Do I have time for an allotment?

A question about : Do I have time for an allotment?

Hi
after reading this site for a while I have been dead impressed with all of those people who grow thier own veg. I want to do this too but have no garden to speak of (what I do have is all paved). I thought about an allotment and have been beside myself with joy ever since, but since reading up on the web Im not so sure now. Still love the idea but worried about how much time it takes up. Im not scared about hard work but Im a student nurse so have erratic shifts, sometimes it seems I do nothing but work, or eles Im in college or every so often Im just sitting on my bum looking for excuses not to do any work (allotment would be the PERFECT thing in this respect). Bascially when Im on placement I would be hard presssed to get there much. Prob only 1 day a week.
I have the application form but no dont know :confused:
Should I try and grow stuff in containers this year and see how that goes on? Can I grow enough to produce a good harvest ? I want to be able to show others my veg and get lots of ohhhs arent you clevers and not have to make a big fuss over a tiny tiny courgette IYKWIM.
Well what do you think? Thanks

Best answers:

• I think this is one of those things that you don't know until you try it!
  I'm already feeling quite daunted at the prospect of turning half of my garden into a veggie plot (well a quarter of it really as I intend to keep chickens on half of that) as it's still quite a large piece of land, to me anyway, to fill (approx 40ft x 30ft) but then on reading some of the other sites I realise it's quite small in comparison to a proper allotment LOL!
  I've never grown veggies before either so it's all new to me this year and I probably won't make the best use of the land that I could with a bit more experience, if you know what I mean. I reckon you might be better off trying to grow things in containers for now ... anything would suffice that you can get your hands on cheaply or for free, such as barrels, troughs, old baths etc or if you can get hold of some old scaffold boards or railway sleepers you could build a sort of raised bed to plant things in, although obviously that wouldn't work for root veggies, but I'd have thought anything with a shallow root system would work.
  Hopefully someone with more experience will come along and offer some better advice soon
• If you have the chance of an allotment, give it a go . If it doesn't work out, at least you will know you tried.
  Your post reminded me that I have now been on the waiting list for a local allotment for 19 years!!
• if you don't feel you'll have enough time to get out there perhaps you could do some container growing on your paved bit at home
  it only takes a few minutes per day to water the plants and do a quick spot of weeding
  this will give you an idea of how much time is involved so you know better for next year, lots of things grow fine in pots
  however, if you have been waiting for sometime and an allotment has come up then i'd take it (i'm on a list that has about a 5 YEAR wait!)
  you can grow what you can to start and work yourself into it over time
• I am not sure how other LA's work, but ours will also provide 'half allotments'.
  These are small enough to manage and still big enough to grow a good selection of fruit and veg on.
  It might be worth asking if these are available in your area.
  If there is a waiting list for allotments, you could always put your name down for one and grow your veg in containers in the meantime, that way you can get some idea of what is involved and if you decide that you do not have the time, you can always remove your name.
  Sproggi
• I would say go for it it and try for a 1/2 allotment like sproggi suggest, If you get friendly with any of your allotment neighbours, perhaps they would be willing to water it for you when you are very busy, and vice versa if they go on holiday ect.
  Growing veg is pretty simple, I used to when i was a child, now in a flat so have no chance. Potatoes and carrots are a good place to start, then as you gain more confidence you can try out other things.
  Potatoes a nd carrots can also be grown in tubs the large plastic round ones from diy centre (EG b&q) are great for this.
  frey
• I have a weird shaped sloped tiny garden which it has taken us 5 years to sort out,still not there yet but have my raised beds and veggie areas and fruit in place so to hell with the lawn LOL All in all I have about 10 square metres total in which to grow so I sling everything else I can into pots.There are some fabulous sites around about container growing www.downsizer.net and www.rivercottage.net are two of the very best.Start off this year with a few containers of salad veg,lettuces carrots and tomatoes,herbs etc see how that goes and by next year you will have the bug!Don't try to grow everything in the seed catalogue in one go as you'll be running around like a maniac trying to keep up.Buy a good garden mag I get The Kitchen Garden which is not only an excellent read but this time of year gives away free seed on each issue and often a readers sendaway for about 8 packets for just the postage.You can get it in WHsmiths.
• Hi folks
  Mum & I used to have a couple of allotments, then she got ill & wasn't able to help me & having 2 young kids, well, we just couldn't keep up with the darned weeding.
  Really needed to weed most days as the little beggars spring up overnight.
  Having said that we had fabulous crops of onions & spuds & courgettes just go beserk. It was very hard work, but what a buzz picking your own veg & eating it fresh.
  Carrots & parsnips were a dead loss as the ground was very stoney.
  These days I do spuds in a couple of big pots & use my own compost + a BIG bale of levingtons.
  Also tomatoes in a couple of growbags in the greenhouse & again courgettes in a couple of growbags.
  Runner beans are great as they are just endless producers & they are fantasticly sweet raw when they haven't grown too big. Kids love them.
  We also have a gooseberry bush & a couple of raspberry canes that has gone a bit bonkers.
  A couple of troughs with a few lettuce & some rocket is good too.
  Good luck.
  Julie
• try this website for ideas and advice on lotties
  https://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/index.php look in the forum section and you will find loads of advice on the work involved
• got for it and get one or a half like us . like people say, in the summer everyone waters each others plot so you don have to go down all the time. sometimes just past by grab your free veggies , put on the hose while your doing that . you will love it its very easy and a great place to chill in the summer. you could also share one with a few others if you just want to potter about , there are loads of veggies all summer so everyone would get plenty
• I took on an allotment several years ago, I work full time and have two daughters. Over the years I have learned how to manage it by covering the ground that I am not using and planting things that do not need so much maintenance ie shallots and onions are a nightmare because the weeds get right down into the roots and its endless weeding. Sweetcorn is great because it overtakes the weeds. Courgettes/marrows spread all over the place. Tomatoes I put straight into the ground through plastic sheeting that I've cut holes in. Runner beans are great cause they're easy. Its a great escape and you will meet lots of really nice people who will all help you if you ask they will only be too happy to pass on their tips, especially the older people. Plant bushes like gooseberries, red currants, black currants - don't forget to cover or the birds will eat them all. Good luck!
• Hi
  Do any of you hire an allotment? It is something I am considering at the moment and wanted to get a rough idea of how much time we would need to put into it.
  We would want it to produce enough veg for us, but wouldn't need much more than that.
  Any ideas?
• Hiya
  The following four threads should give you something to work with
  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...t=allotment%2A
  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...t=allotment%2A
  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...t=allotment%2A
  https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/...t=allotment%2A
• Yes plenty of idea's
  We took on an allotment last Autumn, its different to gardening and can be hard work but rewarding as they say. Of course a lot depends on your level of fitness.
  Then these what an allotment offers, for example a shed, water, loo's, bulk ordering of seeds from a "shop"
  Ours doesn’t allow a shed, they feel that in view of this fact they have never had any vadalisum, it’s a sad fact that it can and does happen.
  We pay Ј14.50 for the year.
  These various hints and tips and necessary work that goes into growing the veggies and they will not all by 100% sucessful.
  Of course the good bits if you like being outside in the fresh air is resting on your fork with the sun on your face.
  We are just coming upto the buzy time of seed sowing but there isn't a dead line really, seeds will catch up within reason.
  These possibly a time during high summer when you really have to keep on top of things.
  Time wise you will be very surprised in what you can get done in a couple of hours, mainly because you can't wander off and do something else.
  Oh and a flask is a must.