oh poor djjuk, must be frustrating. (Im now also rather scared about my future plans to have a veg plot in my garden). Is there not something djjjuk could grow that would cope without a midweek visit? Eg gooseberries, rubbarb, blackberries. then befriend a fellow allotmenteer with lots more time and the wish for more space, and offer him/her part of your plot in return for midweek help.
I lived in a flat before I moved into this house, and having had gardens previously I missed being able to potter around outside without purpose. You can do that in your garden, less so in a public space
So I put myself down for an allotment ( without really having the faintest idea about what work/time would be needed) but moved again before one became available. I thought it would be nice to mix with real gardeners as well and learn some stuff.
If £ wasn't an issue I'd be tempted by the 3 for £15 beds- that's if it was a nice place to work in the city centre... and the place was secure so the plants wouldn't get trashed...
Vic
I'll just add, the value of the produce wouldn't equate to the cost of the beds- but I think I would choose that option for the fun.
" Is there not something djjjuk could grow that would cope without a midweek visit? Eg gooseberries, rubbarb, blackberries. then befriend a fellow allotmenteer with lots more time and the wish for more space, and offer him/her part of your plot in return for midweek help."
What a good idea. You could then have a 'pick your own and swop' going with fellow allotmenteers!
Are there any houses nearby with decent sized gardens that some people might be finding a struggle to maintain?
What about an ad in a shop window offering to mow someone's lawn, cut their hedge, weed etc on a regular basis in exchange for being allowed to grow veggies in their garden and share the produce?
You could then tailor the growing space to your available time.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It could work if you choose carefully what you want to plant (as mentioned) and consider using an irrigation system, if it's possible to set-up on an allotment. We have one and it's marvellous. Needs tweaking and checking occasionally but it works - keep a barrel topped up with water and ideally some extra nutrients and that will at least cover some watering aspects. Laying some kind of plastic sheeting down (or similar) will prevent weeds, again saving you time/jobs. I would have thought some fruit would be good to grow on a less-managed allotment. In the meantime, while a little pricey, the raised beds sound like an interesting compromise. If you can make them fairly productive they would be worth the money and three would be a good space to produce all the basic veg you want for a salad and some. I know nothing about growing fruit but I can't imagine it would be a good space for that, however the allotment definitely would: people behind me have a whole allotment of fruit trees, brambles and [mostly edible] flowers; always looks happy.
This is the thing. yes the raised beds aren't cheap but money isn't everything. there are good benefits to be had, such as social interaction with other people, which is good for me at this moment in time having recently split from a long term girlfriend and starting from scratch in many ways. the spaces would be more manageable for me and its pretty close to where ill be living.
im still unsure about it but its definitely a possibility ..
i should also add. the flat does have a balcony - although sadly this only gets sun til around 11am, so id be limited with what i could grow on there but at least i should be able to see some green from the living room assuming i choose the correct plants for shady balconies!
It's surprising what you can grow with just morning sun as well. My first 'garden' was a concrete north east facing courtyard with high walls so I hung containers of bedding on the wall that got the diagonal of morning sun and it seemed like a major victory when a bee came to visit The flowers were just petunia, lobelia and pansy so the bee didn't stay long, but I felt like I'd brightened it up and made the best of it.
If you're not committed into a contract with the beds (I don't know how these things work) it's got to be worth a try.
Posts
Djjjuk, what a dilemma, you sound as if you would really miss not being able to grow things of some sort. Good advice from everyone.
Can't add any more other than think a
compromise to share an allotment, as suggested, sharing the workload and the produce.
I read somewhere [and know by experiance] that allotments need a heck of a lot of water, with about 90% of it being perspiration.
oh poor djjuk, must be frustrating. (Im now also rather scared about my future plans to have a veg plot in my garden). Is there not something djjjuk could grow that would cope without a midweek visit? Eg gooseberries, rubbarb, blackberries. then befriend a fellow allotmenteer with lots more time and the wish for more space, and offer him/her part of your plot in return for midweek help.
Hi Djjjuk,
I lived in a flat before I moved into this house, and having had gardens previously I missed being able to potter around outside without purpose. You can do that in your garden, less so in a public space
So I put myself down for an allotment ( without really having the faintest idea about what work/time would be needed) but moved again before one became available. I thought it would be nice to mix with real gardeners as well and learn some stuff.
If £ wasn't an issue I'd be tempted by the 3 for £15 beds- that's if it was a nice place to work in the city centre... and the place was secure so the plants wouldn't get trashed...
Vic
I'll just add, the value of the produce wouldn't equate to the cost of the beds- but I think I would choose that option for the fun.
Are there any houses nearby with decent sized gardens that some people might be finding a struggle to maintain?
What about an ad in a shop window offering to mow someone's lawn, cut their hedge, weed etc on a regular basis in exchange for being allowed to grow veggies in their garden and share the produce?
You could then tailor the growing space to your available time.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It could work if you choose carefully what you want to plant (as mentioned) and consider using an irrigation system, if it's possible to set-up on an allotment. We have one and it's marvellous. Needs tweaking and checking occasionally but it works - keep a barrel topped up with water and ideally some extra nutrients and that will at least cover some watering aspects. Laying some kind of plastic sheeting down (or similar) will prevent weeds, again saving you time/jobs. I would have thought some fruit would be good to grow on a less-managed allotment. In the meantime, while a little pricey, the raised beds sound like an interesting compromise. If you can make them fairly productive they would be worth the money and three would be a good space to produce all the basic veg you want for a salad and some. I know nothing about growing fruit but I can't imagine it would be a good space for that, however the allotment definitely would: people behind me have a whole allotment of fruit trees, brambles and [mostly edible] flowers; always looks happy.
Hi Vic
This is the thing. yes the raised beds aren't cheap but money isn't everything. there are good benefits to be had, such as social interaction with other people, which is good for me at this moment in time having recently split from a long term girlfriend and starting from scratch in many ways. the spaces would be more manageable for me and its pretty close to where ill be living.
im still unsure about it but its definitely a possibility ..
i should also add. the flat does have a balcony - although sadly this only gets sun til around 11am, so id be limited with what i could grow on there but at least i should be able to see some green from the living room assuming i choose the correct plants for shady balconies!
It's surprising what you can grow with just morning sun as well. My first 'garden' was a concrete north east facing courtyard with high walls so I hung containers of bedding on the wall that got the diagonal of morning sun and it seemed like a major victory when a bee came to visit
The flowers were just petunia, lobelia and pansy so the bee didn't stay long, but I felt like I'd brightened it up and made the best of it.
If you're not committed into a contract with the beds (I don't know how these things work) it's got to be worth a try.
Vic