[iggyboy60]

I cant believe the question is even raised!! Of course its worth the effort....whats the point in having an allotment if you think things are not worth the effort? As for the word 'cheap', well there is nothing cheap about the amount of effort people put into their individual plots. One final point, there is nothing at all cheap about the taste,flavour and quality of home grown anything!

[Ma and Pa Snip]

For us the 'cheapness' of certain crops doesnt even begin to enter the equation.

If cheap is what's wanted then those of us in rural areas could  buy 3 sweetcorn for a quid and sacks of spuds for £4 > £5  from the farms.

Its about the Challenge, the Freshness, the Taste,  and above all else something that money can't buy when  going to a supermarket for veg .......................................



Satisfaction.

[potatogrower]

I do agree, there is nothing cheap about growing your own becuase you do spend time to nurture what you grow in pots and admire the time it takes to grow from a little seed to something really big. That is what amazes me is that from a little yellow seed and i get this 5+ foot tall sweet corn plant :blink: and all that sweetness.

the other thing i like is a bit of friendly competition to show off to others that at times size does matter  ..... if only    but one day!!

satisfaction is in the taste.

[Kristen]

I cant believe the question is even raised!! Of course its worth the effort....whats the point in having an allotment if you think things are not worth the effort?

I don't think that was the question.  My reading of it was that the question was "Do I just grow the fancy / expensive stuff, or also the stuff that is humdrum too?"

I think its a fair question - take main crop potatoes, for example.  They may well not store through the winter. Mine don't, of all the crops I grow its the one I question each year. I think my onions are better than shop bought, and they seem to store OK, but that isn't a certainty.

It depends how much time & money the O/P has too. Carrots are going to need enviromesh to keep the fly off (or live with consequences of course) and carrots are cheap to buy.

I personally wouldn't do it any differently - we try to grow as much as possible of what we eat. But if I was just starting out I would be considering options, and making choices too.

[gillie]

Courgettes and mangetouts are both easy to grow and very prolific, so definitely grow them.

A variety of beans is worthwhile, but I grow them successionally and never freeze them.  Who wants to spend a lovely summer afternoon blanching slightly OTT beans?

Asparagus takes up a lot of space and takes two years to start cropping and then does not give a lot.  So personally I no longer bother.

Brassicas are a bore.  They take up a lot of space, are in the ground a long time and everything tries to eat them so they have to be netted.  I now only grow small autumn cabbages and a bit of cavolo nero.

You don't have to grow exactly the same crops each year.  Try what  you fancy and if it does not work out,  perhaps after a second try, move on to something else.

[Lardman]

I've argued the economics of GYO for previously.

I have a limited amount of space so I no longer grow spuds (and I mean it this year), onions, shallots, spouts or cauli's, and its probably the last year for garlic.

I concentrate on growing things I would like to buy but don't, either because they're too expensive like blueberries, Things I wouldn't eat if they weren't outside the back door - chard , beetroot or things the supermarkets just don't get right - Tomatoes and herbs.

If I had a full size plot things might be different.

[TheSpartacat]

I start on my brand new allotment on the 20th Feb along with my OH and son, and two great friends who will all be helping and reaping the benefits.

My question is - is it worth growing the "cheap stuff" - carrots, main crop potatos, onions.  Shouldn't we stick to the asparagus, courgettes, mange touts of the world?

I think it's entirely subjective, what is worthwhile to one person is a waste of time to another.
I think everyone has covered all the points on flavour and provenance etc.

If you look at your allotment as a way to save money, then it probably won't in its first year, if you count expenditures like tools and shed, and enviromesh etc... so outside of that, what do you buy?
I mean, i rarely buy asparagus and it has nothing to do with cost.
The OH doesnt like it and i don't find it any more special than broccoli or a nice stringless french bean. What we do buy a LOT of is  your run of the mill veg like potatoes, tomatoes, salads, carrots etc... all of which are cheaper to buy than other veg. (if you shop sensibly)
I can't kid myself that if i was bringing home asparagus, goji berries and a tonne of pak choi from the allotment- we would STILL be buying potatoes salad tomatoes etc- so its a false economy.
And gluts of asparagus and pak choi would be given away while our palates are hankering after a common sprout.

So thats what we grow!

On the note of maincrop potatoes- if your plot is new, then growing a lot of spuds in the first year will help break up the soil nicely, and maybe you can decide then if you think they're worth it.
I did that last year and I absolutely am a devotee of growing spuds now, inc maincrop. The ones in store kept me going til end of January. Sure a few were sprouting but still yummy, and it's a really satisfying feeling in the depth of winter, knowing the work you did in the summer is still providing you with one of the main staples of your diet. Not self sufficient but a nice step towards it- and thats one of my motivations, rather than cost.
(It was a sad day when i had to buy a bag in the corner shop)

But I can completely understand people who have smaller plots leaving potatoes off their list, or growing only a few first earlies...

[Tigerhair]

Hi guys, thanks for all the responses - I loved the messages - and I really didn't mean to get anyone's backs up!    I organised a meeting two and a half years ago saying that we should have allotments in Ashbourne, and, finally we have them.  I am very proud of the work that we've all put in.  I have grown veggies for about 13 years at home but we are surrounded by trees and getting enough light for them has sometimes been a problem.  My new plot is about half the size of a standard 20 pole plot - so I don't want to waste time planting stuff that won't do well there and not utilising the space.  However, I realise that this is going to be a learning experience over the years.... Heartily looking forward to that!  At least the plot is close to home so the environment will be about the same, however, with more light, more wind and different soil.  My Dad has always grown veg so I know how magical getting the veg in from the garden and eating it straight away is.  Pure, simple, honest heaven on a plate!

I guess the main messages here are that I need to be guided by my taste - and allow room for the more "mundane" or at least the veggies that might cost me more to grow (financially) but if I get them right, and with a bit of luck, and a LOT of (fantastic, outdoor, invigorating) hard work with a load of friends (what could be better?), then the flavour will surpass the shop bought stuff.... so taste and flavour then! 

Thanks for your thoughts. 

[Mazzie]

I guess the main messages here are that I need to be guided by my taste - and allow room for the more "mundane" or at least the veggies that might cost me more to grow (financially) but if I get them right, and with a bit of luck, and a LOT of (fantastic, outdoor, invigorating) hard work with a load of friends (what could be better?), then the flavour will surpass the shop bought stuff.... so taste and flavour then! 

Deffinately go by what you like.  My plot is around 160 sqm so diddly compared to some. So personally i dont grow maincrop spuds, onions or veg that needs alot of in ground time and im very careful with everything else but although cheap in the shops i get the most amazing carrots which taste of something!  My dogs wont even eat supermarket carrots since trying mine and that says something
I grow chard, marrows and courgettes by the bucklet load even though my local farm shop sell them really cheaply i love them and practically live off them in summer.

Good luck with your new lottie

[Tigerhair]

Mine's only 100sqm 8mx12.5... so tight for space!  Although I am sure it will feel huge to dig!

[MOLUSC]

For me its the whole allotment package-
Fresh air
Exercise
Socialising
education
and growing your own healthy vege.

I have talked to different people on the allotment who dont grow thier own carrots,onions,potatoes ,sprouts,swede,turnip etc because they are cheap to buy from the supermarket and people who dont grow their own brassicas because they are subject to attack from catapillar.(and therefore not worth the bother)

Last year i worked out what  i spent on compost,fees,manure,netting,wire,seeds etc and it came to £152.00 for a quarter plot

Is it worth it?
Financially.......maybe not
On the whole............definately

[harry]

Its not the cost that counts its the pleasure of growing and eating your own produce. I took a plot on 12 months ago for my forthcoming retirement ( only 12 more weeks )

[JayG]

Even allowing for the fact that no gardening equipment lasts forever I genuinely believe that averaged out over the years my modest growing efforts run at a considerable "profit", although as I said earlier in this thread that's not the main reason I grow my own.

Runner beans top my "added value" list; I reckon to get about 50lbs of beans per year which at the average supermarket price of around £1.50 per pound and a growing cost of around £8 (and that includes "depreciation" on my steel Munty frame!) more than pays for all the fertilisers, slug pellets and compost which are the only things I have to buy on a regular basis (I've still got plastic netting I've been using for more than 10 years!)

(Must admit I've not factored my new greenhouse into the equation yet; let's just call that an indulgence!) 

[Aidy]

Its your plot so you grow what you want.
Personaly I grow the staples for the year (excluding carrots) then add a few wierd and wonderfull stuff in there.
I normally have no problem storing spuds until March/ April the following year, this year being the first year due to the early very cold snap and I have lost them but have now new storing procedures.
The main thing is to enjoy what your growing.

[harry]

When I took over my plot the first advice my neighbour gave me was grow what you like to eat