some people do bring them back.

Gardening isn't totally cheap but the satisfaction and flavour of produce is wonderful. If you can afford to put £1 or £2 a week in a gardening fund then you'll have a bit of savings for full steam ahead next year.

There was a once it's gone it's gone offer in my local B&Q last week, a water butt, stand, attachments and a watering can for £20.

This time of year you see a real mix with plots.

There will be some which will be well in hand. Our plots are like that because we are on the field all year round whether doing gardening or maintenance.

Other plots will come back to life across spring.

In my area there isnt the same pressure on plot availability as in other areas. I started with a half plot then over the years was able to take on more. We now have about 1/4 acre.

We are lucky in that we arent stopped from planting trees. We have about 70 fruit trees, mainly apples and pears for cider making but also cherries, plums and hazels. Not all planted at the same time but bit by bit.

Growing our own fruit and vegetables has made us a lot more seasonal in our eating. We dont buy berries because we grow enough to satisfy us in the summer. Fresh courgettes and tomatoes are summer foods for us.

You do end up with gluts but that is when you start thinking about preserving whether freezing or making things like jams and pasta sauces.

Exactly what I do! I bought a food dehydrator a couple of years ago and dry tomatoes and onions too.

Many years ago I had an allotment

1. Is there a 'site rep' they may be able to help with things like loan of tools manure deliveries etc
2. The most successful 'New Tenants' tended to clear the allotment a bit at a time over a few years not the whole lot in one go OR a postage stamp sized patch
3. I suggest as far as is possible cut down all the growth to ground level with a strimmer or sythe and cover what you wont be using with heavy black plastic like this

https://www.screwfix.com/p/damplas-damp-proof-membrane-black-1000ga-15m-x-4m/632YN?tc=YA3&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19822797737&gbraid=0AAAAAD8IdPwuBSl-akht9X7bBOA7z7ejG&gclid=Cj0KCQjws83OBhD4ARIsACblj1_1uqOIAsayPAJr2wDEqtpw6euVK-eop161s4kfq0Hh13X7zzD2skwaAlHsEALw_wcB

BUt the most important thing is to enjoy it!!

Take it step by step. Clear the ground for 1 bed, plant something in it. Leave a space for walking around it and then clear the next patch, plant something there before tackling any more clearing. If you only clear 1 or 2 beds this season, that should be fine if you have things growing, both to show you mean business and to give yourself the boost of seeing positive results.

Think about things your family will eat - peas are great, onions and garlic are easy, brocolli or cabbage are good crops if you protect from slugs and caterpillars, would your DC like to see a pumpkin growing or eat butternut squashes?

Oh wow I am envious of all your fruit trees !@GnomeDePlume we can plant fruit trees on our plots as long as they don’t grow too big,

apparantly the trees bordering my plot are damsons, and my neighbour pointed out a tiny apple tree at the bottom of mine too.

I think my other neighbour at the bottom is annoyed that I’ve got a half plot and he’s only been allowed a quarter plot (as is mostly the rule although it’s the officers discretion) He doesn’t seem to realise his quarter plot is very wide, goes right up to the allotment boundary wall and has no trees whereas mine has trees, a broken wall (leads into Victorian terraces at the back) and I have trees so I can’t use five foot strip of mine on one side hence I’ve been given the two quarter plots

already got spuds in, cleared the rat infested shed out, and will cover the other half of the plot in plastic and just work on the first hlaf of the plot. I will probably do some raised beds tbh, it’s just a bit easier at the moment.

umfortunately my teenagers show no interest at all in helping or even eating what I will potentially grow, they are nearly 16 and 19, they might eat the peas though! Anything I do grow will be for me and I will probably give some to my adult ds and his family. My eldest dd lives in Scotland and she’s enthusiastic but it’s a long way to come and help 😂, she grows some of her own things at home

Every field has its resident complainers.

Resist all invitations to join the committee. It is a poisoned chalice (bitter experience).

Damson trees are good. If you want to prune them only do that in late spring or summer. Winter pruning leaves them vulnerable to a fungal disease which can kill the tree.

Apple/pear trees can be pruned in late winter or early spring.

I do love my fruit trees. We have some cider apple trees and they have some lovely names.

ooh @DreamingOfGeneHunt a dehydrator! can you tell me what sort? do you use it a lot?

I've been given 2 x 5ltr buckets of chicken manure... was told it is extremely good for the veg beds, but to use it sparingly, and just around the edges.
I'm not sure about using it at all, (though would be happy to buy chicken manure pellets)
Is there a process I can put it through to make it safe?

Lighthearted but also gives month by month blow of what to do with a new garden allotment/ patch

amzn.eu/d/0h9fixgn

@StillWeRise it's from Lakeland, I think it was £60 ish- they do various sizes. I love it.

I use it to dry mushrooms, onions, courgettes, tomatoes; I do sliced plums into kind-of prunes, apples, pears; I make fruit puree into fruit leather, I use it to make minced beef into dog treats.

I sometimes do potatoes to use for instant mash but it does have a very "instant mash" flavour so I only do that if I'm really stuck for places to put potatoes!

I’d stick it on a compost heap if it is fresh and let it rot down a bit.