Shall I get an allotment?

Hi
I've always fancied an allotment and I now have the chance to get one. However, I'm generally on holiday for 5 or 6 weeks in June and July and I know this is a busy time when things need watering, harvesting, etc, so I'm having second thoughts about whether it's worth going ahead with it.
The sort of things I'd like to grow would be peas, runner beans, courgettes and strawberries. Any thoughts or advice please?
Thanks!

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner

I would

Get to know the other allotment holders, you'll need things picking off to keep them cropping.

You can use mulch to help keep the soil moist too

 

My advise is dont bother, you need commitment, and if you are away for 5 or 6 weeks mid summer, the best time of the year.
Leave it for that amount of time and the weeds will be 4 ft high, when you come back in a wet year, if it's a dry year, everything will be pretty much dead.
Just my thoughts.

 

You could get someone to share the space with you, give them there own part to do as they please with for free providing they attend to your crop while your away, i know a few older people that do this and have very good friendships.

 

I think Martin's idea is a good one. It might be worth asking the allotment organisers to see if there are people interested in sharing.... I love the idea of an allotment, but the amount of work involved in a "full-sized" one is quite daunting...

An "outside-the-box" idea. Do you have an independent restaurant or corner shop nearby? Maybe they would be willing to water in return for any harvest during that time?

I would be tempted to go along to the allotment at an naturally active time (probably weekend), and chat to some of the allotment holders.... it can't be the first time that such a problem has come up!

 

Thanks for all the replies. Living in a flat, having an allotment has long been on my list of things that I wanted to do when I retired. Now that I am retired, life seems a lot busier than I was expecting and I'm not really sure whether I have the amount of time to commit that something like this needs, even without the long summer break.

Maybe I'll just carry on satisfying my green-fingered urges with my fortnightly volunteer gardening sessions in my local park.

Thanks again!

 

Hi,

Agree with the above, if you cannot find someone to share it with, think you will find a typical plot or even half a plot very hard work.
Also can you get one just like that ? usually hear that folk have to wait years to get one, or if you do get one straight away, its likely totally over grown and will need months of backbreaking work to clear out.

What has been mentioned a lot on the latest tv and radio gardening programs is the upsurge in the use of houseplants and modern terraniums as so many folk are now in properties without a garden.

You do not even have to have lots of sunlight as the led grow lights as so cheap and may plants, like my favourites, moth orchids, don't need direct sunlight.

Perhaps such indoor plants might satisfy your gardening urges....

 

I think it all depends on what you’re hoping on growing if it’s long time crops like some brassicas,potatoes,onions,parsnipset etc then although costly with initial set up you could put weed membrane down to suppress weeds and plant through them and use an irrigation system on a timer and if no water on site a good ibc set up for rain harvesting would be necessary like above although difficult it could be done but like @pete said those weeks are a busy time but it’s also the best time to enjoy an allotment nothing beats making a brew and wondering around eating freshly picked fruit/veg (very few peas make the table lol) have a think and look at you tube google etc good luck

 

Thanks for the advice. I was alerted to the allotments that I'm looking at by a friend. Although local to where I live, they are in a very out of the way location and aren't well-known by many, so the waiting time is quite short.

I already have a collection of houseplants, but as with the allotment, I'm always nervous of what state they'll be in when I return from holiday, so I don't really want to expand my collection.​

 

Hi,

Not sure which way you are thinking, allotment or not ?

Think I would take a trip down there and see what the plots are like both in size and condition and have a chat with the main folk and get the feel of things.

Also find out what the Rules are, some can be very picky about how you look after the plot and in some cases of neglect can ask you to give it up, partic if there is a long waiting list.

You describe yourself as granny, but that can be quiet young these days, so you might be strong and healthy and able to deal with the initial hard work and /or have a good few helpers to get things into shape ?

 

I think I've decided against. It's not the hard work that I'm worried about, it's just that I don't think I'll be able to commit to putting in the hours, especially when they're most needed in the summer.