[Christian]

Hi all, I have just been offered a full allotment just a short walk away from my house.  I have never owned one before and the only experience I have is from helping my dad as a lad.  Having a young family of three small boys I am considering the amount of time I will need to look after an allotment and wonder if you people could help me in deciding how much time I will need to produce a decent yield.

Any advice would be most helpful. Thanks.  
 

[tully]

welcome you will find plenty of advice and usually take it easy at first. I felt that I needed to clear it and get it into shape quickly check the photos and this has meant that i didnt lose heart. its a personal thing.  I work full time and four hours a week seems to be plenty when you are on top of it.
a wormery is a great thing when you have kiddies and it is vital that all glass is cleared.  I have a sweetie tree and organise my grandchildren to dig and the tree will grow.

Its been my sanctuary sometime a kettle and campinggas mean that I can beat a retreat and have a brew.


I planned my planting on computer and decided only to grow what the family likes to eat......the grandchildren love nasturtlums since they are unusual....I could go on for ages  but enjoy every minute ........good luck

[muntjac]

when you have an allotment , the whole world is at your feet , well stuck in the mud on your wellies but i can tell ya tully is right .enjoy every moment in a steady rush    take all the time you want to do things just get the plants and seeds in roughly on time ,sit back and watch the weeds grow and you will have many hours playing hunt the cabbage or carrot amongst them ,take the non aggresive approach to work and the aggresive approach to other plotters telling you your potatos are planted wrong way up ,,,but most of all enjoy every minute and finally welcome to the gang - our new found friend  

[beansticks]

WELCOME CHRISTIAN,take your time and enjoy.With young children i guess you are going to be on the plot for many years to come.

[legendaryone]

Hi Christian and welcome   How often you visit your allotment is down to how much you want too. In the summer you may want to go down everyday to do the watering or not water at all and leave your crops to fend for themselves
Also you may have to go down often when yopu start to harvest your hard work.
Those 3 small boys you mention are 3 small gardeners give them their own bit of land and that should keep them occupied for oh 5 minutes at least

[mum of 3]

firsty well done on getting a plot,it depends on the state of the plot as to what time is needed there.but if its weedy take advantage of wet weather as they'll pull up easier.
ive also got 3 kids aged 12,4 and 2 and they all love it down there and have made new friends as well,as well as enjoying the wildlife(mice,toads,grasssmakes,rabbits)you'll find it so rewarding.

[Aunt Sally]

Those 3 small boys you mention are 3 small gardeners give them their own bit of land and that should keep them occupied for oh 5 minutes at least

I'll second that.  We had an allotment when out children were small and they enjoyed helping weeding and hoeing. and deciding what to grow on their own small plot  

[Zak the Rabbit]

hi,

give the kids the 'mucky' jobs. My lads 3 and will happily crawl inside a trench picking out roots and stones for me. Hes become a master sprout harvester as well, and kids tend to be far better at picking off bugs and caterpillers than us old sods. Sam just grabs em and throws em in the incinerator, i pick em off slowly whilst going 'errgh'

get the kids started with some cress on the kitchen window sill, then move em outside when its time to plant big veg. Just remember to emplain it all to them or they will get bored with it.

[richyrich7]

Children just love gardening once you get them into it, bit of sowing watering etc. Spend as much time as you can without making it a chore and you will enjoy it even more. We have 7 kids and they have all over the years "helped" down the plot. So much so after I gave mine up, my 15 year old took one on with his pal and now they have got me back into it again. I spend about 2-3 hrs a week at the mo just digging and clearing. I had cleared and dug beds etc to half of it until this weather hit.
Good luck and if nothing else a lotty gets you away from the rat race for a while.

[mixdiver]

Go for it! you will not regret taking a plot on. I was lucky to get a half plot last June and it was amazing what I managed to grow in a short while- saved me a fortune.

Runner Beans
Carrots
Marrows
French Beans
Beetroot
Broad Beans
Logenberries (Already on plot)
Apples (Already on plot)
Kale
Lettuce
Spring Onions
Leeks
Swede

I have given up my gym membership and am intending to spend my summer evenings tending the plot harvesting fresh veg so save money and eat great fresh veg It is win win in my view!
At the moment I am  planning my planting schedule for this year like a military campagn - great fun much better than watching the rubbish churned out on TV - try it seed catalogues are a great read and usually free!

Best of Luck

Mixdiver

[Christian]

thank for your very encouraging replies.  I think I would be stupid not to take it considering your enthusiasm.  I am going to get down to wilkos and by myself some seed.  No doubt I will need and thank you all well in advance for any advice you can give me.  

Thanks again    

Ps should i buy just one pack of each veg I want to grow?

[muntjac]

as a guide
2 packs peas .
2 radish
2 spring onions
1 runer beans
 2 french beans
2 beetroot
 the rest is one pack ,you should have enough in all of the packets and some spare,  if you have some idea of  what you want to grow , (no point growing something you dont eat ). we can have a better idea cristian  

[Christian]

Thanks, I will come back when I have seen the lot on Saturday morning.  Apparantley someone has given it up because of ill heath so it could be bad.

Have a good day.

[Sadgit]

don't forget you will need about 20 packets of courgettes to feed the family LMAO...

[mercury]

hello christian, another featherstonian!! enjoy the site mate.