The local Friends of The Earth group is in discussions with the Council about creating some new allotments around the town (they have a duty to create them if more than six people ask, or something) using a couple of possible methods. I’m at the F0E meeting tomorrow night and am thinking of adding my name to the allotment-wanters.

My father-in-law has one, as does my best friend. The dad-in-law is retired, so spends lots of time on his. The friend works shifts and his dad is retired, so they have time midweek to work on it. So, I’ve an idea of how much time they can take, but I’ve also seen the half-hour a day book, so know that they can take a lot less.

Anyway, tell me about your allotment. Photos would be brill.

Our village did a similar thing in late 2007, where there was a demand for allotments. The parish council mobilised, and it was a real result – a brand new area of 40 plots.

We got a half-size plot this time last year. This year we’re going to make the paths smaller and squeeze more plants in. We have kept it cheap and organic, some of our neighbours seem to spend a lot of money…

It doesn’t take a lot of work, you get a lot of food out and it’s brilliant when you can go up the allotment and eat stuff straight off the plant. (But you know that because you have heard it already from the veterans)

I have a quite large allotment,it can be pretty full on from march till september, depending on the weather.
three years ago when we had a dry hot summer we had a hosepipe ban which meant
having to ferry water by the can taking an hour every night just to water.
What we have done with ours is break the beds up into smaller beds with wooden shuttering around the edges it seems to make it more managable.
Yes it is hard work but eating corn on the cob that has only been picked half hour previously is something else.
this photo was taken in our first year of renting the allotment.
[IMG]http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/7735/p1010028gg0.jpg[/IMG]

I have had one since 1989…the same one in fact!

I have a busy job, other hobbies (cycling ,etc) and three children and still find time.

winter you need 2 hours a week but in the summer you need a min of 4 hours a week I would say!

Excellent and rewarding pastime – do it!

Urrr, hands up, been on the waiting list for nearly two years, when mine came up last year.

I am sharing mine with a friend, so work wise I am hoping it will be manageable.

It has two sheds, polly, a mature vine, three apple trees, and lots of weeds, bliss!

I have a view of the Malvern’s, well, only just

The polly has not seen any action for a while!

Site is now clear, polly fixed up and the soil has been turned over ready for the winter to do its job, just finished the Cider we made from the apples and the locals have been great for advice and tips.

go for low maintenance stuff that doesn’t attract pests to start with – chard, perpetual spinach, leeks (although they’re a faff to get going, once in need little attention). bush toms aren’t too bad either. if there’s no pigeons, brassicas are easy too.

good luck

Oddly enough our little plot is being dug over and beds installed this week, tis nothing on the scale of what you guys have posted (we’ll, it is but its not all being put into production as its part of the garden..)
cant wait to start the learning curve of self sufficiency (well, sufficent supplies of spuds and hers if nothing else… 😀 )
Will kep an eye on the thread for further hints and tips….

Thanks everyone.

We’ve messed about growing stuff at home but, while the garden’s fairly big by modern standards, by the time we leave space for the chickens and keep some space for the kids to play, we’re limited in what we can grow. An allotment would let us use the garden space for salad leaves, strawberries and the like, while we can put the “less glamorous” roots and stuff in at the allotment.