Topic: THE HALF HOUR ALLOTMENT

[tartonterro]

has anyone read this book and tried to run their allotment on a half hours work a day?
would love to hear about any successes or failures, work out of town and by the time i get home from work ive only got about an hour to work on the plot before i have to get things sorted out at home.

[Deb P]

I've read it, and it had got some interesting ideas, but I would not be able to run my plot like that as I cannot get to it every day. I think the biggest impact it suggests is in the selection of crops, some like maincrop potatoes it tells you are not worth growing from a use of time vs. potential crop/ money saved perpective. Bob Flowerdew takes a similar line in his 'No work' and 'Gourmet gardener' books, suggesting to grow crops that  have the most potential in terms of best produce and expense saved vs. input required, growing crops such as asparagus and baby leaf salads.

What the Half hour allotment also mentions is that there is no time for idle chat with other plotholders and sitting around admiring your handiwork, which to me is one of the best bits of each visit and spurs me on to keep going! ;D

[sarah]

i've not read it but think half an hour every day is not realistic for some people (like me) whereas three and a half hours a week is totally realistic.  during the quieter times of year i guess that would be fine but i think during the spring and summer it wouldnt really be enough time unless you had a very well organised and smooth running plot. and who's got one of them? also i think that of any half hour window i would have to spend the first ten minutes wandering around prioretising jobs. in the dry season it can take an hour just to water (but not every day) and harvesting is a job which would eat up your half hour in one go. but again not every day. interesting.

[OllieC]

I've read it - makes a few good points. It's not actually half an hour a day, it's 3.5 hours a week, normally over a couple of visits.

It annoys me that some veggies are considered not worth growing - maincrop spuds, onions etc. as they're cheap to buy in the shops. Most of us aren't gardening to save money so although it's nice to grow things that are expensive, it's odd that they let this cloud everything (what about taste, freshness, different varieties etc?).

Overall, a 30 minute disappointment.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Half an hour a day is OK if you only have a small plot. I'd never keep mine in order on that time, even without the hedges.

[antipodes]

I think it depends on how you want it to look! I spend in general 2 hours per weekend, and often an hour spread across the week in micro-visits to pick or water or do something speedy. I DID spend about 10 hours over a couple of days in May getting it really on the move for summer (waste of time, it all died), but I must make do otherwise. My plot is messy, has no raised beds or borders, just carpet paths for now, weeding is intermittent.
The lady up the path spends time EVERY day in her plot. It has neat rows, not a weed and as soon as something looks like it has finished producing, whomp up it comes and is on the compost heap. But did she really get more veg than anyone else??? who knows.
Half an hour a day seems possible but there are some jobs that take longer than that!!! so how do you manage?

[Debenvalley]

I bought this as a complete beginner and it's my least favorite of the 4 books I've brought on the subject. Not one I'd recommend.

The half an hour principle just doesn't work for me with working all week. I tend to spend a morning or afternoon at the weekend plus an evening a week if time/weather allows. So I guess over a week it probably does average 1/2 hour a day...

I've got 'The Allotment Book' by A. M. Clevely and found this a lot more useful starting out. Also the 'Grow Your Own Veg' book to accompany the series I find useful as a quick reference for the various types of veg, planting times, etc and I have been using it a lot recently planning for next year...

[theothermarg]

mmm i spent 3 hours up there yesterday before lifting my spade the first clod of earth broke the handle (hasn,t it dried out fast) so ad another chat about that
then time to go home for lunch after a mornings hard labour. half an hour a day ???
marg

[norfolklass]

by the time I've loaded the car with my tools, driven to the site, unloaded the car, walked to my plot, had a wander round to check how everything's doing and caught up with at least three people, there's not much left of half an hour! and everything always takes at least three times as long as you think it will:

I'll just do some weeding so I'll need my weed collecting bucket from the shed... ooh look at that juicy raspberry, I'd better pick it before the birds/mice get it... perhaps I'll give the canes a quick drink while I'm here, better grab the watering can... ooh look at all those runner beans, I'll need a carrier bag to carry those home, now where did I put my secateurs... ooh I'd better rip out that bindweed before it takes over... that reminds me, I must finish weeding the patch by the gate... hmm, if I hung the gate the other way round I'd be able to close it without that great big gap, but then I'll need another post to put the latch on... where did I leave that fence post I found the other day... I wonder what else has been dumped, I'll just go and have a quick rootle and see what I can recycle...

round and round and round ::)

[Carls3168]

Ha ha norfolklass, reading your post made me chuckle... Im' glad Im not the only one like that!

On a serious note though I think I DO have a low maintinance allotment, although it is dependant on the season, weather, homelife etc as to how much time I spend at my plot!

On average though I'd say about 3 hours a week (mainly on a Sunday morning) plus popping in once or twice a week to check everything is ok. And my plot is not a weed infested mess - I won 3rd prize in the allotment compertition this summer.  ;D

[northener]

Thats funny and so true norfolklass

[cornykev]

Spot on Norfolklass, you sound like your following me round my plot doing a running commentary. ;D ;D ;D

[SnooziSuzi]

some of the old guys at my site would disagree with being able to garden for half an hour a day.  I've been on the receiving end of "you shouldn't take on an allotment if you haven't got the time to spend on it"  "You need to be here for at least an hour a day to make it worthwhile" etc etc.

My philosophy on this is that as long as you get something done and aren't only cultivating new weeds and you enjoy being there then it's time well spent.

I like nothing more than simply going to my site.  Just being there makes me feel more relaxed and at peace with the world so that's got to be worth any end of grumbling from the retired busy bodies that I garden next to!

[Rose.mary]

It takes me half an hour to get rid of the weeds that the people who only spend half an hour leave to go to seed. ::)

Rosemary

[carrot-cruncher]

I bought this book 'cos it sounded like a great way of keeping my plot in order around my shifts.   As far as I can tell, the 1/2 hour it suggests is actual working time but by the time I've load my car, travelled to the plot & unloaded I'm looking at approx hour to hour & half time.

What I tend to do know is a list of things I want to get done whilst up @ the plot, even if it's just digging.   As I'm not very fit at the moment I've restricted myself to digging no more than a four foot square or one hour (whichever comes first.

I've found the book has some good ideas/suggestions but find it easier to use the book as more of a guide than an actual "bible"

CC

[BAK]

I have not read the book but presumably it depends on the size of plot?

My very very rough rule of thumb is to allow 1 hour per week per pole to keep a plot in reasonable nick and weed-free. This is an average over the main growing season (Mar-Sep) but obviously there are peaks and troughs.

[tin can]

Since we made raised beds the time we need to spend on the lottie has vastly reduced- do they mention that in the book??

[antipodes]

mmmm

It takes me half an hour to get rid of the weeds that the people who only spend half an hour leave to go to seed. ::)

Rosemary

This quote annoyed me a little, because I feel that if you are on an allotment you have to take the bad with the good. Not everyone will be able to spend hours to have a perfectly clear plot but that doesn't mean that they should be banished from the sites. Perhaps, like me, they did not realize how easily weeds go to seed, which happens in the blink of an eye sometimes. Yes I have let some weeds go seedy but mostly because I didn't know how quickly they spread.
Also some people on my plot leave weeds although they spend a lot of time there, mostly socializing. I am not there often but when I am, I just work on my plot then go home. I think it is a little unfair to assume that time = quality because it is not always the case.
Part of the challenge of being on an allotment is to deal with other people. My allotment neighbours grumbled that I wasn't "gardening properly" but none of them have ever lifted a finger to help me with anything...

[tartonterro]

Since we made raised beds the time we need to spend on the lottie has vastly reduced- do they mention that in the book??

yea they do, saying also that it helps the soil heat up quicker and get ready for producing quicker

[Si D]

Being a newbie, I've only worked half my plot this year: 7 beds in a 10x9m area.  I find with this size I can spend about 45mins every other day and keep things running smoothly.  I just turn up (5min walk from home and tool bag stays ready packed next to door), weed a couple of beds, water what needs watering, pick something for dinner, and off home. 

On the other plots on the site there do seem to be a lot of people spending quite some time digging, building and doing various other stuff.  This makes me worry that I'm doing something wrong as my humble plot seems to occupy very little time.  Indeed, turned up the other day (had beent he day before), looked at it, couldn't see any weeds and everything was in order - so had to turn round and go home!

I guess all that will change when I start digging the other half in a month or two, ready for next year's spuds..