Well I have been an allotment tender for over a year now, indeed my decision was made in part after nosing around this site for some experiances.
The two main drivers at the time were more space and security as the home veg patch was not on land I actually owned, just had a granted right to use it. In review the decision to get the allotment was a very very good one and I have enjoyed it immensely, getting a second plot almost a year to the day I got my first. (You can see that and watch it's development in my blog, link at the bottom of this post).
And now I am very glad I have that second plot as once the harvest is complete this year on the home veg garden I am being forced to give it up. :-(((
Due to various reasons, mainly based around unreasonable people, I have decided to let the home veg garden go, this means it will revert to scrub in a few years. This will reduce the associated agro I hope. (My wife in tears last night was the final straw and made my mind up).
I have started to remove bits and bobs of equipment but the greenhouses will have to stay until the autumn as will one of the large pallet compost bins as it has a couple of pumpkins growing in it. I will start bagging up the compost through the summer for use next year. I will also dismantle the two new raised beds I install this spring and move to the allotments along with my large home made cold frame.
The final complication is the hens, we cannot keep them at the allotment so I will be moving our 3 back into our garden in some sort of ark. Not decided upon which type as yet, more research needed. There is no way I can sell them as the kids will be devastated and to be frank I would miss them too.
All in all it is a bit sad and a definite end to an era. I have gardened that very patch for close to 7 years and when I started it was rough grass. At first the work was shared but for the last 4 years I have done 90% of the work but shared 50% of the output. This has not bothered me in the slightest as I simply loved the work and the produce. The soil is now in wonderful condition, years of manure have turned heavy claggy clay into something I can dig anytime of the year unless there has been a prolonged wet period in the winter. My beans, spuds and brassicas this year look the best I have ever grown. I cannot see the area being maintained in the future.
But looking forward as all good gardeners do, I am extremely positive about my allotments. I can move a greenhouse there and I am thinking about a poly tunnel. If the half plot adjacent to my first plot come free in the next year or so I have first dibs. The area at present means we are nearly self sufficient in veg. I can pick something most days of the year or dip into the freezer for stuff not available in winter. I honestly cant remember using the greengrocer for anything recently other than cucumber, toms and broccoli, all of which I now have just about ready at the plot ot in the home greehouse.
The kids will miss the space at the home veg garden, the whole area was a couple of acres and they loved running around and climbing the trees but they both have a section of the second allotment to call their own and to decide what to grow.
Debbie is also able to pick bunches of flowers on an almost daily basis at the moment, this started with tulips in the spring and she is now very happy with a selection of sweetpeas, pinks, sweet Williams, statice. This will soon be complimented by dahlias, sunflowers, cornflowers, chrysanthemums, poppies later in the year.
So, time to move on.
Jerry
