60 sq metres allotment - ideas/pointers?

Mojisola

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

I used to have an allotment. Which came overgrown, and was given back overgrown 4 years later.

My point ? It's hard work. It's harder than you'll ever imagine.

There's an element of truth in this - it depends on how much time you have and how much you enjoy being on the allotment.

gettingready - to make the plot more manageable, you may find it useful to cover part of it (hessian-backed carpets, black plastic, etc) so that you can concentrate on getting part of it functioning properly without being disheartened.

If you want to grow without chemicals, there's a lot of good advice here - https://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/index.php

wellused

I'd check before carting carpet to your plot as a lot of allotments ban their use for ground cover.

RAS

Check out the rules on fruit bushes and trees.

If any of these are allowed, then get someone (possible an allotment holder) to go over the plot with you and help you identifiy any over grown offering. My second plot had several black current bushes and a load of decent raspberry canes hidden under a load of tangled bindweed and this one had 17 red currant bushes and loads of rhubarb! Think about taking some canes (try the £1 shops) and labels to mark anything you find, putting the labels lower down so they do not blow away.

Bear in mind there are two main types of weed; the lot that you dig up, compost and then new seedlings appear (7 years weeds is a fair description) and the persistant burgers like bindweed, couch grass, dandelions and thistles.

It will take time to remove them all but you will see a difference eventually as long as you understand that every two weeks you have to weed the lot again (or harvest for the compost bin).

Check out the allotment politics if you can; some only like people who go in for completely bare ground all winter and some like ground cover for example. See what others are doing.

Other things to note; water supply? Access? Sheds allowed or not? Aspect, shading from the sun?

EDIT:

Take it that land that will grow healthy weeds is capable of growing health crops; its the scratty bit that does not even grow weeds that you need to worry about.

Mojisola

wellused wrote: »

I'd check before carting carpet to your plot as a lot of allotments ban their use for ground cover.

It's important to read the rules of your allotment society before you do anything!

safestored4

Post again once you have seen the plot with brief details of it's condition and aspect - North, South,East, West etc and you will get some really helpful replies.

gettingready

London (East)

At the back of a park/woods, opposite horse stables, no main road, peace and quiet exactly what I want/need

Priceless little bit of MY green space - well , will be green, eventually.

Should see it this week, it is council owned allotments so waiting for a date to see/sign for

EDIT - ahhhhh "aspect" hahahhaah do I need a compass????

Paulish08

Congratulations , do not let your enthusiasm die out and allocate time each week (or every few days if you can) to work on your plot . I have a plot of just 100 square meters and all it means is that it is more manageable than a large plot. Allotments can be very sociable places so see if there is a committee/ buying club. You mentioned stables near by so check if your fellow allotmenteers already have a deal set up (we pay £10 a year to have a trailer load of well rotten manure tipped in front of each plot ).
You say it is council owned , ask if they will help towards the clean up of your plot even if it is just to remove debris that you clear yourself ( I found lots of broken glass, car parts etc buried on mine.).
You can (and I did ) start straight away with planting certain items once space has been cleared . I took mine on in December and I had onions and garlic planted within a week of clearing the land.
Weeds will probably haunt you for the first few years but removing them as they appear and keeping on top of it all is possible within the first year.
I wish you well but always expect the worse when you begin your plot and remember that it can only get better with time and effort . Allotmenteering can be as cheap or expensive as you want .

Prothet_of_Doom

one of the things you see in Germany, but not in The UK, is the allotment laid out as a proper garden. With a Summer house at one end, a lawn, flower beds, and shubs and only about 1/3 taken up by produce. Even swings or trampleen for the kids.

That was my dream, but hey.

gettingready

Prothet_of_Doom wrote: »

one of the things you see in Germany, but not in The UK, is the allotment laid out as a proper garden. With a Summer house at one end, a lawn, flower beds, and shubs and only about 1/3 taken up by produce. Even swings or trampleen for the kids.

That was my dream, but hey.

That is how they are in Poland too and that is my dream here, smaller version of it (and minus the things for the kids - not my thing)

Going to see it tomorrow at 7am

Mojisola

When we had an allotment, there were a good few that mixed fruit and veg and flowers.

If you want lots of cut flowers for the house and a nice garden to spend time in, it makes sense to grow the flowers for cutting on the allotment.

One couple's hobby was showing flowers at the local shows and they didn't grow any veg at all on their allotment.

It also helps to keep the insect population healthy if you plant suitable flowers around the allotment.