Talk to me about allotments please!

[miss mopple]

Anyone got one?

I've recently starting growing a few bits in the garden with the kids and am so excited to see it all growing I'm thinking an allotment may be the way to go. I mentioned it to DH and he just rolled his eyes thinking it was another of my mad cap schemes :laughing:

I went to the supermarket and bumped into a mate who has 3 :eek: and knows the bod in charge of our local ones so her fella is going to make some enquiries for me, but seems to think I'll have no trouble getting a plot as there's no waiting list :clapping:

I haven't got a clue what I'm doing with growing stuff etc, especially on a bigger scale, so all advice and tips for a dunce would be most welcome :thumbsup:

I'm all excited now!!

[WibbleWobble]

we have an allotment. have had it for 5 years now. its hard work...esp when you start. you might be lucky to have one that has been looked after. ours looked like the somme when we got it....there was a great crater in the middle!

we have ours in four plots. we rotate every year. we put in things like potatoes (fills up a plot nicely). sweetcorn, onions, pumpkins, squash etc.

my advice would be write down as a family what you all like to eat. waste of time planing and growing stuff you dont like.

if you are starting soon you might not have time to sow your veg. i would look on ebay or visit your loca garden centre for young veg plants. its more expensive but saves time if you start late in the season.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Allotment-Book-Andi-Clevely/dp/000720759X (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/000720759X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=childminding-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=000720759X)

i bought this book when we started...its good for beginners.

think about a greenhouse....will be easier to grow tomatoes and sow seeds,

my LOs love the allotment (dont forget to RA) and like digging and picking the veg and fruit. we are organic so no nasties.

good luck!

mandy xxx

[mushpea]

I've just come back from mine,, I love it over there its my escape for a couple of hours and also my kids and the mindees enjoy growing and especialy eating what they've grown.
we have clay soil here and its very wet in the winter and very dry and rock hard in the summer so we have gone for raised beds and in them have put a mixture of top/garden soil and compost. so far we have
tomato plants
sweetcorn
peas
potatos growing in big pots
radish
peppers
cucmbers
melons (trying for the first time)
dwarf runner beans
strawberrys
gooseberry bush
bluberry bush
blackcurrent bush
apple and pear trees
celary
carrots
onions
garlic
raspberry canes
beetroot
parsnip
turnip

think thats everthing! oh no its not I put some broccli in last week and they are just starting to come up oh and some spring onions
we sat down and made a list of what we ate and liked and thats what we grow, its hard work and takes up a couple of hours at each weekend weeding then when its dry we water every evening, its also good excersise and it gets us out in the winter as we go and dig it over and tend to the over wintering plants.
there are lots of plug plants in places like b&q and ebay which would probably best as its late to start some plants but other plants you could start of now for an autumn harvest.
mind you I have to say that not all our veg makes it home,, peas are so yumy straight from the pod and strawberrys are yum straight from the plant:D