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Something completely different-allotments,what to grow,how much are they?


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On 21/09/2021 at 00:02, Robthegasman said:

I have never been green fingered but I am thinking now it could be time to get an allotment.

Now what can I grow on one?Are they expensive to rent and are they hard work to maintain?

Get some spuds and onions in for a start. Good support for other ingredients in most recipes. Also, set a patch aside for the hardier herbs, like thyme, rosemary, sage etc. All pretty low-maintenance and useful.

But the final choice does depend on soil and prevailing local weather conditions.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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11 minutes ago, bobbruce said:

We got one earlier this year after spending nearly 4 years on a waiting list

This bit seems to recur pretty much everywhere.

For example, just checked: in Hastings there were 6 plots across the town available in May, but there were around 600 people on the waiting list.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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On 21/09/2021 at 00:02, Robthegasman said:

I have never been green fingered but I am thinking now it could be time to get an allotment.

Now what can I grow on one?Are they expensive to rent and are they hard work to maintain?

Afaik, you can grow whatever you want, providing it's legal. So, you can't turn it into a cannabis farm. The most sensible advice I've heard is to ask the other users around your plot what crops do well there. They'll know about stuff like soil type, pH, drainage and pests.

I've only once tried any moderately extensive gardening and I loved the produce - tomatoes, potatoes, beans and other stuff I can't remember - but "hard work" doesn't do it justice and it does require a commitment in terms of time. I now get my produce from the shops and spend the time I save on here.

Maybe I should get an allotment?😁

 

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Not an allotment, but I have about a third of an acre and grow quite a lot of fruit and veg. I wouldn't say hard work, but you definitely need to put in some hours every week in spring and summer, not so much in winter.

Don't even think about it being a money saving thing. Economically it would make more sense to work on the checkout and buy the veg with the wages. Do it because you enjoy it, or you think the produce will be better in some way, or to grow things you can't get in the shops, or to reduce food miles or whatever.

Looking at seed catalogues online will give you a good idea for what grows here.

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We have a veg patch of around 10sq metres, this year we grew Courgettes, (a) Pumpkin, Sweetcorn, Carrots, Beetroot, Shallotts, Artichokes, Beans and Potatoes. We also have a green house where we grew Tomatoes, Chillis and peppers.

The problem we find with growing our own veg is that you get gluts of crops as they all get planted together and all ripen together so we have a freezer filled with beans and tomatoes and pickled courgettes stashed in cupboards.

If I wanted to be self sufficient in anything I'd probably grow just beans and potatoes, but it's in no way a money saving plan, unless you disregard the time cost involved in the process. With the amount of maintenance needed, as @JonM said, it makes more sense economically to buy your veg and put the saved time to something more productive.

I would add that it took a couple of years effort to get the veg garden to a level where we could get reliable crops from it, some was our learning curve some was improving the plot, either way you aren't going to get an allotment and turn into Tom and Barbara Good overnight. That's a reference for anyone over the age of forty. 

 

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2 hours ago, tonyXIII said:

Afaik, you can grow whatever you want, providing it's legal. So, you can't turn it into a cannabis farm.

A good friend of mine grew cannabis in the middle of his allotment in Saffron Walden for about 20 years, among all the vegetables. He reckoned that as a respectable looking man in his seventies, he could just deny knowing what it was if anybody were to ever complain about it. 

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1 hour ago, JonM said:

A good friend of mine grew cannabis in the middle of his allotment in Saffron Walden for about 20 years, among all the vegetables. He reckoned that as a respectable looking man in his seventies, he could just deny knowing what it was if anybody were to ever complain about it. 

Great defense..... I thought it was marjoram sir🤣🤣🤣

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Reminds me of another friend, though. He is a chilli fiend, and starts his seedlings off indoors under grow lights in January to maximise the growing season before they go into his polytunnel in May. Someone saw the seedlings under the lights, called the police and a very apologetic police officer came round to his house having seen through the house window that everything was above board.

I've just picked some figs from the garden for lunch. I like to grow a few things that aren't so common - this year I've had Jostaberries (a blackcurrant/gooseberry cross), oca (bit like a yam, from New Zealand) and tomatillos for Mexican recipes.

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On 21/09/2021 at 00:02, Robthegasman said:

I have never been green fingered but I am thinking now it could be time to get an allotment.

Now what can I grow on one?Are they expensive to rent and are they hard work to maintain?

Yes, get yourself an allotment. You'll find its theraputic but you'll not be able to grow bananas, oramges, avocados, though hops might do oK.

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23 hours ago, JohnM said:

But yes, get yourself an allotment. You'll find its theraputic but you'll not be able to grow bananas, oramges, avocados, though hops might do oK.

I have bananas, orange and avocado plants growing (admittedly not going to get any fruit from them, and they all have to come inside round about now). Hops is a weed that I pull up... 🙂

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