As I walk through the site to get to my plot, which is tucked away at the back, I got past what I think is one of the best turned out and most professional plots on the site. Its owners are now expanding into the plot next to it and doing a very smart job there too.
I often muse about how my plot might look that good once I've been going for many years, have learnt all the secrets and spent seasons developing my ground....one can but dream.
Yesterday one of the owners of this wonderful plot was there and we started chatting. I asked how long it had taken them to get to the current standard that they have achieved........two months longer than I've had my plot :o :o :o :-\ :'(
I guess that some people are just naturals ::)
Don't get depressed Si, you are doing your lottie your way. Just think, it could be shoulder hi in brambles, couch grass and all kinds of weeds. At least you can see the soil. ;D
Oh dear Si D, don't get depressed! It may be that they've got a lot more time to devote to their lottie than you do - I know the best plots on our site are tended by retired men, whereas four of us share 'my' plot, but we all work full time, hence only get there at weekends.
Plus... it wouldn't be half as interesting if you achieved all your dreams for your plot in one season, now would it??? ;) Keep your chin up :-*
iTS SO EASY TO GET OVERWHELMED BY THE AMOUNT OF WORK ON A LOTTIE. (Also typing is an issue.....caps lock, sorry :-[)
I found if you mark out an area and concentrate on that. You can see the achievment and you break it up into manageable pieces. That gives you incentive to move onto the next bit. You will find yourself smiling a lot as you see the lottie in chunks instead of an unmanageable slab.
It will be lovely ;D
It used to get me down but i just do what i can don't worry anymore.Kitten me and a mate share our plot he does'nt do much on the plot apart from helping out with the chickens i wish he would do a bit more but hes not greenfingered. I'm thinking of letting a guy who lives nearby have half of ours theres too much for me to do by myself. We would be doing each other a favour i think.
Roll on retirement.... ;D
Si I know how you feel. After two years my lottie is still riddled with couch grass, and this year has been rubbish - what didn't get drowned in waterlogged ground got eaten by slugs or pigeons. Whereas the plot next door to mine was taken over by a guy who cleared it within days, planted row upon row of salad crops, beans, onions and peas and now seems to have enough stuff cropping to feed most of SE London.
But on the other hand my lottie is looked after by me on my own, mainly at odd snatched hours at weekends, whereas his seems to have a 24-hour rolling rota of extended family members constantly tending it. So my initial depression at how much he'd achieved in such a short time was soon tempered by a spot of realism - if I could spend several days a week on-site my plot would probably look much better than it does now, but I can't, so I do what I can when I can, and try not to get too envious!
Cheers,
Rob ;)
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, really, it should be seen as something to aspire to and a demonstratin of what can be done, rather than something to get put off about. Anyhow, have now almost got the 2nd 1/3 of mine cleared and it's all looking a little neater.
Yay.....nice one Si D ;D
Hi Si D!
Don't feel depressed! It's all a matter of 'time': Time that you put into it, time that you can afford and 'timing' of the crops you plant. Eg: 50 tomato plants in a greenhouse that you can't water every day in the summer = bad timing.
You just have to adapt what you grow to the time you have and ignore the 'perfect' plots that are tended by people with more time than you!
I think there's a book out (or an article in one of the allotment/veg magazines) called the 'Half Hour' allotment.
I think this is a bit optimistic .. but maybe I misread it. Maybe it's NOT half an hour a year ;D