After 3 years wait been offered and allotment!!

hermum

Hi, I unfortuantely don't have an allotment but the best tools I've bought have been from car boot sales, as they tend to be old they seem to be far more robust. Loads cheaper too. Auction houses often have them as well.
Good luck

LilacPixie

Sorry been MIA all week. I did go and have a wander up to the site on Sunday afternoon. The actual site is boardered by conifers on 3 sides the main entrance a metal fence has been erected. It was locked up though. Looking through the fence there was a few mini diggers but the land is basically just scrub/grasses. It apparently will be 20 plots but at the moment is just one open space.

I hope to get up this weekend to see progress. I might even take my camera. 1st March 2010 is the day they hope to have all plots laid out and turned over to tenants.

tracey357

Hi, Like you I have just been offered our first allotment:j, we are very lucky as it is a couple of minutes from our house in a private old folks nursing home. There are just 6 massive plots with a huge greenhouse to share.
They were allotments until about 10years ago, then they decided to build on them, change of plan and now back to the allotments.
Maybe we could swop notes on how we are getting on?

LilacPixie

sounds good Tracey.

Went for a nosey again but forgot my camera. There was actual workmen there this time, they say about another 3-4 weeks and everything will be laid out. They are effectively diging off the top layers with a big tractor type thing and then replacing it with topsoil. I thought the conifers were actually thick and was worried about the light to the actual plots but they are actually quite sparse now and a fence is being put up to the inside of them.

1st March D-Day.

Amarillo

Another one with a new allotment to my complete surprise. I joined the list last April and was told the list was 50 plus and gave me the number for some other allotments. Found an email last Monday, went to look Saturday and started work today.

Mine is a half plot in much better condition than I hoped and I've found 2 gooseberry bushes and some raspberries. Apparently I have to make a rabbit fence or everything will get munched. I've got the site expert next door bug one who comes from the same neck of the woods as me so will be tapping him for his knowledge. He asked me if I was entering the town's allotment in bloom competition which gave me palpatations, I shall just be glad if I get it cleared and grow veg, never mind flowers!

Having said that I thought I might give a little thought to growing some of the veg with more unusual flowers. Have some pinky runner beans and am after the red flowered broad beans and some purple flowered peas.

LilacPixie

Sounds good Amarillo. I plan to aim for some winter veg this year and focus on summer fruits and veg next year.

scotsaver

Well done LilacPixie - I know you must be over the moon as I only got my first Allotment in December and I'm loving it. It was an established plot but been neglected for a few months so I have been digging it over ready to start planting in the Spring - I can't wait. I've been growing stuff in the Garden for a few years but just wanted more space so I'm really chuffed to have got an Allotment. Got some Seeds started indoors already and have my potatoes chitting - roll on Spring. Good luck everyone.:D

pinkie_pie

Hey, is this thread still going? My friend was just phoned and we've been offered half an allotment!!!! So excited, going to see it tomorrow!!!

I'm a complete newbie, as is my friend (if I'm entirely honest, poorly mowing grass has been the total extent of anything I've ever done) so I'm going to be hankering for advice, so a little group of us starting out will be lovely

Lilacpixie, hows it going?

zarazara

How exciting! Congratulations. I think its a good idea to sort out the shed for storing stuff in/relaxing in and the water supply. After that just some easy stuff to "break" the soil,potatoes are excellent for this. Maybe broad beans and turnips also,again both easy. nastursians will attract the bees and look pretty too.Dont forget to set aside an area for the compost heap,and do make it a large area,the more compost you can store/make the better! Next autumn you can start trying things like gooseberries,Careless is good,rhubarb,both very easy to grow,and maybe a fruit tree two,eg victoria plum and an apple tree.

zygurat789

I'm still on waiting lists, round here it's all done individually by the site's themselves. I thought that I would hear from someone in late autumn but I have written off my chances for this year.
LilacPixie I hope that your council are decent enough to ensure your allotment is fit for use by at least rotovating it, even so you've missed the autumn manure and it's a bit late to do anything but plant. They always say potatoes are a good first crop for new soli because they break up the soil. I know they're cheap and not glamorous but you don't have much time.
Peas, beans and courgettes all like to grow on freshly interred plant matter, compost heap etc and brassicas, like cabbage, sprouts cauliflower and brocolli need lots of lime, if there's club root around like in Cheshire then there's a real
problem.
Since it's a new allotment what you will really need is an association to bulk buy fertilizer, seeds etc and someone to organise this and the money. If you don't get one going then wander around orther sites and try to become an associate member, for a small fee, I recouped mine with my first purchase - for my garden.
Food for thought?
Enjoy - I'm envious.