Is it worth keeping my allotment?

olly300

Sounds from how your kids enjoy playing and you enjoy the peace your allotment is worth it for you. It seems to be your 3rd space.

forgotmyname

Grow items which cost a bit more in the shops, You have made the same mistake as the TV show "The good life".

Grown cheap crops instead of dearer ones, We picked 1/2kg of blackberries on the 1st pick this year, I think they were
£1.99 for 100g in the shop. The plant will be bigger next year so i should get more than enough for the entire family,

Apples & pears plentiful enough to put a strain on the branches. Better than expected as the tree's are only 2 years old
from when i planted them.

Strawberries, LOTS and LOTS, Originally bought 4 plants 2 years ago, 3 died but one variety (sophie) thrived, I never cover
them in the winter or anything but still spreads like crazy. Got at least 30 plants for the allotment.

Fruit bushes from the £ shop.

Get the kids to plant fun items as well, Enjoy growinf something and eating it fresh.

Have competitions, mark out a section and see who can grow the biggest, fattest, longest..

Me & my daughter have pea picking competitions, see who can find the most peas in a pod, Or the fattest
strawberry. Biggest potato.

Sambucus_Nigra

I'd give it up if you are even having to ask the question.

cluttona

Hi,
We got our allotment over a year ago, the cost when you start up is really expensive if you were to think about the cost of food which now I appreciate as being too cheap. It sounds like you enjoy your allotment and I think this is how you should view it, so a bit of outlay of cash with not too much to show for it can be disapointing but it is a hobby as well. I lost all my potatoes this year, I don't know why, but I'm going to try again next year. You learn and the lesson learnt is for life.
Yes a pack of seeds is cheap, but if you were to actually think how much of your time it takes to tend......well! I would say persevere, the best people to ask are those on your allotment. I don't have a problem with deer but would think there must be a cheeper alternative, maybe ask your council.

valk_scot

Underground veg? Beetroot, baby turnips, parsnips, swedes, onions, shallots, garlic, spuds (including posh ones like Pink Fir Apple and salad types) , jerusalem artichokes, celeriac...

Trying to think of stuff deer might not like here too. Strongly flavoured herbs? Prickly gooseberry bush? Raspberries? Blackcurrants?


I net most things btw, because we have lots of pigeons. I use cheap nets from the ££ shop stretched over hoops of alkathene piping scavanged out of skips. These might not keep deer out but they might not be too keen and come round less often.

rosie383

I tried nets from poundland, but I couldn't use them for anything! They would stretch for a second, then just ping back again. I suppose if I had an actual proper frame that may work.
I suppose the other factor is that we redid our garden last year, and I now have some veg patches here. I have spaces of about 12'x3' and another about 8'x8'. I could also train my courgettes upwards, and have a large patio area too that I could use for pots.
The things that take up so much space, like potatoes, I can just buy, and the more expensive stuff I can grow here in my garden. My kids hate going to the allotment when it is cold and wet, and they are going to lose their den area anyway.
I don't know if it is just a time issue for me. I can keep my garden weed free easily, water my plants twice a day without having a walk to the lottie, and love nipping out to the garden to pick stuff for dinner. Blackberries we can get easily enough around here without having to grow them ourselves, and I already grow beetroot, carrots, tomatoes, herbs, courgettes, strawberries, raspberries. Maybe if I just organise my space better, and make use of my patio, then it would be better.
There are so many people waiting for an allotment who don't have any garden space to grow veg, that it maybe isn't fair for me to keep it.
AAAggghh! Would you ever listen to me! Now I'm talking myself out of it, and yesterday, there was me talking myself into it. I need to have a proper think about this.

DKLS

Am sure I saw a tip on gardeners world, where a gardener used to visit the local barbers every few months and get a bag of cut hair, these were tied up in old tights and attached to trees, posts etc and judging by his plot it seemed to be successful. If that fails, am sure there must be someone local who fancies venison for supper.

wssla00

What about a best of both worlds? Could you ask the allotment secretary to see if anyone wants to take half of your plot? It would give you someone to share the cost of protecting it and allow you to keep it for any special things you can't grow in the garden but also give someone the opportunity to have a go themselves. Perhaps working on half a plot next year will be easily managed and then, if you still don't feel like you want to keep it on, you can offer it back up to the allotment secretary.

Good luck!

valk_scot

The square mesh nets are better than the stretchy ones. But you've still got to peg the edges down. I use pegs cut from wire coathangers (my rich BIL sends his shirts out to the laundry) and get two long U-shaped pegs per coathanger.

rosie383

WSSAL00, that is exactly the thought I came up with yesterday... that I would keep half, and was so happy I had come to a decision.
I discussed it with dh last night, and he said to keep the whole plot, and he would get together with friends and make a fence for me! So, decision made, thankfully.
Now my plan will be to go and pick all the many green tomatoes that are left and make some chutney, Start to clear a little area at a time and plant some green manure.
I think what made it so difficult last year was that we got the plot in November last year. A few days later I found out I was pregnant. The ground was cold and getting hard, and was full of big roots and brambles, so we just dug it all over, but not finely, and put on some manure and left it. Consequently, when we wanted to plant in it, the ground was rough and had to be cleared again.
The pregnancy was difficult, then I lost the baby, and then my fil died, so dh wasn't around to help out much.
This year, I intend to clear it a wee bit at a time and clear each bit properly.
All the raspberries which are taking over a corner of my garden can be moved there, and I will plant different crops. I will take all the advice on board, and hopefully learn from it and have a better year.
Thank you all so much.