Allotment woooohooooo!!!

[Newbie1!]

YEYEYEYEYEYEYEYEYEY!!!

Am super excited!!! Been on the waiting list for an allotment plot for ages and have finally got one, not only have I got one but Ive got a massive one in the best part of the allotment with the best soil and I could not be any more excited if I tried!!!

I am on a freecycle mission trying to get gardening tools, plants, pots etc but I think the little peeps are going to love it - Ive already taken one of my more challenging children down there and he was totally engrossed - really think he will get quite a sensory experience from it. Im planning on building a large sandpit and paddling type pool too.

Just need a shed now as lots of people have offered me goodies such as planters, spades and forks etc but nowhere to store things

It needs some serious weeding but Im hoping by summer I will have a lovely allotment plot with some raised beds, a nice little potting shed and a sandpit and then no living soul will see me from dusk til dawn!! (apart of course from teachers etc at school runs!!)

[JulieA]

Me too!!!!!

Not sure I actually have an allotment though, it does look more like a jungle, and there will be some hard work and serious risk assessments before I can take the children there.

[WibbleWobble]

we have had an allotment for 6 years...it has a few inches of horse poo on it as i type..

mandy xxx

[Jiorjiina]

Me too!!!!!

Not sure I actually have an allotment though, it does look more like a jungle, and there will be some hard work and serious risk assessments before I can take the children there.

Forest school?

I'm still waiting for my allotment. It's gonna be a while...

[mushpea]

we are now in our third year of ours,, its geat and I love it,, Im sure if I was a bloke I would be there with my flat cap and cuppa
We grow loads and the kids love it,, I remember taking one child over the last year who was challenging and he loved it,, I should him how to pick raspberrys and that was it,, he picked and ate the lot ! good job it was their first season so they didnt produce much
we now have a plastic greenhouse in the garden too wich I am hoping to replace with a perspex one from norfolk greehouses later this year so we can grow more.
Last year we didnt need to buy beans, potatoes onions, peas, peppers, tomatoes, parsnips, strawberrys and loads loads more,, our soil isnt great so we choose to put raised beds in which have worked out brilliant and a lot easier to look after than the land.
we have a shed , I dont lock it because I dont keep anything of value in it and was hoping this would stop people trying to break in but we still had vandles over ther smashing the shed window in and also a trellis chair we had,, my kids were devestated at this but it taught them about why we dont vandlise other peoples things!
Sorry for thelong post,, I am a tad pationate about my allotment and we grow stuff all year round ,, am still picking potatoes and parnsips from last year.
I hope yours is as succesful as ours, one of my most succesful tools and one that my 11yrold son loves is our cordless strimmer,

[madmamma]

Still waiting for mine too 3 years waiting so far, about another 2 to go if my number goes down at the same rate....

Enjoy your haven

[murrayspud]

we have a polytunnel in the garden that we have had for about 3 years now. we are putting planting plans together for this season now and we love it. It's gonna be great for the LO's and we produce lots of different veg that they will be able to watch grow then eat.

If anyone wants to share seeds PM me n I am sure we can sort something out

Kathryn x

[VeggieSausage]

me too after waiting 3 years! .....it looks very overgrown but I'll soon knock it into shape - whoop whoop!!! whats everyone gonna grow?

[PerkyEars]

Just starting the second year of mine. First year was a bit of a washout but I'm hoping to get up there more this time!

A bit far away to take mindees to on foot, sadly.

[Happy Bunny]

I'm lucky enough to have a largish garden, so have turned an area into a veg plot.
Last year we did runner beans, tomatoes, lettuce, marrows, pumpkins, raspberries and strawberries.
We did potatoes in bags which were in the plastic greenhouse.

The children enjoyed watering and watching these grow (weren't too keen on eating the marrows though)

[Newbie1!]

Awwww yey, some fellow allotmenters!!!

Its so great to hear everyones stories about this. I am thinking of making raised beds with decking boards so that I can create paths in between each bed for easier access and to save little ones straying onto others plots.

For those that already have one, how often do you go with mindees? I can think of at least two days a week at the moment that I could go and the mindees I have on those days would love it but to be honest I am a bity worried about upsetting the parents and them thinking that all I do is go off to the allotment!! I am intending on building a sandpit in a raised bed, as well as a small water play area so they wont be literally gardening all the time!!

I am planning on Strawberries, raspberries and gooseberries, runner beans, cucumber, potatoes, carrots lettuce and tomoto to start with, my plot already has a row of beetroot in so will leave that there although cannot stand the stuff myself will send some home every day with little ones!!!

I would love love love a shed on there but cant afford one xx

[Newbie1!]

Just starting the second year of mine. First year was a bit of a washout but I'm hoping to get up there more this time!

A bit far away to take mindees to on foot, sadly.

Yep mine will be a car job, although only about 1 1/2miles its more than far enough with a 2, 3 and 4 year old - especially if were spending the day digging!!

[mushpea]

it depends on the time of year as to how often we go,, probably in the summer once a week but in the winter not very often , we will start to plant stuff in the green house in the next few weeks then transport them to the allotment to plant, it depends on how much time I have as to wether we walk or drive there,, at the moment i have mindee who goes home at 1.30pm so we drive on those days.
I do a lot of work on mine at the weekends so mostly its just putting seeds in and harvesting stuff for the children as I find they get bored preparing the beds!
I like the idea of a sand pit though , this year we are growing
french beans
peas
potatoes
onions
leeks
carrotts
spinich
beetroot
parsnips
sweetcorn
swede
butternut squash
gonna try canneloni beans
celary
we also have already growing
strawberrys
raspberrys
blueberrys
kiwi
gooseberrys
rubarb
apple both eating and cooking types
pear tree
cherry tree
fig tree (first year)
and in the greenhouse we will grow
aubergines
tomatoes
peppers
cucumbers
melons
herbs
chillis

I am sure i will probably add more or have forgotten somthing,, my son wants to grow mushrooms but i have heard they are hard to grow so not sure about those.

[Newbie1!]

Oh my gosh!!! That sounds fabulous and sooo much stuff! Would love to see some piccies if you have any - Im very jealous - just want to get out there now with my wellies on and get digging

At the mo on a Friday I only do breakfast club and after school club so was thinking that would be a good day to do the manual labour type things and leave the harvesting, and nice little bits to the little people in the week - I cant believe I can be this excited!! Ive been off to the charity shop this morning and bought three pairs of childrens wellies, and four gardening books

[loocyloo]

oh wow!

very jealous.

we have a large garden and greenhouse ... but nowhere ( currently ) in the garden to plant anything! previous owner of house did nothing in the garden, owner prior to that,not much and the one before that ... used the greenhouse for his allotment! need to wait a year though, and see where in the garden i get the best sun etc for veggie patch - as where it will probably end up, is NOT a good spot and the only other possible spot DH has plans for building on !!! rest of garden full of mature tress & shrubs and hard landscaping!

i had a veggie patch at my old house, and last summer grew lots in pots. think it will be another pot year this year!

[JulieA]

I've been to the plot this afternoon - no mindees today - and started my battle with the brambles. Although after an hour it didn't look like I had done anything! There is a shed but it needs some attention, and I have evicted an extended family of spiders the size of saucers!

I'm not expecting to get much out of it this year - clearing, some spuds, carrots and salad stuff. The mindees were very keen on the beans we did last year (but they took the plants home) so I thought we could re-do that activity this year, but grow them on the allotment and let them take home the produce. And I have some sunflower seeds to plant for each child too.

I have great visions (in my head) but quite if it works out that way we shall see. I plan to take photos as the plot develops, and then with the mindees.

[PixiePetal]

I have a huge garden but am waiting for the allotment fairy to come and dig me over a patch or put in raised beds failing that DH with a JCB

Then chickens to get - fresh eggs mmmmmmmmm

[mushpea]

having trouble uploading the pics but if you look on my website in the photos section there is one on there of our stuff last year,,
Im hoping to go over there tomoro and sort out some more stuff,, last week we planted radish, parsnip and peas and tomoro I want to plant carrots and bring home the compost to get stuff going in the greenhouse,, we already have tomatoes, peppers and leeks growing on the window sill

[onceinabluemoon]

Well done

We finally got ours after years on the waiting list but it was soon after I started childminding and I didn't have the time to work on it so we had to give it up after 2 years when it became apparent we just couldn't keep up with the weeds and rabbits were eating all our crops (or slugs), gutting as we'd wanted one for so long. I'm sure you will do so much better.

[Newbie1!]

http://www.poundland.co.uk/product-r...ges/gardening/

Dont know if Ive put this on right but check out the fab things in the poundshop!! Oo cant wait to get there now!!