Total novice (not even got a plot yet!)

[MaidstoneMark]

Hi all,

Have just discovered this site - isnt it brilliant!!?

Well, here's my dillema; I live in a flat in Maidstone (Kent) and if I spent as much time on an allotment as I do watching UKTV Gardens and dreaming of the outdoors life then I'd probably keep myself in veg & flowers all year round...  but, seeing as I don't have a garden then an allotment seems the way forward.

But, I don't have a site yet, haven't even contacted the local rep I found on the Maidstone council website and am really scared too... all of the books I've read (had a bit of a splurge in Waterstones) seem to indicate that I should have been digging over the soil and starting compost heaps back in October.

So, is it worth me applying for an allotment now?  Should I expect to wait a long time, and by the time I clear the weed & rat infested site I am liable to inherit, will it be worth the effort?  Or have I left it all too late? (Bearing in mind that most of Maidstone was under a good six inches of snow up until today!)

I'm also a bit aprehensive about starting; Im a 22 yo bloke & a bit worried I may not get to warmest reception from the well-seasoned allotment-goers.....

Any tips gratefully received!!!! (especially from fellow Maidstonians)

Mark

[MaidstoneMark]

[Rose.mary]

Welcome! Gardens are not like Ground Force they are not instant.....
there's always next year to plan for. I would like to bet that all the "old timers" are already planning next years crop.
Rosemary

[Svea]

even if you only cleared a corner of your new plot, there are things to grow/sow out in april, may and june, and beyond for winter vegetables.

so, pick up that phone, get a plot and start :)
it's really very addictive, too!

svea

[wardy]

Oh do it!  It'll keep you off the streets if nowt else  ;D The old boys on the plot generally warm to younger folk on the plot because then they can give you the benefit of their wisdom and if you're lucky (and act kind of helpless) they'll you lots of seedlings and stuff.  You only need a bit of cleared space to get you going.  If you keep the weedy stuff covered over it can't get any worse which gives you some breathing space

I've not done my plot at all but I'm going to grow some pumpkins and squashes up some supports, oh and beans, which then don't take floor space up which would need clearing beforehand.  That's my excuse. 

The idea is to have fun - not kill yourself  ;D

[Plottie]

Hi Mark, welcome and please don't worry about the reception you're going to get from your lottie neighbours.  I have found (and I'm sure I'll be backed up by the zillions who use this site) that allotmenteeers are almost exclusively the friendliest and most helpful people you could hope to meet.
Get yourself along to your local site (Council will provide site secretary's name and contact details). I think you'll find that people are always glad to see new recruits - I certainly received the warmest of welcomes and there's always someone on hand to chat to and offer advice when asked.  Certainly the old timers on my site love to be asked their advice but are never pushy or interfering.
So go for it that's what i say and I'm sure you'll be glad you did
Plottie :)
p.s. this is a good time to be getting a new plot - plenty of time to clear some (or all if you're feeling bold) of your plot in time for spring plantings

[Moggle]

Welcome Mark. Get the plot you know it makes sense  ;D

It might seem a bit overwhelming, but you can always just do a bit at a time.

The best time to dig over probably is in autumn, but that doesn't mean you can't do it now :) You may just find it a little harder to break the clumps of soil down.

I took my allotment on in October last year, and dug half before the middle of January, and I am just starting to dig the rest over now.

There is still plenty of time for it all, and you could even be starting some seedlings inside now, if you have the room in your flat  :)

[ina]

What have you got to lose Mark? You already have the interest, put it into practice.
You will need to put in some time, like twice or three times a week for a couple of hours.

When you clear out a little corner soon, dig it over, rake it and plunk in some beet root and broad beans right away.
Clear out another little corner and a couple of weeks later you can put in some other stuff like lettuce.
Clear out some more and the end of April and beginning of May you can put in loads of things like courgettes and beans.
These are just a few examples, before you know it you'll be an allotmenteer.

The people who posted here before me are right about you not having to worry about the reception you'll get from the well-seasoned gardeners. Just think of how popular you'll be when giving away your surplus veggies which you undoubtedly will have, especially if you can say they were organically grown (any bugs, odd shapes and size etc. will be taken as proof of organic gardening, not as shortcomings hehehe).

Let us know what you have decided and if you managed to get an allotment.
If you do make a start, I fully expect lots of questions from you on this board.

All the best of luck.

[Deleted]

Hi

I've only just got a plot, and have started to clear things. There's lots you can grow throughout the year. I visited the allotment site  i was interested in during February and found a few had been given up during the past year, so were available - this seemed to be a short-cut method to getting a plot. There's 4 of us starting new at the moment on the site. I've got potatos chitting and have been gathering seeds ready for this season.

One thing i've found is there are all ages on the allotments - from students just starting out, to long-ago-retired old hands. Men, women, couples, singles and families.

The other thing i've found is allotment holders all seem to be really friendly and helpful people. Good luck.

[Deleted]

To add to the above:

The plot i took on had been well tended by an old gentleman for many years up until last summer. So although quite weedy and lots of rubbish around, the soil is good, its easy to dig, and I'll be able to plant stuff in the coming weeks. Not all plots taken this time of year are a lost cause.

It may have been better if I had a few months to prepare the soil more, but it certainly isn't a waste of time starting it this year. I've started some seeds indoors, ready to plant out next months or so. Potatoes will be going in first week in April i think. Am planning on courgettes, beans (various) lettuce, potatoes and onions so far this year. Plus radish, celeriac (popping through the soil now!) and tomatoes. And more to come, i'm sure.

[wivvles]

This time last year I was a total novice.  Mrs Wivvles decided that she wanted to take on an allotment, so she did - although it's me that does 90%+ of the work!

I did exactly what ina suggests - cleared a bit, planted something, cleared a bit more, planted something else, and so on.  I had 27 different crops growing last year.  Most of them grew, a couple didn't.  The family ate most of what was grown, some was stored, some was pickled, some was given away.  I found new ways of cooking spinach so that I could feed it to the kids.   I got an idea of what was "easy" to grow and what wasn't, how much I needed to grow, and what the family liked.

I glean information from here and other sites, I ask questions and get (mostly) useful answers, I ask the old boys down the allotment what to do, and have even been known to phone my mother up from the middle of my plot, spade in hand, and ask her for advice on how to do something.  I buy gardening magazines and watch Monty Don.

So now I'm no longer a total novice - just a novice!  I know one end of a potato from the other (usually), I can discuss the pros and cons of raised beds, I am an inveterate skip-dipper and recycler, and I can casually toss out fragments of knowledge to other allotmenteers - and sound as if I know what I'm on about!

Go on - do it - you know it makes sense!

[Gadfium]

Go on!  Have a go!

I was so nervous about the 'getting in contact' business that my friend had to do it for me   :-[ 

Together we are slowly pulling a plot into shape, although it still looks like a bomb's hit it.  Timber, couch grass, undug bits all over.  Looks really unedifying.

The old-hands just wander over and introduce themselves.  There's nothing like being covered in muck to lend ease to a conversation. Ask them for advice, what varieties they grow...  I've been offered the lend of tools, gone home with gifts of freshly pulled sprouts and parsnips, and been told that whenever we're ready we can have chives/mint/rhubarb for the asking.

It's as if the clock has been turned back 30 years. To when people actually talked to each other.

Pick up the phone  :)

[wardy]

Our lotty society blokes are from planet Zog  ;D  Lovely blokes but a tad barmy  ;D ;D    Two lady plot holders got their car stuck on their lotty as it was weighed down with slabs.  The society bloke arrived to survey the scene.  Reassured them he knew a bloke with a tractor and disappeared.  Three hours later, and further in the mire, they realised he wasn't coming back.  When they again saw him they chastised him for saying he was going to fetch the bloke with a tractor and then didn't.  He merely replied "I said I knew a bloke with a tractor"  ;D

[waggi]

Mr Wivvles didnt you realise that its the women that make decisions NOW DIG

Mark im 24 my husband is 26 and we have just got an allotment - the guys on the site think its great to have young people on board, they are a lovelly bunch of old men really

good luck and get going

[Mrs Ava]

So, I am going to stroll in and repeat what everyone has said before me!  ;D  Do it!  You could find you are confronted with a long wait, so you will have plenty of time to plan and get frustrated.  Plus, even if you get a plot in the middle of the summer, there are things you can plant year round so long as you have a clear patch.  As for your lottie neighbours, generally they seem to welcome newbies, especially because some sites are under threat of development if not well used, plus if these 'oldies' have been plotting for yonks on the same site, they are crammed full of knowledge about what grows, what doesn't, what pests and diseases are about, and all the gossip and scandal, which can prove entertaining when you stop for your coffee.  

Keep you off the streets Wardy...what with all of those skips to go scavenging through.  ;D  And I heard Planet Zog is THE place to live if you wanna grow really good sprouts.

Where abouts in Maidstone are you Mark?  My sis lives there, and we did for a while.

[North Country Boy]

Hi mark, i too was daunted about the thought of taking on an allotment. I did a few years of research and tely watching like you and the stigma attached to owning an allotment and what my mates were going to say put me off for a few months but in the end i gave in and thought what the hell. I can honestly say i should have done it years ago. Its addictive. I have just taken on a great plot with not much to do on it except dig in some raised beds which i will be doing this week, then its getting the plants in. Im quite lucky that a mate of mine, who i thought would take the pi$$, is actually going to help me out. Try reading the book 'not on the label' you will have taken on an allotment by the end of the week.

[aquilegia]

Go on, go on, go on. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain - fresh, organic homegrown fruit and veg, loads of exercise and fresh air, the hours of creativity, lots of learning, etc...

I'm feeling rather old now, 29 and still don't have a lottie, just my little garden!

Don't forget - you don't have to just grow veg on an allotment - flowers, wildflower meadows, chickens, bees, etc are all grown/kept on lotties. Or you could just have a lawn to sit back, relax and soak in those sunny rays!

[Mrs Ava]

Old!  29!!  Wait til you are ancient like me at 34, then you can complain about being old young lady!!  :P ;)

[growmore]

Go for it  where else can you get a sun tan  like OMar, A body Like Arny and fresh veg...cheers Jim
P.S, Wardy,I Loves it hahahahhaha Typical tyke that bloke...cheers jim,,,, ;D

[Mrs Ava]

Hope I don't have a body like Arny!  Tan I don't mind.  It is amazing the 'help' you receive come summer when down on the plot working scantly clad.  ;D  Mind you, a lot of that help is verbal whilst watching me do all the work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Deleted]

Will remember that tip Emma. Know what you mean about doing the work: the past few times I've been to my plot, there have been women on the site, but I've only seen one of the men there - too cold for them? (My OH stayed home to put up a light this weekend...)