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After showing a photo of my allotment in my last post, I thought I'd show you a photo of the whole site. Unfortunately, you can't see much of it due to the very high brambles half way down, but you can get an idea of it. There are four allotment sites in our area and the one which my allotment is on is the smallest. There are only six plots which are two thirds of the size of a full plot. The first allotment is to my left as I'm taking the photo. It has a row of raspberry canes on it, but apart from that, there are only potatoes, and sometimes onions, grown on it. My plot is the next one along, then the one after belongs to the chap who lives behind it. He has a large rhubarb patch, which you can see, though I don't think you can really judge the scale from the photo. He didn't grow anything on the plot last year, but he's started clearing it ready for the coming season. The next plot is in a bit of a state, and I've just heard that it's become vacant. I don't envy whoever takes it on as there's some major clearing to be done. There's another plot after that, and then the very last plot is divided in to two halves. As you can see, there's room at the top of the site to bring the car in, which is really handy as we don't leave any tools down there.
Last week, I potted up my onion and shallot sets. They've gone in to modules and they'll stay in the cold greenhouse until they've started shooting, then they can be transferred to the plot. I've started them off like this for the last couple of years. I got a great harvest two years ago, but they were rubbish last year, which I'm putting down to the weather. I've also moved the onions which I've started from seed in to the greenhouse. My peppers have now been potted on and are residing on my son's bedroom windowsill, which is the sunniest in the house. He hates this time of year as he has to share his room with many seedlings. Some more seeds have also been started off, pea - Early Onward, leek - Autumn Giant 2 Argenta and sweet pea - New Horizons Mix. All these are in the greenhouse, so I hope they manage to germinate out there in the cold.
I've started a couple of containers of potatoes off. They're in the greenhouse but wrapped in fleece to give them a bit of added protection. I'm hoping that they manage to get going as it would be lovely to have an early harvest. I always look forward to the first new potatoes of the season, covered in lashings of butter and mint. Yum.
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Jo, how far away from your house is this allotment? I can't imagine what I'd be like if I had to plan every gardening task in advance because it involved a car journey. I like to potter about and do little jobs here and there just for a few minutes, which is easy because my garden is just outside the door. I can even check progress without getting up from mny chair in the Living Room!
ReplyDeleteIt would probably take fifteen to twenty minutes to walk. There's so many advantages to having your veg beds in your garden, but then I wouldn't be able to grow half the amount I do on the allotment.
DeleteGood luck with your very early potatoes. I hope they turn out well!!
ReplyDeleteI love how 'cute' your allotment site is.
There are 3 sites in our town. I am on the middle sized one where there are about 30 plots, the larger one has about 45 and the smallest one has 7 or 8 and looks quite similar to your site.
All the best for the growing season!!
Martin :)
I'm hoping that I haven't jumped the gun with my potatoes, only time will tell. The site is very small, but we like it.
DeleteYou're well ahead of us. Funny how so many plots are under used but then there's supposed to be big waiting lists.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure those potatoes will be fine. They've got more frost protection than ours just resting in seed in the cold greenhouse.
You always catch up though. I think it's really annoying how people take on allotments and don't give them up, even when they're not using them. As you say, there's long waiting lists and someone else could have been using it before it got in such a state and will take a lot of hard work to clear. I'm just hoping that my spuds will get a head start, but I don't know if they will in this cold weather.
DeleteWe have abandoned plots on our site that have been given up but the council don't seem to be in any rush to allocate them even though they tell us there is a waiting list. Six plots seems a nice friendly number maybe less chance of a cliche of grumpies.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, most times that we're there, we're on our own. We rarely see the people on the last plots even if they're there because the brambles between us are so high.
DeleteYou have been busy, and I am most envious! I often wished I had an allotment but I am glad I have only the garden to go to and I can pop out at any given time (If I can find it!) and it is manageable.
ReplyDeleteI think it's six of one and half a dozen of the other. Growing veg in the garden is really handy, but unless you have a big garden, you can't grow the quantities that you can on an allotment.
DeleteWe have some church allotments which are only a field away but fortunately our garden is very long so we grow our fruit and veg at the end of the garden.A plot has become vacant and I did mention it to hubby but it was a very big NO,maybe I am just being greedy
ReplyDeleteIt must be nice to have a big garden so that you can grow plenty of things in it. I wouldn't bother with an allotment if my garden was bigger. I think you've got the best of both worlds, plenty of space and on your doorstep.
DeleteThat's a really small site! Both your post and the comments tell a familiar story regarding the state of some plots.
ReplyDeleteI see that you've been busy. Flighty xx
It's very small, especially compared to the other sites in the area. It doesn't matter the size of the site though, there's always plots which are left to rack and ruin. It's lovely to have some decent weather so that we can get something done, I just wish is would continue for a while longer.
DeleteGood to see your allotment site Jo after all your posts about it. I did not realise that there were so few plots. Is the site far from your home? I am chuckling at the thought of your son sharing his bedroom with the seedlings.
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to show some photos for a while, but forgetting to take any. The site is only five minutes away in the car, I could walk it but I have to take my tools with me and I don't fancy carrying them. My son isn't amused that he has to share his bedroom with seedlings, but what can you do when his windowsill is the sunniest in the house?
DeleteThanks for sharing the pictures of your plot, that is a small site, there is a similar sized area of plots behind my house (not where my plot is). They squeeze small sites in all places in Huddersfield so may be the same policy in Leeds.
ReplyDeleteLike some of the other comments it would be nice to have a big enough garden to grow veg and flowers but like you mine isn't big enough and I really value my allotment. Sometimes I like the fact that its away from my house where I may get distracted with other things, and I can really relax and focus on the plot. Like you say you just have to be organised. The disadvantage is not being able to do frequent slug hunts in the evening like you could in your own garden!!
It would have been very handy for you if you'd managed to get a plot behind your house like the chap on the next plot to me. I think there's advantages and disadvantages to having an allotment over a large garden. I'd probably manage to do more if my veg beds were in my garden.
DeleteIt must be lovely to have a plot and chat to the other gardeners. I imagine a lot of seed and produce sharing goes on to.
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to get things started isn't it. My onions were a total washout last year too, far too much rain. I'm hoping for an early harvest of spuds, there is nothing to beat a hot tater dripping in butter with salt and pepper.....mmmmmmmmm
To be honest, we don't see many other people on the site when we're there, they obviously spend different times on their plots to those we do. I'm really pleased to have the gardening season under way once again.
DeleteWell you are well ahead of me Jo, I really need to get a little more inspired. It doesn't usually take me this long to get focused...maybe it's just with the bad year last year...I really do need to give myself a bit of a kick up the bottom this year!!
ReplyDeleteIt's not like you, you've usually got all your digging done by now and are all ready for the season ahead, putting me to shame. I'm hoping to be a little more organised this year.
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