Allotments anyone?

We had an allotment for donkeys years but heart and back problems meant we had to give it up but ask away -I loved every minute of having one.

Thank you Whitewave ... I’ll pm you

We have had an allotment for many years now and are fairly self sufficient in the veg department. Fire away with your questions, will do our best to answer them.

Hi, yes have an allotment. Ask anything you like. I probably won't know the answer.
Have you just acquired an allotment?

We also had an allotment for some years; loved it. Am a mine of useless information; pleased to help if I can!

Thank you all. I have been toying with the idea of taking an allotment on but have no experience of growing fruit or veg and wanted some tips, warnings, insight etc to help me decide if I should sign up. Whitewave has been very helpful but if anyone wants to add to the discussion I’d be very interested to read your input

My husband has had an allotment for several years so we could maybe answer some queries too.
It is a big commitment so go into it with realistic expectations - he spends many hours a week tending it - and the crops don't come home looking perfect by any means. He's seen plots go to weed when holders realise how much hard work is involved.

H started out helping a single lady friend of ours with her plot. Spending 3-4 hrs every Sunday working there. He does the heavy digging and things she can't manage for a share of the produce. There is hard/heavy work involved. H now has his own plot that had belonged to an elderly gent who had let it go to seed. H has spent several hours prepping it for planting.
You can't beat veg that has gone from the ground to table in a matter of hours.

Dear Mollie , are you anywhere near East London? Because you would be welcome to visit mine and talk about sharing it.
Do you have a site in mind? One you can easily walk to is good. Perhaps talk to a local site and think about a half plot. One with a shed is very helpful. One that gets good light from the South or west and doesn't flood.
The thing to do is really bond with the site organiser as they can be very helpful.

I quite like taking on a really over grown one as it's then really mine and you don't know what you might find.
The most important thing though is to have a chair and a bit of shade so you can get out your flask of tea/coffee. I also have a wind up radio so I can listen to the 1 o'clock news.

ninathenanna, I was wondering if offering to help someone else might be a good way to get hands on experience. I might look into that.

Thank you for the invite loopyloo. Sadly I’m in West Norfolk nowadays although I’m a Londoner by birth. And thank you for the tips. The digging is a worry because I’m such a couch potato but I’m hoping that getting stuck in might make me fitter. I’m also relatively new to the village so it would be a good way to get to know people as well as grow some lovely fresh veg. Or is this all just pie in the sky?

Look at the no dig techniques. You tube is great for ideas. Take the leap ! Go for it . Ask in the village ! The spring and summer are in front of us. Now is the time to start!

I like the sound of no digging!

There were a large number of allotments near to my last house, one of which, as previously mentioned, we had for a number of years. It is hard work, and you have to put in the hours, most if not every day in the growing season, but growing vegetables is nothing if not fascinating. Not always rewarding though. There will be times when the pigeons and rabbits will get more out of it than you, and my eternal quest for the perfect cauliflower (ANY cauliflower in fact!) never did come to fruition! Some time after we let ours go, someone on the allotments started a community plot, where people could go and help to tend a larger plot in exchange for a share of the produce. It seemed to work well for now there are a few. If there is anything like this near you, it’s a good way to find out if allotmenting is for you or not.

P.S. Loopy our site organiser looked like the villain from a Wallace and Grommet movie and could be almost as horrid!

We've enjoyed having a veg. patch here, and hope to continue on a smaller scale in the UK.
As Greyduster says, to keep on top of it you need to put in almost daily work in the growing season - hoeing the weeds etc
Otherwise it soon gets out of hand.
Think about which veg. you want to grow, and find out whether your climate and soil are suitable.
The best advice we had is to ask advice from your gardening neighbours.

Just another thought, there is a waiting list for allotments in our area.
Although being in a village you may not have that problem

The Parish Council were advertising allotment with the added comment ‘short waiting list’ - not sure how short but I’m going to find out.

I mentioned my idea to OH this morning (another couch potato) and he sounded interested, even offered his services so I’m even more enthused.

I like the idea of communal plots, sounds a great way to encourage community spirit, healthy activity and eating,

I would get on the list if it is, as they say, short, and in the meantime, do your homework. Talk to some allotment holders on the sites if you can. Find out what soil conditions are like and how big a plot you are likely to have to take on - a large plot can be daunting, especially if it hasn’t been worked for a while. (One point: raised beds are a good manageable way to go). If you then decide after all that you don’t fancy it, drop off the list.

I’ve done it, I’m on the waiting list! Unbelievable! Thank you for your advice - I might be coming back with lots more questions sometime soon. I’m off for a reccy in the next day or two, I don’t think the plots are huge but any overgrown space looks daunting doesn’t it!

Dear Mollie, Have you had a reccie yet? Do you know how long the waiting list is?. I am off to my allotment today, mainly to see if the wind has blown over my newly planted greengage tree.

Hi Loopyloo not yet...weather and prior engagements have got in the way. But I will in the next day or two. I’m told the list is ‘very short’?? In the meantime I’ve got time to make my plans and do some serious research. My seven year old GD gave me tips on growing carrots yesterday!
Hope your greengage tree is safe and sound.

Glad you’ve got yourself on the list, mollie. Let us know how you get on!

Well, I’ve been to look the allotments over and I’m impressed. It’s a small village with 12 plots, each with a shed and clearly they are all doing well - no signs of any neglect anywhere so it might be a while before I get my fork into the lovely black fenland soil! I paced them out and taking one of my strides as a vague yard they measure 18 x 6, bigger than I expected but that’s fine. Now I’m keen to get planning and am wondering if I can do some container growing in my own garden this summer.

Btw, can you grow plum trees in containers?

That sounds a very manageable size and if the plots have been well maintained and have a shed that's a bonus indeed. You can find a variety of most fruit trees suitable for a container these days. Have a walk round your local garden centre and talk to them.