[fibo]

Hello Everyone!

Today i saw my allotment! in all honesty it could be worse but it could be better....like the one next to me (just my luck)!
We are totally skint and alot of good changes are going to be expected from us!
I need advice on (to start with) How to save the shed which is on old pallets, unlevel & leaning!
Where to go to get those blue buckets to use as water butts?
Should i be really cheeky & ask the people nearby who are building/extending a house if i can raid any skips, pallets, bricks, blocks or anything that might be helpful?
We no longer have a car so getting heavy stuff to the plot is going to be a struggle, keep me fit or kill me!?
I also have kids...one whos 8yrs & a 6mnth old...so i need to entertain/keep one busy and the other safe!
is it possible to make fencing out of pallets?
Where also should i invest what little money we have? Equpiment...seeds..seedlings etc?
I'll be back soon with 1001 more questions no doubt? Thanks in advance as this is a busy month!!

[grendel]

Hello Everyone!

Today i saw my allotment! in all honesty it could be worse but it could be better....like the one next to me (just my luck)!
We are totally skint and alot of good changes are going to be expected from us!
I need advice on (to start with) How to save the shed which is on old pallets, unlevel & leaning!

more pallets, replace any rotten wood.

Where to go to get those blue buckets to use as water butts?

Ask around, if not use an old bath

Should i be really cheeky & ask the people nearby who are building/extending a house if i can raid any skips, pallets, bricks, blocks or anything that might be helpful?

Always, its not cheeky, its saving them money as they can then fit more into the skip, builders pay a fortune to get rid of their rubbish, they are only too happy to lose it at no cost.

We no longer have a car so getting heavy stuff to the plot is going to be a struggle, keep me fit or kill me!?

wheelbarrow, pushbike with trailer, handcart, old pram?

I also have kids...one whos 8yrs & a 6mnth old...so i need to entertain/keep one busy and the other safe!

get them a small trowel and mark off a patch of dirt to play in - soap is cheap.

is it possible to make fencing out of pallets?

Yes, just strip the pallets, or even just stand them on edge.

Where also should i invest what little money we have? Equpiment...seeds..seedlings etc?

tools from boot fairs (usually the really old tools are good quality). go round the plot asking if anyone has any seedlings to spare to get you started, most people start off too many. your main effort will be clearing and digging the plot to start with, remember you dont need raised beds with wooden edging or anything fancy, just plants in the ground to start with.

I'll be back soon with 1001 more questions no doubt? Thanks in advance as this is a busy month!!

answers inserted above - Grendel


Edit to change inline replies to bold font in order to distinguish them from original questions.

[snowdrops]

Yes to all of those very sensible answers. Look at others diaries on here for ideas,I think Dora has used pallets just stood up to make fence's if you need/can have one-some sites restrict the use of fences. Take lots of before pictures for when there's an after picture    Start a diary page on here. Have fun & get cracking but remember little & often gets it done the quickest with no injuries. When buying tools invest in the best you can afford,it's false economy to buy cheap/rubbish & will make the job twice as difficult.

[Jake]

Where are you based, just out of interest.

Loads of people will be more than happy to give you seeds and lend you stuff, in my experience anyway.

Best thing to do is just make a start, would love to see a photo.

[madcat]

Avoid garden centres and go for plant sales (there will be lots in aid of this charity or that around now) if you cant beg or raise from seed.  Use nurseries and the sheds (beenandqueued etc) for any basics like slug pellets so you don't get led astray.  Or Wilkinsons if you have one nearby, they are good value for seeds and sets and netting.   Treat the poundshops with care - cheap but not always cheerful.

The two things you really really need for an allotment are patience and hard work.  Add a streak of ingenuity (allotmenteers are the original recyclers!  My little plant pots are thrown away plastic coffee cups from the office machine with holes melted in the bottoms with an old soldering iron .... You will find yourself looking at everything and thinking "now, how can I use that on the allotment?" ) and you are 80% of the way there.  A good summer and you will be eating well!   

[Annen]

Get a pram, I've just got one (from freegle)  because we have no car, and its brilliant for transporting seed trays from home to plot.  You could even put the baby in it!

[fibo]

Wow...thanks everyone for taking the time to reply!

Some great ideas & alot i can implement easily! Have found out the names of the people who are building...sneaky but helps to know! Also I'm blessed in my village with a Village Produce Association who happen to be having a plant sale this saturday, also going to be alot of the other allotment owners there, so 'networking time'! Guess i better join as well?
i'll post you some pics ASAP...got to upload them first! Due to the bank holiday i couldnt get hold of the Parish Clerk to ask if we could make a start as the agreement is partially signed & in my kitchen...bonus is i go Zumba with her! 
My allotments in a lovely village called Whimple in East Devon. It's on a hill and slopes but i've gone for the top half rather than at the bottom as its clay soil! Great for nutriants but boy it's hard work as i have the same in my postage stamp garden although in all honesty i've never got to grow much here due to it resembling more of a play park!
I'm blessed with some established goosebeery bushes, two apple trees (whimples famous as a cider producing village years ago, sadly no more) although these are young and been trained along wires with the branches horizontal ( i cannot remember what its called as only ever seen it done once before)?

Whilst i'm sat here typing this & trying to upload the pics we've been discussing allsorts like which direction it is & debating if we should very quickly change our minds & take the full size before its too late? we might be already? As this opens up alot of options but i was rather daunted by 'what was expected of me from the others already there if i'm honest....mostly because i'm next to the perfectly tended and dedicated veterans!
right hopefully....pics attached?
will keep you all posted & again..thanks for your responses!

[grendel]

if you are around at the end of the plant sale you may be able to negotiate some bargains to save people having to take them home again, though you may get roped in to help clear up.
just try and get your plot cleared and planted up, perfection like your neighbours plot can come with time as the right bits become available at the right price (free), my plot is just dug soil, nothing fancy (apart from the pallet compost bins/bench seat)
Grendel

[Elaine G]

Join your local freegle. People  often give away equipment, seeds and surplus plants. There was a greenhouse offered on mine today.
You might also pick up 'gardening' clothes for the children!
Also don't waste money on plant labels - cut up empty milk containers!

Elaine

[arugula]

My allotments in a lovely village called Whimple in East Devon.

Small world, my auntie used to have the village shop there.

[grendel]

Join your local freegle. People  often give away equipment, seeds and surplus plants. There was a greenhouse offered on mine today.
You might also pick up 'gardening' clothes for the children!
Also don't waste money on plant labels - cut up empty milk containers!

Elaine

we cut up margarine tubs for labels.
Grendel

[thestens]

Freecycle is a must, I got a shed and a greenhouse that way as well as a compost dalek and some Jerusalem artichokes. Strike up friendship with the other plot holders they usually have spare seed or plants.

Mainly just get to work digging and clearing.

[JaK]

One thing that has been an absolute godsend on the plot is the sand pit! I picked ours up at the local recycling center, the kids now spend a lot of their time at the plot digging in that rather than digging in random beds of seedlings. 

[finleyfreyaseth]

fibo theres plenty of free things youn can do marg tubs yog pots bottom of milk cartons etc etc for planting in,that shed looks sound just a bit of strengthening ,just ask worse anyone can say is NO ,Ive scavenged loads bits pieces from skips ,if you pm me your addy ill stick you some seeds in the post I usually give em to my kids gardening club but they've had plenty of me at mo so ure welcome to some ,and just stick at it ull get there eventually 

[rowan57]

Once you get on the plot people will help too. My plot neighbour let me know of a local garden centre looking to get rid of an old shed. I offered £50 to the air ambulance, paid the bloke £25 to deliver it, crate of beer for the blokes who helped me lift it off the van early one morning (all in one piece). So, for about £90, I got a basically brand new 6x8' shed!