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

@DreamingOfGeneHunt
Once things have been dehydrated, how do you store and how long can you store them?
how do you use courgettes/tomatoes that have been dehydrated? Eat them as they are or add to sauces etc?

All manures really need time to mature before using so you could dig small trenches down the middle of your veg beds and bury it in them, it will mature enough in the next few weeks to not be smelly or too strong for the roots and the worms will start distributing it through your beds, or as a pp said, add it to your compost bin.

@hockityponktas they last years in jars or tubs. I use the veg for soup and sauces ie pasta, or use a spice grinder to make onion powder to put in things, and the plums/apples in cake or puddings or rehydrate them in juice to make compote.

Haven't read the thread but wanted to say don't feel pressured. I love my allotment mainly for getting out of the house, attacking the brambles, hanging out by myself etc. I have tried very hard over the years to be a good gardener and am still not one really, BUT my local robin built its nest in my falling-apart shed last year so I will never leave my allotment now :)

thanks @DreamingOfGeneHunt I've just had a look and they are only showing me airfryers and pizza ovens 😂
they must have stopped stocking them
sounds like you use it a lot|

@StillWeRise we also use a dehydrator - got on amazon. We have used ours to dry flowers, beans, made biltong. It is really useful.

Thanks @DreamingOfGeneHunt we've got a dehydrate setting on our air fryer so I’m going to give it a go this summer!

I think I saw (and replied) to your post on one of the Fb allotment pages.

I am a fellow single ADHD/ASD parent. I took in my allotment almost 4 years ago, I have 2 plots (one large, one small). It does take up a lot of my time but I think that’s because I get hyper fixated on it from March through to September. I have had some success and a lot of failures with growing but it’s done wonders for my mental and physical health.

Clear a small section at a time and plant as you go. Manure is often free and if you’re lucky you will find woodchip for free too if you want to use it for paths.

Make the most of what’s already there. So if you have fruit bushes, get them tidied up now so you get a good crop this year. I have been clearing grass from around my raspberries today. If you have rhubarb then that should be fruiting now, if not I would plant some (if you like rhubarb) as it kind of looks after itself and produces well.

A lot of things can be sewn direct, such as beetroot and carrots, even peas and beans, radish and lettuce are also pretty easy.

I always plant courgette and runner beans because if all else fails, courgettes always do well and beans are pretty prolific too.

But don’t worry if you don’t get the whole plot sorted this year, you can always cover half and forget about it until next year (which is what I did last year). This years the first year I have almost all my space cleared and ready for planting.

thank you! I’m probably going to cover some of my plot this year as it’s wishful thinking that I’m going to cultivate all of it. It is a half plot so it’s not massive but still enough to be going on with.

Ive already put in potatoes, onions and radishes which have already popped up, apart from the onions, I have raspberries too ( already there from the previous holder and a beautiful apple tree.

it wouldn’t have been me on fb page though, I haven’t posted my allotment on there, only on my own fb.