[urbanarcher]

hi I've been offered an allotment.   I've just been down to have a look at it i'm a complete newbie by the way never grown anything but chillies. the plot is on a downward slope and has trees to the west on the boundary the left side of the plot seemed quite wet and soft and the upper half felt good and firm i didn't have tools so couldn't turn ove any earth its covered in grassy weeds at the mo. i'm just wondering if i'm going to have any trouble with this plot on the lower area is its shaded and lower than the rest of the allotments will it stay very wet and will things grow with half a days light?



This is an overhead image of the plot, the plot is marked and the arrow represents the land fall.

any advice will be greatly appreciated as i'm deciding whether to ask for a different plot if there is such a thing!

Edited by Aunty to make the picture live.

[andy135]

Do you know when the image was taken? If during the winter months, then the sun would be low giving a large area of shadow. I think you may find that this wouldn't be a problem during the summer with the sun much higher in the sky.
Added to that the fact that the sun rises in the east, the plot will probably be in full sun untill later in the afternoon. Also see if you can have the trees/shrubs trimmed back a bit.

[Yorkie]

It should get a decent amount of light until midday at least so I wouldn't worry too much.

You won't be able to grow too much too close to the western boundary anyway owing to competition from the tree roots for moisture and nutrients.

Is the plot othewise good from the point of view of access, water (tap) etc?

I'd double check that there are no known drainage issues with the plot and why the previous tenant left, otherwise I'd go for it.  Sometimes rejecting an offer will leave you off the waiting list altogether or back at the bottom of it (will depend on your particular rules).

[Fisherman]

If you planned the plot out with compost heaps and maybe a shed in the shaded area it would probably make a productive plot. This looks like what the next plot holder has or is planning as there appears to be a shed against the trees. Not much will grow next to the trees anyway as they will use up all the nutrients and suck up all the water especially in mid summer. One thing to note is that the photograph appears to be taken in early summer by the look of the growth on the trees. Therefore the shaded area maybe larger in spring and autumn. The trees may also grow higher again increasing the shaded area but perhaps they can be trimmed. IMO its better to be shaded from the West at least you will get good light until late in the day unless I have wrongly interpreted your description. Some vegetables will also grow fine in partial shade which you may want to research. As for the plot being on a slope it can be an advantage or disadvantage dependent on the type of season i.e. wet or dry.

No harm asking if there is an alternative plot but this may be the only one available for some while! If it is the only plot available I would spend a couple of hours on it considering the pros and cons and speak to any neighbouring plot holders if there are any about before making a decision.

I would probably go for it.

Good Luck

[urbanarcher]

Yorkie thanks for the comments. Would the council have reasons for people leaving and info about drainage? i'll have to call them tomorrow. well the tap is very close about 1 plot away so that's good. Access is good could back the car down if its not too wet and i think it would make it up the incline. yes i was worried about rejecting an offer for that very reason. The plots about 110m2 so i will loose a little to the trees. I'll have to accept that i guess maybe could get a little discount lol.
Andy it looks like it was taken in the evening late summer maybe. is it common for the council to be able to trim trees to allow a little more light? I could get up there with a bow saw i guess! that might upset a few!
 should i expect the ground to be really wet this time of year and what should i look at before i accept this plot?

[TheSpartacat]

I think the most important thing is to speak to the neighbouring plot holder that shares the same light/slope/ trees alongside aspect, and presumably similar soil- they would know more about the drainage and any problems.

Where are you based urbanarcher? Did it get a lot of rain and snowfall? If so, don't judge the wetness of the ground to harshly until you've spoken to them. There's plotholders near me who's plots are completely waterlogged now but was fine in the summer- they had an enviable harvest- they're at the top of the hill and I'm at the bottom (mine is completely fine!! No puddles- i wouldnt have expected that! They may need to stick a drainage gap around their plot?)

I guess... think of what is the MOST important thing on a plot to you, and what are the deal breakers that would make you wait another year? (My deal breaker was.. if i was offered a tiny plot.. and even still i'd have struggled to turn it down)

I think every plot that comes available has its down side in some way- whether its because its ridiculously overgrown or the soil is heavy, or because of distance to the hosepipe (which is a chore i would find harder to deal with than most issues) - everyone usually has something to overcome- (As long as you've no horsetail- that is a nightmare and a half)

I'm guessing it will be mostly in sun from sun up at 6am through to about mid afternoon if the map is anything to go by, which isnt bad! (more than my garden gets, and I've grown toms in it!!- and you can put your real sun-lovers like tomatoes away from the trees?

Usually if theres more than one plot available you get a choice, don't you? (or at least i did)

On a really positive note.... lots and LOTS of leaf mold in the composter!!!

[savbo]

Having started with a plot in a similar position, we found we could grow most things no problem, but it was a bit depressing losing the sun so early in spring/autumn and frost hung on much longer into the day.

Summer evenings having a relax at the end of the day won't be as jolly either

Having said all that we had a great year on that plot...

M

[Christo]

Hi urbanarcher. We got a similarly sloping site last year. The previous occupiers had given up on the plot because they lost a couple of beds of crops when there was heavy rainfall (we are on heavy clay).

However we have done some simple things to make things better; (1) dug some quick (fairly shallow drains/trenches around the worst beds (this doesn't take long); (2) we've stopped storing anything (piles of turfs etc) at the bottom of the site that might act as a dam and cause the site to become waterlogged; (3) Improve the soil to get it free-draining (as much as possible);

Next steps are to add borders around each bed to protect a little more against any remaining run-off.

I think previous tenants hadn't given much thought to the issues and had very shallow topsoil that could wash away easily. (I have also noted that they have given up on their next (shared) plot. It goes to show that it's not for everyone.

It's all achievable with a bit of thought so Best of luck. 

[Aunt Sally]

It looks like a very tricky plot to me.  If there are any others available a would ask for one of them.

OR

Take on the plot and cultivate the upper part on the understanding that you can move to a better plot when one becomes available.

[aelf]

judging by the shadows, I would say that pic was taken mid - late afternoon so the plot will get decent sunlight for most of the day - also, the area near the trees won't be in darkness, mostly it will be dappled shade. The winter sun is very low in the sky now, making shadows all the longer so things will look very different in the summer.

Good luck!

I'm very sad - I've just worked out the time the pic was taken using an old Scout trick  Between 2pm and 3 pm, depending on whether pic was taken in BST  or not

[urbanarcher]

Neat trick aelf. i got in touch with council and they will call me back hopefully i'll be able to find out more tomorrow.

[Kristen]

drainage on clay is easy - if that is your problem.  I have lazy-raised-beds - I just dug out the soil from the (permanent) paths and added to the beds - beds are 4 feet wide. As the soil crumbles back unto the paths over time I run a shovel down them to tidy them up (you could do a proper job with solid edges to raised beds, of course!). That would work well, particularly as you have a fall towards the trees. But even trenches around the perimeter connected to a trench running away downhill will do the job.

I think the trees are going to drink a fair bit too, but that won't be so obvious in the Winter.

Free draining sand would be much harder to ensure things had enough moisture

I agree with the others about sheds / compost heap near / under the trees.

The trees look substantial (given their diameter compared to the hedge), but anything you can lop off the top will help.

[urbanarcher]

ok i'm still waiting for a call back from the council. Took some more pictures can be found here







as you can see the park is lower than the allotments will this make a difference? the pictures were taken at about 12:30pm and shaded about 2m into plot. On the plus the soil looks soft and not too wet i think.

[TheSpartacat]

The soil looks good!
Looks very peaceful and pretty too

[min200]

I would take it!  Mines similar with the trees on two sides and ive had no problem growing at all.  The soil looks very good as well!