[Dopey113]

No water, no veg.... been talking to some of the guys on my lotty and some are of the opinion that its just not worth growing anything this year, now if you didn't grow anything and had to shop for your veg, how much ££ are you losing out on, and dont forget, your paying a years rent to grow nothing, so you lose that already, i dont know myself, because this would have been my first year, but it makes you think dont it... the price of veg now, people are even stealing it from allotments

[Mrs Bee]

Perhaps we should tally up and make an estimate and see if we can claim it back from our water companies

They could pay us from their bonuses and profits

[Bodmass]

Are you saying you have no water supply?  That's a bitch!

I'm in my first year too & I was told this was a money saving hobby.  I've spent more enriching my soil this winter than I did on Veg in the last two years!  (no stock of manure/compost so bought loads of B&Q 'Farmyard Manure' bags)


Mind you, this may be due to the fact that I haven't enjoyed veg (other than salads) in the past. 

This stuff better grow & be like nectar from the gods   

[azubah]

Allotments do cost money and it is a disappointment if you don't get good returns in crops, but how much would you spend elsewhere if you were not at the allotment?
This year may be bad for some due to the weather, but next may be really good. I have never yet had a year when I have failed with everything, though something fails every year.

[DD.]

No water does not mean no veg, so don't write off your entire crop.

The quantity of harvest may be down, but counterbalance this with the fact that the suppliers will be suffering from the same shortages, (if it happens) and their prices will rocket.

If we do get a drought, don't compare the value of what produce you do get to what we're currently paying.

[New shoot]

I'd agree with that.  If you have enriched your soil that will help a lot with water retention and most crops need a lot less watering than people seem to think they do.  

We never have been allowed hosepipes at my site, but we do have water for handwatering.  I get by and if it goes really dry, I pick and choose what I plant to minimise the watering burden.  I'm already planning to plant through weed control fabric for some crops this year to help with this.

I have a lot of soft fruit on my plot and that pays the rental several times over if you conpare to supermarket prices.  I'd hate to think how much money it would be for all the veg as well  

[DD.]

I'm just off for rhubarb.

60 sticks so far. Trashco are selling them "half price" - you get 3 sticks for £1.99, so work that out!

[plum crumble]

my soft fruit and rhubarb alone would pay nearly a decade of rent. I am already giving rhubarb away, as I have so much. It will be a very difficult year for watering, absolutely, so I am trying to counter that as best as possible.

[New shoot]

We are rhubarb millionaires    I have a list of eager people at work who were dropping less than subtle hints yesterday about whether I would going to the plot this weekend and whether rhubarb picking was on the agenda    

Has the mystery turbo rhubarb I gave you lived up to my rave reviews then Plum    Mine is about 1m across now (3 clumps  ) and been picking for a few weeks now  

[DD.]

Just been for mine - now up to 96 sticks.

[azubah]

I'm just off for rhubarb.

60 sticks so far. Trashco are selling them "half price" - you get 3 sticks for £1.99, so work that out!

£1.33 per stick normal price...!!!

I must rush up to my plot now..it must be worth millions.

And the runners in the supermarkets are so expensive, especially considering they are stringy and I would throw them on the compost heap if I had left them that long.

[goodtogrow]

Agree with those who say we can still have veg even if we don't water at all.

For me, keeping the soil enriched and spacing wider than it says on the seed packets, as well as keeping weeds away, means that I never water anyway. 

[Nikkithefoot]

We are no in an area that has issued or will be issuing a hosepipe ban in the immediate future. However, I agree with most about enriching the soil. I have a minimum water policy in any case. Only seed drills and newly plants plants get watered and then only for up to a week.

My plot neighbours either side on the other hand use artificial fertilisers spreading them liberally around. The quality of my soil looks so much better than theirs. For the first couple of years I had my plot they were definitely getting better crops than me. But they were spending inordinate amounts of time watering every day.

Now things are evening up, I have less weeds, and my crops are now equalling theirs. I consider I have minimal input into my plot for fantastic return.

[mattwragg94]

£1.33 per stick normal price...!!!

not where i go i get it for 40p per lb and its been like that for years - and you pick your own - but obviously not from a shop - its from the local horticultural society!

[sunshineband]

No sites round here are allowed to use hosepipes even when water is plentiful. We have our own bore hole water on our plot, and that applies to us as well.

Hand watering has been fine so far, and will continue to be good enough.

One site nearby has no on-site water, and people take it from home in the boots of their cars, in a range of large containers. I do admire their effort