Topic: How Much Effort Does it Require to Work an Allotment?

[gardening-gal]

Its funny you say the Oh my god reaction. My first reaction when I saw my plot was wow, this is mine. My first day digging I was thinking Oh my god we are never gonna get this done LOL.
It does depend on the person taking it over whether its just a flash in the pan idea or whether its something they really want to make a go of and put the effort into.  It is a shame if people just wanting the ideal deprive people who really want to give it a go.

Mindbodyandsoil I really don't know why people who put all that effort into clearing a patch don't want to make the most of all the hard work they've put into it, it seems like madness.

 We have had our allotment one week and me and my other half have spent 20 hours down there.  So far we have dug over and removed dock nettle and couch grass from about a third of our plot.
  Maybe site inspections need to be done more regularly, not sure if that a popular option with allotment holders

[Deb P]

Its funny you say the Oh my god reaction. My first reaction when I saw my plot was wow, this is mine. It does depend on the person taking it over whether its just a flash in the pan idea or whether its something they really want to make a go of and put the effort into.  It is a shame if people just wanting the ideal deprive people who really want to give it a go.

I felt the same way. It occurs to me that the time estimates offered are from experienced plotters....novices may take more time simply because they make unwitting errors that need correcting, or fail with something from lack of knowledge and feel disheartened and give up.

There is nothing like being shown how to do something, I was taught by my Nan the propagating queen, and my Grandad down his allotment when I was a kid, my parents did no gardening at all! As nuclear families seemingly die out, I'm guessing an increasing number of people get all of their gardening knowledge from the telly, internet or books...which may lead to the unrealistic expectations as mentioned previously as programmes have moved away from a 'how to' format. This afternoon I popped down my local garden center as I had run out of plant labels...I couldn't help overhearing an assistant helping a young couple who obviously wanted to grow tomatoes from seed, she was showing them seed trays and was talking about sowing, pricking out...they just looked baffled! She obviously twigged this, then suggested they come back and buy some plants later on (hah!), and then moved them towards the book section.....

I know some sites run classes for prospective plot holders, this seems like a really good idea to me...I'm sure it leads to less abandoned plots.

[Columbus]

Hi all,

I spent my first summer on the plot just clearing it. Every day for six weeks,
then weekends through the autumn and winter.

It never occured to me to plant anything until the autumn when fruit bushes
and trees went in. I was lucky enough to be able to harvest blackberries from
both ends of the plot and other allotmenteers were kind with marrows and runner beans.

You can imagine the plot I started with, but now it produces huge amounts of fruit, veg and flowers in return for not too much work. Its now mostly easily managed beds of permanent planting and high value crops that mostly take care of themselves. It has a system of underground hoses for labour free irrigation.

So I got a second plot which was like a huge field of couch grass, again requiring weeks of hard work. But now it digs easily enough and produces long rows of food staples.

How much work? I don`t know because I just do the work I need to or feel like doing. It stays managable, I never dig more than a "yard" strip of this plot in a day because of my old hips. I do some heavy work and some light work depending on how I feel. I learnt to plant with straight rows (not staggered for space) to make hoeing easier.

I have finally got my camping gaz stove in my potting shed and myself and a plot neighbour make coffee a couple of times a day, and I always arrive early and take my breakfast on the plot after a couple of hours work. I leave around mid-afternoon. I am on the plot all weekends and school holidays. I am rarely on the plot in the evenings except in the first hot days of summer to check on seedlings.

I think newbies often don`t realise how much effort it takes to manage a plot year round and don`t realise how quickly it will revert to a weed patch if they don`t keep on top of it. I now make a point of offering help in the early stages, often with a bit of strimming to encourage newbies. Although I have a vested interest in the site being fully worked and not overgrown.

I spend a lot of time not gardening, I spent a day last week building a picket fence from wood offcuts. I spent about five days wheelbarrowing wood chips from a small wood next to our site, I spend several days each year collecting leaves for leaf mould. I have spent lots of time on sheds, fruit cages and greenhouses. Sometimes harvesting crops takes a long time, wether its a bit of everything for the weeks dinners or emptying a fruit bush to make jam.

This will always be a, "How long is a piece of string?" question,

 :)Col

[kt.]

Well I think you are all missing the point of having an allotment. It's not about how much work you have to do or how many hours it will take, it should be a part of your lifestyle, chill out time, enjoyment, exercise etc.

If you see it as work you might as well get a job or some overtime then spend the money.

I do not think anybody is "missing the point" as you say. We were asked a question to which people have answered. Nobody is complaining, just answering the question by saying how committed and dedicated some plot holders are. I do think it is a good idea to inform potential plot holders of what they may be about to take on, to ensure it is what they really want and are capable of doing so.

At the same time, some councils can be quick to issue warning letters to plot holders who are clearing overgrown plots. Maybe it is they who need to know just how long it takes to clear an overgrown plot by hand, so letters are not dished out in haste. Some people work faster than others, some more knowledgeable. Hopefully the majority of new plot holders are making more than a token effort, doing the best they can.

[mrf94]

I  have had my allotment since November ,I dont think ive missed more than four maybe five days of being there working at something, ie The
shed when the right bits of wood were available , building the beds when the wood for that was available , digging the beds, marking out, planting
seeds, planting the beds, etc etc . Ive called it working but it isnt its a pleasure/ hobby , I might spend half an hour to an hour just looking and thinking , What i do now how will it affect things later .
Instead of how long do i spend on my lottment and how hard is it for newbies  should it not be ...If you have to ask  you dont want an allotment?

mrf94

[artichoke]

I have been very slowly digging out beds from a large rough field for nearly two years. I may be slow, but I'm thorough: all the weeds are bagged up to rot down, and the four long thin beds (about 7m x 1m - two more to come) are clean and productive, with weed free paths between them and round the edge. I can't say how long I spend there, but I've travelled a great deal over the last 12 months and have had to neglect it for weeks and months at a time. When getting back to it, my first priority has always been the weeding, so that the beds stay clean. I strim the remaining area, and cover it with cardboard and planks of wood. When I've done it all, I'll start to extend downhill.

During that time I have watched people arriving at the field to stake out their own plots, chatted to them, and watched them do the most backbreaking hours of digging - yet because they are not thorough, the weeds have returned, and the people have vanished. Five plots have returned to rough field recently.

One of the reasons I took on that plot (I have another elsewhere) was to have somewhere where 7 grandsons could run wild, climb trees, and build bonfires and shelters. We have just spent a wonderful few hours doing exactly that; four fires cooking sausages, potatoes, bacon, marshmallows with three boys in charge of their own fires, learning for themselves how to do it. Waste wood from a local factory stays dry in a shelter put up by the 12 yr old recently. The nine year old has his own plot on one of my beds, and his radishes and broad beans are swarming up out of the soil. An 11year old, an occasional visitor, had no idea what to do but quickly caught on.

Further up the hill, two new sets of people were starting their new plots, and I do hope they'll stay.

So that's what my allotmenting is about: freedom, fun, open air cooking, and fresh fruit and veg. It would be interesting or perhaps depressing to count the hours, but I am not organised enough.

[ThomsonAS]

Nice post Artichoke!
Today my 11 yo was helping me - and as a gardening assistant, he's a fine cyclist!
But the idea of extending my next bonfire into a campfire with sausages will go down a treat!

[Tohellwithweeds]

i got my plot last November and it was a jungle as most are and i did get a bit scared about what i had taken on  ::) ::) but i see my lotty as somewhere where i can go and enjoy doing all the digging, planting,chickens,bonfires.i I know that i will make mistakes but it wont be the end of the world if i do and i have never counted how long i spend down there but if i was to listen to my OH it would seem that i live down there and only come home when the food supply runs out or i need a bath but that's me and i went into this knowing it would be hard work and with my eyes wide open i suppose it depends on a persons other commitments as to how much time they spend on there allotment but i do think the sites with classes are good and wish we had one as i would attend as it is easy to be shown then to read out of a book and still get it wrong   
it is annoying to see some plots that aren't being worked and know there is a waiting list it would be good if our council did inspections as I'm sure they would then be able to see whats what and then maybe the list would go down but that is only MY opinion

[Tin Shed]

Re: hours spent 'working' on the allotment - well it depends how long you spend talking to everyone!!!!!!!!

[Eristic]

well it depends how long you spend talking to everyone!!!!!!!!

Yes! That's why I'm not telling how many hours I spend on the plot.

I get far more done in November-December as there are fewer distractions. But 2-3 hours talking to others is a pastime activity much the same as going down the pub. All part of the enjoyment.

[posie]

Never really totalled up how many hours a week I do up there.  Only had it since the summer last year and most of that was spent clearing it.  At that point I would say I was doing about 3 hours a day pretty much 7 days a week.  In the winter, if it's been a nice day then I'll do 3-4 hours.  But there are some weeks when I can't get up there.  Not been up for a week now because of other commitments and the weather.  Hopefully after Easter I'll be able to spend a bit longer up there.  Think it's just a case of pacing yourself, and being realistic about what you can do in the time you have.  I always go up with the sole intention of digging at least 1 bed.  If I can do more, great.  If not, there's always another day.

[Suzanne]

In 2004 I took on a half plot which hadn't had anything done on it in years. It had had subsoil dumped on it to such an extent it was hard clay in places. It took me all summer to clear it and get it into shape so I could grow something worthwhile. In 2006, the time I had to spend on the lottie to keep it running and productive was minimal and not enough to keep me busy - so I took a second full size lottie on in another village in Feb last year. I cleared enough of it (2/3rds) by April to get a good season out of it last year, and will clear the rest this year.

I work full time and now even with two lotties which are a good 6 miles apart I only spend a few hours a week - more in spring but virtually nothing in winter. The small amount of time I do spend there just about keeps me sane and lets me forget about work and the stresses that brings. I get miserable when I can't get out and do a bit of physical work, or sow seeds, or harvest. Everything has its place and time on the plot and nothing seems forced.........apart form the rhubarb that is. LOL  ;D

[hoonteo]

This is an interesting thread! I've just started and while I'm not underestimating the amount of work I just do a little at a time and break it down into manageable chunks. I've just built my first raised bed and I've dug over another two. I work full time, so I go there when I can, which is about twice a week by myself when I can really go for it and spend maybe two or three hours there and once at the weekends with my daughters. I don't think of it as work, it is pleasure, and that helps.

[loopyloulou]

absolutely not a clue as i guess it also depends on the persons fitness??? and whether theyve any "help" ive got 2 kids and yes i do want to show them where they food comes from (saves being asked by my 4yr old whos very keen to learn) but i dont see that as being bad???

already weve cleared the "rows" (weed beds) the previous occupant had dug over and made 2 small beds out of the crouch grass (2 nice brown patches in all the green) im no expert and reading all the books in the world is no substitute for speaking to people on here/down the lottie, the people already working the land where you are already know what does/doesnt grow well surely??? and those growing for years would know what seeds work (eg if super cheap lidles r worth it etc) and so on??

the only advice we had when we were given the keys was to take our time and only do what we thought we could cope with, well so far weve a well manured fruit bed complete with a tayberry bush (£1 shop) and the kids have a bit of brown to dig in and generally stomp about on until we have seedlings big enough to plant and thatll survive the weather!! (seeds on theyre bit maybe when weve got some other bits in, theyre too little to not stomp on teeny weeny green bits, theres the vaguest of hopes they wont kill the baby plants... i can but try..) but the point is the kids love it there, i walk there and back (40+mins) with a double pushchair laden with toools kids snacks drinks... try and get 4+ hrs in before trundling home, and try to go at least once a week, not a lot BUT its what we can manage with the weather, i intend to clear the whole plot and cultivate it over the course of the next few months but we will see where we get to, if i can "dispose" of the kids for a few days over half term ill get lots more done, i hope, im also hoping over the summer again weather (ie not piddling it down 24/7) permitting that well spend moree time down there, it is a safely fenced off area of green where children of similar ages to mine like to play while theyre parents tend the plots and with a bit of luck we may just get something edible off it,

if all else fails weve dug the ground over ready for the next person, aparently our crouch grass field was rotivated the yr b4 last and the chap did nothing with it, which doesnt make much sense, but i guess as he didnt do the "work" he didnt feel any pain when it went to weed, i know if the albeit few parts that ive dug so far got overgrown id be mortified, ive invested time and energy in clearing them!!! please dont criticise people for wanting to show theyre kids where theyre food comes from (were not all wearing rose tinted specs, plates and spoons in hand) or for wanting to get fit, i suffer with depression and get stressed out A LOT and always feel much better coming back off the plot, even my 4yr old says he loves it there, and while theres no waiting list for our lotty even if there was i wouldnt feel that i was taking a yr off the hands of some more worthy person!! so judgemental!!! if were enjoying ourselves and not harming it then why on earth not? am i starving someone??? itll realistically takr months maybe years to get it to a state were pleased with and to that end i guess its trial and error, were going for beds for now as we think thatll be easier for the kids to navigate round the plot inspecting greenery and harvesting if as and when we get there, havent a clue if thats high or low maintainance i guess well find out?? havent felt so unwelcome in ages on here!!!  :o

oh and lol, re original question, how about we agree on : winter/spring = lots, dig dig dig!!! summer/autumn= not as much "work" but youll want to be there more often :D

and no we dont have a big garden, we live in a tiny terrace with a muddy postage stamp overlooked by trees, trees, oh and just for a change trees, with the "garden" next door full of nettles rubbish and ivy thats taking the walls down... we tried to grow lots of different things last yr but the combo of rain + slugs+ lack of light meant only the antirrhinum (snap dragons so far as im concerned) grew and they only flowered in the pots out the front and not in the borders out the back!!! i cant argue with mother nature now can i???
think maybe u need a debates thread on here??

[Vortex]

Apologies if I was mis-understood. I wasn't criticizing the goal only those who approach it with rose coloured glasses.
I think its safe to say that all those who've responded to this thread, especially the new plot holders and the less experienced, have taken on their plots with at least a degree of knowing what they're letting themselves in for, and I think thats the key.
I too have a full time job and a full time hobby that is nothing to do with vegetables or allotments. I put the effort in in the early spring or late autumn, before our season starts so that I can get away with spending a couple of hours once a fortnight in the summer keeping the plot tidy.
I'd love my kids to take a greater interest, but as with all things they're only interested when they can plant something and hate it when I'm forced to drag them along because my wife is doing something else, and if I don't get down the plot then it won't be ready.
I've grown up with gardening, we were always lucky to have a reasonable garden where ever we lived, and I've grown all sorts of stuff as my interest waxed and waned.  Now I grow partly out of necessity and partly because I enjoy it.

[gardening-gal]

My kids were very excited about it when we first went down, the novelty has worn off a bit now. We take lots of snacks now and tell them to bring a book or their gameboy. My DD was reading to me while I was digging the other day it was great.
  My mum has a huge garden and when I was young we got most of our veg from the garden it was great, I think if you grow up with it it makes you more keen, you know what you are getting.  I hope my children will grow up and want to grow their own veg.
 Like has been said before it doesn't matter if there are a few holes in the cabbage or they are all uneven shapes.

[BAK]

thanks to everyone who expressing their views, and particularly to those who provided some hard figures.

[grannyjanny]

This thread has really made me think about an allotment. I have always said I could't do it. I have ME & hibernate when the weather is hot. Perhaps with OHs help  it would be possible to have a half plot.
We are going to have a veg garden this year. Perhaps that will give us an idea of where we want to go. Does anyone know what the waiting lists are like within the  Macclesfield Borough.
Janet.

[bluehousehill]

I have just read the comments on how much time is taken up. I am very lucky, where we live its quite rural and with the houses comes an allotment at the back of our gardens. I think that there is a load of work to do but for me it is a good way to just take my time and get away from the stresses of life.

 I commute into London everyday and have a very stressful job. I have been planning out my allotment on the train for a while now but did not have the time to start with the clear up. I now have time to commit as I am not so busy at work. For me one of the main reasons I am doing this is my step daughter when asked where potatoes come from said the supermarket!

It also gives us very good quality time together. Its our project. I love the physical side of stuff as well. Believe me as a newbie I am prepared to put the work in. I was brought up on an estate in North London and have worked very very hard to get to a place where I can have an allotment.

I was a bit disappointed to read that "these days newbies want everything on a plate... " that seems unfair to me.. Iam sorry to get in the ring here but that did not sit right with me. Also when it was suggested that all we want to do is throw money at it as well. What I have enjoyed is sticking to the idea that I will not buy any wood, no manure, (there is a farmers field behind me), no nails no nothing except seeds and stuff. Ive really enjoyed that, its taken me back to when I was younger and starting out. I love the fact that I cant pass a skip now with out have a poke about.

I am going to continue to ask basic questions because I thought this forum was about that and when I can pass on some help I will be doing that as well. By the way does anyone know anything about sheep manure as there is a pile near my allotment and I read somewhere that it can burn up the soil.

Cheers Dale

[Lauren S]

By the way does anyone know anything about sheep manure as there is a pile near my allotment and I read somewhere that it can burn up the soil.
Cheers Dale

The myriad of benefits for using sheep manure;

Natural slow release fertiliser
Can be used as an organic mulch
Low odour
Easy to handle
Relatively inexpensive
Lower in nitrogen than other manures yet still high in Phosphorous and Potassium - great for plant growth
Depending on the source can be obtained weed free

Lauren