this is all getting quite expensive

[cobnut]

I've just taken on an allotment and I think I had no idea how much this was going to cost.  We've scrounged around for various things and now have a shed (but had to buy new window and bolts).  We've bought plants and a couple of trees.  I've just had to buy some tree protectors as there are rabbits and deer nearby.  I also now need to buy some sort of fencing for the whole plot to keep out the rabbits/deer otherwise it's just not worth trying to grow anything.  I've had to buy some netting to keep of birds.  I'm sure there are other things I'm going to need to buy too.  Arghh! 

Tell me it gets cheaper next year  ;D

[cobnut]

[gp.girl]

Sort of..... :(

[Isleworth]

Yes  :D it gets cheaper as time goes by...

Once you have yourself up and running there will be less need for such outlay.

Only tips I can think of are try and use salvaged items as much as possible i.e wood, slabs etc... Amaizing what you can find in skips, on freecycle or pick up cheaply on places like ebay, freeads and gumtree.

Bark chippings if not available from your local council can be sourced from local landscaping teams normally for free and make great paths. Netting and things like canes can be purchased from £1 shops and stores like wilkinsons.


Just a short list of ways to save money, could go on but hope that helps a little  ;)

[Digeroo]

Just try not to become a seedoholic.

[picman]

Don't shop at nurseries and the like  your paying 100% markup ( if u have one) get your association treasurer to open an account with a local wholesale horticulture supplier, it is the most economical way for the whole site to buy most of your allotment needs. 

[saddad]

Just try not to become a seedoholic.

If that's too late... remember things like Wyevale 50p Sale at the end of the season...  :)

[1066]

For fencing ideas I'd definitely go skip surfing, lots of wood gets dumped in them, and I'm sure over time you could collect enough for your needs. Do you have any willow or chestnuts near you that you could use to weave a fence?

[pumkinlover]

Pallets are often left in skips-always be on the look out!

[Deb P]

It doesn't have to be expensive, but you are right to prioritise making your plot as vermin proof as possible, as there is nothing worse than nurturing plants along to have them decimated by badgers or somesort overnight.

Also consider using anything abandoned on your plot for another use, I used two sad old leaky flat tyred wheelbarrows as planters for salad and strawberries, old metal buckets for fruit bushes etc. Fruit bushes I bought in poundland, stuck the trimmings in a boarder overwinter, and next year had 8 gooseberry bushes! A packet of seeds is still a small investment for a lot of potential veg compared to bought food, as you don't have to grow them all this year...
.....the seed addiction comes later....... ;D

[Strawberrygirl]

We wasted alot of money last year trying to cultivate a plot of rubble. This year we are starting from scratch again so more cost, but we have learned by our mistakes. Don't spend too much on seeds , just try a few things in the first year, we are going for spuds.  We have also freecycled, pinching stuff from a local skip , it's amazing how much wood is thrown away!  We also had a new window fitted recently so have kept the old unit for a cold frame.  You live and learn and it will get easier as the years pass, well so we are told.  But once you are up and running and have crops growing, it seems is worth it!

[1066]

But once you are up and running and have crops growing, it seems is worth it!

You've hit the nail on the head (so to speak)! I remember the 1st spuds, beans etc and boy was I chuffed - in fact when things work out I still am chuffed to bits  ;D

[grannyjanny]

OH fenced our plot with pallets. All free. The only cost was the stakes we attached the fence to. Seeds, have you looked at premier seeds on ebay, good quality & quantity. Seeds 99p & 59p postage.

[antipodes]

Yes I try not to actually buy anything if i can help it and certainly not at a garden centre! I only go there for spuds and onions!
I get things from skips a lot or on Freecycle, or from friends - keep an eye out for people doing renovations etc.
OK it doesn't look as good, but i don't really care about that. my paths are made of some terracing wood that was going dirt cheap at the building center clear out, and some floor tiles from the same thing! Edging is old roof tiles and some plastic roller blinds that I picked up in a house clearance.
yes there are a few things to be bought in the first year or two but once you are equipped, you're rolling. Look out for tools etc in boot sales too.

For rabbit proofing, I don't know but corrugated roofing seems to be the thing that works. However with metals so expensive that might be hard to find in scrap...

[cobnut]

Thanks  ;D

I've not been buying in the garden centre at all but it's still adding up.  I've posted and trawled freecycle but there's nothing on there.  I hadn't thought about ebay but it tends to be mostly trade sales now doesn't it?  I'll also have a look on gumtree.

I've not seen any skips in the village so can't scrounge from there.  I have, however, sourced some wooden pallets which are £1 each so not free but cheap.

Where are all these places/people like building centres and landscaping teams??  I thought bark chippings were quite expensive.

I'm trying to find some guttering for the shed but nothing yet.  I'll need it pretty soon though to start building up some water in my waterbutt or else I'll have to walk miles with a watering can.

[plainleaf]

i would have worried more about get the plot in shape first before buying a shed.
Get the soil ready to plant, soil amendments, buying tools, buying seeds and plants seem to be of  greater order of important then buying shed.

[elvis2003]

Nah,shed first,where else are you going to make a cuppa and shelter from the rain,not to mention store the tools?

[Vinlander]

Unfortunately you'll never find much for free exactly when you need it - it takes years to build up a good supply of:

iron pipes for poles,
pallets for fencing and compost bins,
planks for raised beds etc.
woodchip for paths whenever it's available free,
old cables for training vines to,
lovely bits of 1mm copper wire for everlasting ties,
buckets and trade paint barrels for plantpots and moving bits & bobs about,
rusty barrows revived by lining with lino,
lino strips for mulching between rows,
old plastic bottles full of water to hold down sheet mulches,
empty plastic bottles cut into sweetcorn cloches,
window glass in everlasting aluminium frames - for coldframes - 10x better than wooden ones.

The list is endless.

Just don't ever use painted timber - it's a nightmare.

Oh and save seed for next year from anything except brassicas - a brassica halfway between kale and cauli, or sprout/calabrese - is pretty useless. It will produce some 'broccoli' in March but isn't worth the space, as your cropped-out sprouts and kale will do that as their swansong anyway...

Obviously you could keep your brassica seed pure but it's a lot of work.

Squash etc. hybridise madly but the crosses have always been useful for me.

Cheers.

[plainleaf]

you bring the tools with back and forth with in car or on bike since.
Since every one know sheds are a attract  vandals.
that why they invented cantens and umbrellas.

[lincsyokel2]

yep, u need to be an expert at improvising to keep it cheap.

Pallets have 1001 uses, find a free source of them

use debris netting, the best cheapest netting you can get £30 for 100 square metres.

Use silage sheeting to smother with.
use wood ash from woodburners to lime with - they'll be gratefukl to get rid of it.

if you know the tricks, theres very little to buy.

[Deb P]

Free pallets can usually be found at woodyards, MDF is delivered on 8'x4' pallets which they were glad to get rid of, which is why my raised beds are that size! They take careful breaking down ( I remember there being a thread on this forum a while ago dedicated to such an art..) and there will be some that just split apart, but they are a good free resource. My compost bins are also made from them and still going strong 4 years later. Thry will not last forever as the wood is only rough sawn stuff, but long enough to be useful.