Allotment - will it save me money?

the_cat

I have recently reached the top of the list and am going to view my prospective allotment on Sunday

Full of enthusiasm I have been reading a couple of books from the library and also some gardening forums. Worryingly there seems to be a lot of talk of buying this and that and I am concerned that it seems pretty expensive. I am expecting to pay out a bit in set up costs obviously but although I will probably enjoy it, I would primarily be doing it as a cost cutting exercise.

So the million dollar question is........ will an allotment save me money?

Is there a thread about keeping the costs down somewhere (did search but couldn't find one) or does anyone have some tips to make it cost effective?

Thanks in advance

glasgowdan

I doubt you'll save much money overall, especially if you consider a value to your time travelling down there and doing bits of work. Allotments reduce the burden on the retail food chain, reduce the UK's imprint on food air miles and provide you with superb quality fresh food. These are the reasons you should be using one. If you want to simply save money you'll find it a bit frustrating.

Crops such as cabbage will need specific frames to grow well, there are lots of other bits that help you grow (greenhouse etc).

Go for it though and do a good job!

tsstss7

Second the above - you might start to save money after a few years when you are all set up but initially at least it will cost some. It all comes down to how you work really. You could get by with just a fork, spade and watering can and keep seed costs down by trading with friends etc.

Rummer

Remember to use freecycle and gumtree to collect things for the allotment for example tools and cuttings. Try to buy your seeds out of season as they are often greatly reduced and you can also collect them from the foods you are eating now great examples are tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, peppers etc. Lidl does very cheap fruit bushes that have come up lovely for us. Trees are good to pick up in places like B&Q and we have bought a lot from there when they have been reduced for quick sale. Once you are on the site you may find that people offer you cuttings or they may be a seed swap facility available. It will cost a bit to get started however if you are sensible you can reduce the costs dramatically.

Wookey

In the short term no, if your planning on having it for 10 years+ and using it to its full potential then you may start to recoup money then. But what price do you put on having the freshest possible produce?

lufoo7

the answer to that is up to you, some people spend a fortune, some people spend next to nothing. and it also depends on what you have already tool wise. we try and keep cost to a minimum by using things from skips and from freecycle. however the feeling you get from growing your own is in my opinion priceless!

Smoffi

personally no you wont make a huge saving from it...

but what is really worth it is when you see the first thing you plant grow,, get picked,, and is put on your plate..

Also the relaxation you get from it all... you can sit there, with a cuppa, and really see what teh world is and all that was given to us that we take for granted alot...

Priceless moments ....

eckythump

I recently got my first allotment,my experience is that with a little effort you can do it quite cheaply.
does your local council have a free/cheap compost bin scheme?
manure will be free from local farms(test for contamination first-search under contaminated manure) coffee grounds free from starbucks.
tools borrow if possible or buy as you need.
your new plot may have a shed if so thats great.
Don't pay stupid prices for seeds,ask fellow site holders if they have any saved seeds they can sell you(most will be more than happy to give you some to start.
look in skips/house refurbs to get wood and old double glazed units to make cold frames.

Lotus-eater

As said above you can save as much as possible by looking out for anything that other people are throwing away. You need to become a hoarder and not be afraid to ask for something.
If you put a little effort into it you can save alot of money. If you want to, you can spend an awful lot.

It also depends what you buy now and what you want to grow.
If you buy the cheapest veg, huge sacks of potatoes, basic value fruit and veg, you won't save alot, if any, but it will be fresher and tastier.

If you grow slightly unusual things that are expensive, or organic, then you can well save money after any initial set up costs.

Don't forget that there also are stuff you can grow, that you can't buy and I'm not just talking types of fruit and veg, I'm also talking varieties.
Varieties that taste way and above what you can buy in the shops.

Davesnave

the_cat wrote: »

So the million dollar question is........ will an allotment save me money?

Like most million dollar questions, there is no easy answer!

In the short term it won't, and longer term, savings may be modest rather than hugely noticeable. If the motive is simply to increase your disposable income, then stacking shelves for Mr T will bring faster, and greater, results.

Only you know about your true level of motivation and commitment to see things through. If these are lacking, then it is unlikely that your results, even short-term, will be good. However, you may find you like the experience more than you suspect; many of us here were not 'natural' gardeners when we started out. Also, when we're gardening, we're not spending money elsewhere on amusement.

The only way to know for sure is to give it a go, but do it expecting there to be quite a learning curve and to make a paper loss over the first couple of years. If you enjoy it, there will be lots of gains too,though they won't show-up on your bank statement!;)

valk_scot

Well, if you cost in your time at even the national minimum wage? No, you won't save money if you compare it to buying even the cheapest produce from the supermarket. If you compare it to buying the same quality of spanking fresh organic (if you choose to go that way) then yes, maybe...but would you be buying that sort of stuff inthe first place?

However if you choose to regard the time you put in as "free" then yes, you can easily break even or go well into a profit. If you drop your gym membership and choose to regard your allotment hours as exercise and leisure pursuits instead of paying out money elsewhere, you should add these cost savings into the equation too.

And there are the intangibles ie happiness, contributiing to "saving the planet", satisfaction, increased fitness, taste of the food etc etc. What price to set on these?

But if it boils down to £££ in, £££ out then no, you won't break even the first year or two. You need tools, seeds, nets and sundries, a reference book or two, perhaps a shed and some slabs etc. Of course you have the choice here of nipping down to B&Q and buying the lot, or doing a bit of skip diving for materials, checking out car boot sales and Freecycle for tools and hard landscaping materials and just generally asking around your friends and neighbors for any gardening materials they may have in their garages etc. You can often get cheap or free compost bins from the local council too. I am a really dedicated recycler and was totally skint when I took on my allotment 12 years back but even then, I had start-up costs. Getting my family to all chip in to buy me an ex-display shed for a Christmas present that year was an inspired thought though!

My advice is don't feel you have to buy everything at once, investigate any communal allotment seed buying schemes etc, don't buy the cheapest possible tools but buy fewer and better and see what you can scrounge or improvise. You won't work out what you rwally need till you get going for a bit anyway. But do try to enjoy yourself! Otherwise it's just going to be another boring chore.