thinking of an alotment

[gsewell]

new to the forum so hi to everyone firstly...
Does anyone know the going rate of an allotment at present, what do you all pay?
I live in ashington in northumberland and Im guessing prices will depend on your area and council etc.

Finally any tips for setting up would be great.
Gav

[gsewell]

[angle shades]

hello and welcome  :)

i pay £32 for plot and £12 for water, my advise is if you are paying this much a year, (it was a lot less when i started 7 years ago) get a plot near a tap ;D,.The lottie holders around you will give you advise on wether the plot floods in wet weather etc,grow only what you eat (not as stupid as it sounds) and be prepared for lots of hard work,occasional disappointment,but lots of high points,ie first cauli,tom,melon, meal on a plate you have grown yourself and if you like soft fruit grow lots of it ,it saves you a fortune buying fruit in the supermarkets,and you will keep fit (no gym fees ;)) and make lots of friends, good luck/shades x

[katynewbie]

 ;D

Hi gsewell! Don't think, just do it! Rents range from zero to £60/70 depending on facilities etc. There is a thread about this, have a mooch about the site and you will find it.

Tips on starting? Check the "wiki" button at the top of the screen, lots of useful stuff in there. Feel free to ask anything, we don't bite!

[rover75]

Out rage we pay 5.00 a year no water but we have buutts first yr is free and we are talking full size plots  not pocket table cloths

[Gadfium]

Hello, if you have a look at the threads in the 'Sites and Location' section, you'll find more indications on the annual rents/costs.

One of the Ashington Allotment sites can be reached via http://www.wansbeckonline.com/index.cfm?page=directoryresults_more.cfm&commdirecid=28
and they might be able to provide you with specific figures, as well as the availability of plots & their condition...

Initial advice would be to: check out the location, can you put a shed up (if there isn't one already there), is the plot shaded by trees, are there fruit bushes/trees already established, how far is the tap, what's access like for lugging bags of muck/gear/produce about, any history of club root/white rot, is it full of rubbish/broken glass, have couch grass/bindweed/other perennial weeds taken over the plot, will you need to fence the rabbits off...  and then, when you got a plot, don't do too much in one go!

[ugly gourd]

We pay £1.60 a pole that includes water and main roadway mowed but if you want convincing to get an allotment today is the day.
It warm but not to hot
Theres a breeze but not to strong
the grounds damp but not to wet
and I'm hoeing my statice and dahlias with a flock of about 12 painted ladies fluttering around me Ive only come in to ID the butterflies have a drink and get back out there ( sorry but I'm am very very very lucky my house is in the corner of the allotment field!!)

[gsewell]

cheers for your replies they are most appreciated Im just a young-un and respect the advice from you, special reference to gadfium for the link!!!

Gav

[OliveOil]

Pah - we're not all old on here Gav LOL :P

[supersprout]

glad you found us gav, you'll find loads of help and advice here - use the wiki and the search function to get started, loads of good stuff to wade through, any and all questions encouraged here ;)
Welcome aboard

[bennettsleg]

Do get a plot asap to get a headstart on any prep work that needs doing. Before you know it it'll be spring with weeds bouncing around!
Do invest in some good veg gardening books including "The Half Hour Allotment" which has saved my sanity.
Do kjeep logging on here for advice, moral boosting, fun and the knowledge that whatever you're going through, other people have been there/are currently there and that we'll all pull through together.
Do take a plot as close to the water source as possible.
Do ensure that you get a shed asap / there are shared tools available on site / there's parking close by that you don't have to fight over.  This makes getting tools to and from your plot feasible.
Do get down there for half an hour a day. It's amazing how such a small amount of time adds up to a neat, growing plot.

Don't take on a rotavated plot - you don't know what your getting yourself into and the weeds can be terribly downheartening if you let them get the better of you.


It's fantastic: outdoor activity, increadible flavoured crops, good & interesting people. It's a joy.

[gsewell]

Don't take on a rotavated plot

what is a rotavated plot ???

[katynewbie]

Some councils think it helps to get a mechanical rotavator and run it over a new plot for someone to take over. A rotavator turns the soil over and buries annual weeds, it looks like the whole area has been ploughed once its done.

Sounds good!

Problem: Evil nasty weeds have long stringy roots. They get chopped up as the machine runs over the plot. Each tiny bit of root becomes another weed.

Result: Nice looking plot, all brown and crumbly soil suddenly becomes a dense mass of new perrenial weeds overnight!

Some people think it's a good idea, I don't!

Hope I have explained it well enough

;)

[triffid]

Katy, sounds like the perfect explanation to me (*shudder*)

Reminds me of a scary little experiment Alan Titchmarsh did on How to be a Gardener. He chopped up a root (I think it was dandelion) into little bits, then 'sowed' them. Every fragment bigger than a cm turned into a brand new weed  :o ... the gardener's Hydra.

[gsewell]

well really glad you mentioned this....as that was exactly what I was gonna do depending on the state of the patch I got!!!  :o

at least I know not to now cheers

[supersprout]

agree completely - rotavation does more harm than good :(
try mulching with black plastic and/or cardboard - if you get it down now, you'll mostly have til April before you want to peel it back and start cultivating
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,72/topic,22661.0
:D

[Robert_Brenchley]

The only thing that could possibly be said for rotavating a plot with perennial weeds is that by chopping the roots up, it would shorten their life expectancy under black plastic or regular mowing. Anywhere that's not going to be covered or mown, it's a disaster.

[RobinOfTheHood]

The only thing that could possibly be said for rotavating a plot with perennial weeds is that by chopping the roots up, it would shorten their life expectancy under black plastic or regular mowing. Anywhere that's not going to be covered or mown, it's a disaster.

Unless you do it twice monthly for 6 months!!

(We've had this debate before, haven't we?)  ;D

[supersprout]

yes, if you're prepared to rotavate as soon as the weeds appear again, and again, and again ... that does work but I couldn't face it! weedily yours etc :-[ :P ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

No, what I mean is chop them up, then either cover them with black plastic, or put it down to grass. The little bits of root will die quicker than the massive long ones that were there before.