[attia of the julii]

Just a big hello to everyone. I'm a newie to this forum and to my very old and overgrown allotment.

Huge task ahead but I have a lot of enthusiasm and energy and that goes a long way.  Not expecting to be able to plant anything this year, just the site site cleared, beds set out and well manured and easy to get my wheelbarrow round, then I'll leave it to sleep over winter.  Its been a huge search to find an allotment. Has anyone else has a problem.   No one at Council office seem to keep a check on whether sites are ever used or not and there is a growing (pardon the pun) demand for allotments in Scotland.

Any advice gratefully received.

[DD.]

Hi & welcome. Personally didn't have a problem, but got my current plot before they became the vogue!

[Caddi fuller-teabags]

We started out quite late on our plot last year, but you still could put a little room aside and grow some lettuces and radishes and herbs, it makes you feel so much better about it all.

[wotisname]

Hi,

I too have just got my first 1/2 of an allotment today and was wondering if there was an online resource that could point me in the right direction of what to plant, when and how. I have books on the subjects but none of them seem to contain all the information in one place.

Regards, Terry

[Tugster]

DD
Just wondered about your opinion regarding the "Vogue" comment. I have been growing at home for a few years now and only just got my own allotment. I am only 33 and seem to be one of the young ones at my plot. There does seem to be a little strange feeling with some of the older growers against the younger growers. I know we have done things a little different, opting for raised beds and putting more thought into the design of the plot. Can you give me an honest opinion about the fact that growing your own veg and allotments are now becoming a trend.
I ask the question to find out your feedback to see if there is anything I can do to try and break down some of these barriers, for my benefit as well as others on my plot.
No insinuation that you are older than I am, just more experienced.

[nothinghasdiedyet]

I finally got my allotment last year and I am the youngest on site (38, so not exactly young and I am not taking into account the allotment my site have donated to our local primary school to tend   ) I had been on the waiting list for 7 years.

Everyone on our allotment has been really good and they are over the moon that young people are taking up allotments especially young family (I have a 3yr old son who loves making mud pies in my cabbage patch) becasue it means that the allotments will be carried on after they can no longer tend theirs.
One particularly nice old bloke said

"Maybe this will stop our kids becoming like these thugs we have today"

All I will say is keep the allotment looking good and well planted and any whingers will soon come round.

[Runnerbean]

Hi, i have only had my half plot for two weeks. It was in a pretty bad way when i got it, but i am determined to get something out of it this year. so i set about with spade and fork, and managed to clear 80% of it by last weekend, although i now have various mountains of weeds, rocks, wood, glass, carpet and lots of other weird and not so wonderful things where i want to put the greenhouse and shed i picked up yesterday. (ebay is a wonderful thing!)
Over the last week i have prepared the seed beds and today i have sown, some late potatoes, courgette, carrots, parsnips, beetroot, swede, red and green cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach.
Tomorrow it is the turn of onion sets, garlic, leeks, lettuce, peas, sweetcorn and runner beans. Oh and not forgetting my three year old girls sunflowers, (if she doesn't do this tomorrow i will be in trouble!!!)
I don't know if it will all work, but even if only half of them grow i will be over the moon!
It was a lot of hard work in a short space of time, but hopefully i will be able to eat something from my plot this year.
A few of the old timers are looking at me like i'm mad, but more are impressed with what i have done so far, and am worried that i am going to show them up later in the year!!!
I don't know if this is any help or inspiration to you, but it is making my tired and aching body feel a lot better!!

[Alex 98]

Welcome to the real world......................

We first had a plot 12 years ago, lapsed due to 'stuff'
Now back to stay big time

Alex 98

[wotisname]

Hi,

Not that I got any answers to my question but forget I asked, as I have just received a copy of the book written by John Harrison bought off this site. It arrived very quickly and at first glance seems to answer all my questions, although I haven't read it yet.

Regards, Terry

[woodburner]

Ooh didn't spot it without a a question mark.

No problem here but anyone else will now as I took the last two. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time in 30 odd years that all plots have been taken on both sites.

D'oh re-read the wrong post.  :oops:  :roll:

[DD.]

DD
Just wondered about your opinion regarding the "Vogue" comment. I have been growing at home for a few years now and only just got my own allotment. I am only 33 and seem to be one of the young ones at my plot. There does seem to be a little strange feeling with some of the older growers against the younger growers. I know we have done things a little different, opting for raised beds and putting more thought into the design of the plot. Can you give me an honest opinion about the fact that growing your own veg and allotments are now becoming a trend.
I ask the question to find out your feedback to see if there is anything I can do to try and break down some of these barriers, for my benefit as well as others on my plot.
No insinuation that you are older than I am, just more experienced.

Sorry Tugster, missed this somehow.

I've had allotments off & on for over 30 years. My previous plots I've had to give up for various reasons - mostly being sold for building. In fact thinking about all my previous 3 are now built on, but it was distance at the time that caused me to give up the first one.

On all of the sites that I've been on over the last 3 decades (I'm 56 now & started at 25), there have been plots standing empty, with no waiting list.

When I took on my current plot about 6 years ago, it was with one eye on retirement in a couple of year's time. I thought that there would be a waiting list, as the site I had my eye on was in a very good secluded spot.

So I sent off an email to the council & two days later was the tenant of one of my current plots. A half plot became available later - again no waiting list & I was offered this straight off as I'd made an enquiry about getting a small piece of additional land, but not a whole plot, as I was working full time still.

A couple of years ago Mrs. DD enquired about a plot that had not been cultivated for a year or so & was told that the tenant had given up & she could have it, as there was no one else in line.

Present day - all plots on out site are rented & cultivated & there is a waiting list of over 100 people & growing, for the 6 sites in the town.

As regards barriers between young and old, (guess I'm piggy in the middle here on out site), there seems to be no animosity at all. All the oldies are welcoming & amiable & whilst one or two may have a joke about the growing amount of woodwork on the plots, they are all pleased to see the plots cultivated, thereby negating one reason for the council selling them off.

Sorry to have rambled & for taken over the thread!

[wotisname]

Hi,

Referring to the 'Vogue Comment'. Here in Liverpool demand for allotments has long out-stripped supply and a lot of waiting list are closed, with more than 50 people on them. My local site is just starting to accommodate those that signed up in 2004. There were 1,400,000
plots/allotments in 1943 and this had fallen to 300,000 by 1996, well below the statutory required numbers councils are supposed to supply to comply with the various acts of parliment. I have no idea what the figure is today.

Regards, Terry