Not sure

[leigh]

Hi all,

I'm feeling rather young to be thinking of taking on an allotment (24) but I enjoy growing my own vegetables due to the absolutely appalling quality in supermarkets today and want to be able to grow more. Need some moral support really to know I am doing the right thing.

Leigh

[leigh]

[BAGGY]

Do it.  There, all the encouragement you need.  When you taste your own veggies you will know it has been worth the battles with the greenfly etc.

[daveandtara]

Do it.
i'm 36 and feel like a bit of an oldie on here!
if you take a plot and can't manage it you can give it up. if you don't get one you'll never know!
think how smug you can be when petrol strikes mean the supermarket shelves are empty.
think how healthy and sunkissed you'll be next summer.
think how good really fresh veg tastes.
most of all, think how much fun you'll have planning what to grow with us lot over the winter  ;D

[redimp]

Go for it - cannot see anything wrong with more young women up the lottie  ;)

[wardy]

My niece is 24 and she wants her own veg plot, next to mine she says  :)  She's a teacher, well off, loves mod clothes, going out but still loves to be on the plot and has helped us to clear ours when we first got it.  She was very enthusiastic as is my other niece who is 10  :)  There are two professional young women on the plot next door but one to mine and they are so taken with it that they taken on another one to the other side of them.  I have grown sweetcorn for the first time in my life and I just could not believe that anything could taste quite so delicious.  My husband agreed  :)  The seeds were cheapos from Wilko  ;D  Never eaten bulb fennel or celeriac in my life and now I am a convert and eat them all the time as they're so fantastic.  I had the best sun tan this year than I've had in my life and folks kept asking me where I'd been on my hols  :)  Mine is not a serious lotty - it's just fun and a place to unwind and chill.  I love it  ;D
The fabulous vegetables that I've managed to grow in my first year are a bonus of course  :)   Go for it - you won't regret it

[Mubgrub]

I got my allotment for my 22nd birthday pressie so you're not too young at all! ;D Go for it!

[wardy]

Mubgrub   My birthday next month and I was making a mental list of things I want.  Everything thing on that list is for the lotty  ;D   New watering can as mine has a hole in it.   A new link a bord raised bed.  Some Enviromesh would be good too  :)

[Derekthefox]

I agree with Wardy but not so eloquently ! ! ! There are so many upsides that it is almost impossible to list them all. It just requires the correct attitude of mind, after that it is all downhill, and you will become the envy of all your friends, when they taste the quality of your produce . . .

Derekthefox :D

[the_snail]

I have been on my plot now since I was 17. It was under my farthers name then when I was 18 it was under my name. I have been on my plot now for about 11 years. And would not give it up for all the tea in china. Although I have had a really crap year nothing grew other than caugettes and weeds. Still next year it will be a bumper harvest.

The_Snail

[spacehopper]

Do it.  You won't regret it. :)

[Hot_Potato]

Well I'm 41 years older than you, female and just about 5ft. tall, on my own so get no help and seem to have a permanent low back problem which sometimes makes digging and bending very difficult....I also have a muscle disorder which gives me exceptionally painful muscle spasm, which sometimes takes days to settle down...I've had the lottie just 2 years - not yet managed to clear it all but absolutely love it and don't ever want to give it up!!

Go for it!

[Vez1]

I took on my plot earlier this year when I was 28, now 29. I did it for a mixture of reasons, firstly to get me out as I suffer with agoraphobia nad secondly I have always wanted to grow my own veg. It has been worth all the hard work, it has helped me progress in getting out and i have a wonderful crop of veg this year. also had fruit as i inherited a grapevine and a strawberry patch.
So enjoy it and you will taste a difference in your veg, you'll also notice it does not keep as well as the supermarket stuff,  makes me wonder what they do to it.
Everyone on here is a great help and have learned a lot.

[EmmaLou]

Hi Leigh!

Welcome to the world of allotments! You will notice we are a real mixed bunch. Different ages and different lifestyles. Its amazing how an allotment can bring us together. We all have different ideas of what to do, but the main thing is we are all supporting each other (and having fun ;D). Just go for it!

I am 29 and decided I wanted my child to be bought up knowing where veg came from and tasting it fresh as I did when I was a kid (granddad had a fantastic vegetable plot that I would sneak into and pinch what I could!). Oh and lots of other reasons besides! Only wish I got my allotment years ago!

Go for it and good luck

[karrot]

hi, u must go for it.
I got my plot because my children are poor eaters (i dont see why, my husband and i eat for britian) i love the fact they grow their own, pick their own, and hopefully eat their own.
Also we are not all sat in front of the tweenies all day
Hubby says: It keeps her out of the shops, gives her a work out and keeps her fit and slim, all while i'm out at work.  Highly recommend them.

[robkb]

Mubgrub   My birthday next month and I was making a mental list of things I want.  Everything thing on that list is for the lotty  ;D   New watering can as mine has a hole in it.   A new link a bord raised bed.  Some Enviromesh would be good too  :)

My Xmas list is like that! ;D ;D

Leigh, go for it! I got mine a few weeks ago and already I can't believe how much fun it is. I love going there for a few hours and  chilling out (with a big spade!), my kids love it, even my wife - who was initially sceptical - has come round and is now as enthusiastic as me!

Cheers,
Rob ;)

[leigh]

Thanks all. Just a note to those that thought otherwise : I am a male! Yes, I know I have a girl's spelling of Lee - wasn't my choice but am stuck with it. Spoke to my wife at length about it last night and she is all for it especially as we have a young daughter who loves being outside and getting her hands dirty - It will be an excellent way to educate her about fresh veg.

Got on to the council this morning and waiting for the allotment liaison officer to call me back. Fingers crossed!

Leigh :)

[hawhaw]

We've just taken on our first lottie and I realised how much I was enjoying it yesterday. I woke up to pouring rain and the first thing to pop into my head was -oh no! I can't got to the lottie today.

[wardy]

Rob   Glad to hear your wife is now enthusiastic..  That's good as she won't resent the time you spend on it if she's there too  :)

I went to my plot yesterday to get an onion for tea and came back with a lovely courgette too.  Made spag bol with my own onions, garlic from our communal lotty, thyme which I've grown and topped off with basil which I also grew myself.  Smug or what  ;D

[Mubgrub]

Mubgrub   My birthday next month and I was making a mental list of things I want.  Everything thing on that list is for the lotty 

Don't forget christmas! ;D ;D I'm getting a pond liner! ;D

[wardy]

Mubgrub   It's supposed to be a surprise  ;D       I got meself a pond liner off cut from Allplaz for £4 and can't wait to get it sorted.  Noticed from watching the Big Dig that a guy on there dug a lotty pond but he said the frogs and toads ate other things and didn't help him at all with the slug population.  Which is what I wanted a lotty pond for.  Oh well it'll be a bird bath instead