Take on an allotment
Our tips will help you get started on your new plot and make the most of your new venture
As we all know here at GN, gardening is a wonderfully fulfilling pastime that can raise a smile and warm your cockles at any time of year. When you’re tucking into a meal grown largely from scratch yourself, the satisfaction is immense! Just think of all that tasty fruit and veg your own plot will yield? Perhaps your own garden is lacking in space or you fancy a bit of a challenge next year – for a cheap rent you can work your own little domain, make friends along the way, get some good exercise and fresh air, and harvest lots of tasty produce. Why not give it a go?
1 KEEP A POSITIVE MINDSET
Don’t be put off by overgrown areas and weeds! In fact, this is a very good sign as it means your soil is fertile and plants love to grow in it, which isn’t a bad thing at all. Treat any errors you make as all part of the learning experience. It can be disheartening when a much-loved crop fails, or we don’t quite get the watering schedule right in hot summers, but then, of course, you’ll know what not to do! Carry on regardless…
2 BE AN EARLY BIRD
Begin now at the turn of the new year, and you can leisurely work away at your new allotment to have it ready for arguably the most joyous time of the gardener’s year… spring sowing and planting! Start as you mean to go on to tap into your plot’s full potential.
3 GET STUCK IN
Enlist the help of a friend and remove rubbish, cut down unwanted plants and cover each area of plot you finish tackling with black sheeting or tarpaulin to stop weed growth while you have a break and plan your plot. The weeds will die off, then return themselves to the soil to add a little nutrient. Use strimmers or chainsaws to lighten the load – you can rent or borrow them easily, particularly if you’ve got a friendly bunch of fellow allotmenteers around to ask!
4 FILL SOME SPOTS WITH FLOWERS
Allotments aren’t just for fruit and veg; you can cultivate your own little cutting garden, too. Many flowers encourage pollinators and other wildlife that will aid your crop growing, and they also just look marvellous! Plant classic cottage potager dahlias and gladioli or go down the naturalistic route and grow beautiful wildflowers. There’s always room for blooms!
5 DON’T OVERDO IT
Make sure you only take on what you can manage – ask for a half or quarter plot if you’re worried about the traditional full allotment size – 250sq m – which is huge! Many allotment sites rent out half-size plots these days, but if you still find that equally as daunting though, then ask if smaller plots are available.
6 MAKE A SIMPLE CROP ROTATION PLAN
To avoid soil nutrient loss and unnecessary spread of disease, divide your plot into separate areas – firstly brassicas, then legumes with onions and roots, and lastly potatoes. Permanent perennial crops can have their own spots, and plants such as courgettes, salads and sweetcorn can go anywhere you have space.
7 BE PATIENT
It’ll take the best part of a year to fully get to grips with the seasons on your plot and work out what goes where, at what time and how your soil works for you. It’s an adventure that takes time. When you’ve pretty much cracked it, though, it’s a real joy.
9 MAKE FRIENDS
Ask those around you what tips they have for you, and when your plot is established create a network of plant swapping – it’ll put those gluts to good use! Add a bench to your plot, bring a camping stove and offer a cuppa around. You can then sit on your perch and survey all your hard work!
8 HELP YOUR SOIL
Once your plot’s all clear and the weeds are banished (or as near as they can be), give a little helping hand to your soil with a good top layer helping of compost or rotted manure to settle in before you start to work on planting or sowing.
10
CHECK OUT WHAT’S WHAT
Before committing, have a look where your water supply comes from – is there an easy-reach tap or hook up? You may be situated next to a river and just dunk your watering can in as the only supply. If so, will this appeal to you or will you find it hard work? Do you need electricity? Ask around as to where things are – is there a communal compost heap or a bonfire site? You must check the rules and regs: some allotment managers feel that fruit trees are too large and overbearing for communal plots so check you’re allowed to plant them before doing so. Should you be mowing the grass around your plot to maintain it? Are you allowed a greenhouse? It’s best to ask.
11 DIG SENSIBLY
Dig after rain so the soil’s looser and you can penetrate it easily with a fork and spade. Weeding is easier after rain, too. Don’t try and dig it all at once! Organise small two-hour slots where you tackle one area at a time.
12 WEED, WEED, WEED!
It can’t be stressed enough that as soon as you see a weed – pull it up! They’ll take over beyond anything you can imagine and before you know it, you’ve looked away for what seems like five minutes and they’ve got out of control! It’s not always easy to keep good habits on your plot as there are other things to do, but try and keep on top of dreaded weeds as much as possible. Don’t compost perennial weeds or they’ll try and resprout.
13 TEST YOUR SOIL
You may know the consistency of the soil where your plot’s located, and fellow allotmenteers will either tell you of its gorgeous loamy properties or moan that it takes a bit of work to improve! But what of its pH? It can be very useful to know this information, so you can grow good brassicas in more alkaline soil, or fruit that likes it acidic in the right place. Testing kits are cheap from any garden centre.
14 TRICKY SHADY SPOTS?
If your new plot is a little tucked away there may be a bit that gets overshadowed for some of the day. Fear not! Rhubarb, redcurrants and woodland wild strawberries are just some of the crops that will grow well in a bit of shade.
1 5 RAISE IT UP!
A way to make your work more manageable is by building or buying some raised beds to divide up your plot – at the very least in the mind’s eye it’ll appear to be less work for you and be easier to mark out what goes where. This is also a good way of introducing different consistency soil, an ericaceous section or a superbly well-drained spot for plants such as strawberries that need less moisture hanging around.