Allotments 4 All

ive just been working out how much it costs to start and run my lottii got my double plot in novemberand im trying to work out how much ive spen
cost of rent  is 60 pounds per yrif employed
or 10 pounds per yr if notim not working so its a tenner but good news cos my plot was overgrown its costing my nowt till next aprilso on rent so far nothing
tools so far a spade a hoe and a rake from wilkos 23 quid
i had a few small tools already ie rake dibber fork and such like
building materials the only thing ive bought is nails a 5 kg bucket for about 8 quid from b&q all the wood was begged stole or borrowed from variouse peoplei now have 4 sheds up a small feed shed (was free ) for my chicken food a sitting shed aprox 6x4 (was free) two inter joining 11 by 8 sheds free  well i mean i built em myself with free wood my main compound was free i biult from same tin sheeting and free woodmian compound is 50 feet sq hen run one 23 foot by 40 foot was hand made from freebies my son works for a company that boards up council houses so i get all old  steel grills and spare  ply woodhe asks for perrmissin to give me it so nothing under hand there hen run number 2 is 20 foot by 43 foot same as last run free same  materials my green house was free well i biult it from an old set of patio doors and a bit of perspex its 10 by about 4 foot 6 i have also a plastic greenhouse i got given 6 by 4 my chickens cost me
7 silkies white 5 quid from auction
11 maran chicks 8 weeks old 3 quid same auction but a month later
5 maran chicks  hatched from eggs bought of ebay for a fiver(i built my own  incubator for about a tenner)
and lasly ten brown hens for 1.50 each from auction( i say brown hen cos i dont know the breed of then prob rir hybrids or summit
oh a lastly of all all my seeds  including spuds cost me aprox 30 quid not including gorwbags ive used 20 so far at 79p a time from netto
oh ye and hen food approx 10 per  month for layers pellets and wheat every thing else was free including a petrol strimmer  not working but is now and also a very old rotavator still to get working but not really looked at it yetok ok oko i know so wot im tight but who said it has to be expensive if u  use  ur head u can get lots for nowt  it cost nothing to ask  if u can have sumthing for nowt and  who knows they just might say yesas the old saying goes the squeeky wheel gets the grease lets here ur stories of ur  bargain gardening  exploits regards mal

ok, that post left me breathless! can i ask for more breaks, paragraphs and punctuation marks, please? :P

actually, i am very pleased so far with expenditure on the allotment - only bought tools, a watering can and the seeds. oh, and a cloche from lidl at bargain prices. so i think after my first few harvests of salad crops, radishes, and soon to come tomatoes, it will have paid for itself and the rest of the stuff is free :D

(well, i dont count my man hours and labour costs because i couldn't afford me ;D)

svea

Sly, your post left me breathless too - but about what you've done, not how you told it. Have you totted up your total costs? I bet they don't come anywhere near the amount of blood, sweat and tears you've put in! Are you concentrating on just chickens or are you doing fruit, veg, etc. as well?

By the way, Svea, when criticising others' grammar, always remember to start a sentence with a capital letter.

;)

Very impressive Slyfox!!

Presumably being "not working" you have lots of time but hints on how you have made the various items would be welcome - incubator for instance.

Keep up the good work and let us know how it's all done!

Phil

Good info Mal!  With all them chooks you should be able to get loads of eggs.  If you sell your surplus then you're going to be even more ahead of your outlay.  Folks always want fresh eggs which don't come from battery hens.You'll be able to feed your hens with your lotty produce too as they love it.  You'll benefit from their manure as well.  Sounds idyllic  :)

I wish I could put chickens on my plot, the council banned any livestock, I have been trying to talk the wife into having them in the back garden but no joy there either.
regards
Aidy

Sell the eggs...definately. A load of peeps sell them around us for anything from 60p to 90p per half dozen.
After reading your post I have tried to work out my outlay in the first 3 weeks of owning my own lottie.

Rent - £12 per year
Tools - fork £4, dibber 50p, couple of sharp knives £1 all car boot, hoe £1 local tip
Seeds - probably about £7 at the moment (and climbing)
Bath (for water) begged for free
Tarp and fencing also begged for free

I think that about covers it. I am one of those types always looking at whats in skips or at the local tip to see if it can be of any use to me.

Next up is a shed - just need a small 4x4 one to hold some tools, etc...anyone any offers? lol

Cheap at twice the price I think, or has anyone else spent as little as me?

sorry folks about my spelling and grammar and stuff but im not very literate and feel quite embarrassed now ill be keeping my  posts brief from now on or maybe write it in office and doing a spell check and grammar check to save anymore embarrassment on my behalf
Regards mal

Don't you dare!! (and that's an order!)   ;)

We want all your news however it comes, especially about the chickens, and about how you made your equipment.

;D

Don't be embarrassed Mal, I know plenty of supposedly "clever" folks who could never turn their hands to the skills you've shown on your plot in a million years!!
You must sell yer eggs, we buy from a local smallholder for £1.20/dozen, and they are the BEST tasting eggs we've ever had. I can't get to the plot often enough to keep hens or I would give it a go!!

I started out in December and have managed to cadge a shed and pallets for 2 compost bins for nowt. I've borrowed tools for now and have spent about £40 so far on seeds and spuds. £20 on Raspberries, gooseberries and black currants and about a tenner on nets. I also invested in a load of 8' bamboo canes for 2 x 30 ' rows of runner beans that came to about £25 but should last for years.

It seems expensive now that I've totted it up!  ;D
Next year should just be the seeds etc,

I'll say one thing Mal, since I got an allotment, more people have started giving me home made veg.  And that is on top of all the seeds they don't need, and some other freebie seeds that seem to come my way.  So I am already eating more quality home grown organic veg for nowt and I am yet to harvest anything (except rhubarb which came with the plot - along with raspberries, plums and blackcurrants which I will harvest later)

Keeping an eye on the bargain shops really pays off as a newbie as well.

It's also the best cheap fun I have ever had except walking - which I do not have time for at the moment.

Mal   I pay £0.70 for 6 of my pal's free range eggs and they are delish.  They actually taste of egg!!!! I like them scrambled best.

RC   Glad to hear you're having fun!  Aren't we all?  Well, hope so  :)

I saw a car tonight in a lane near me and the back seat was full of pallets.  They'd been skip raiding on a building site.  Felt miffed at missing out  ;D

AHAHAAAA - so it seems that no skip can escape us - whenever I pass one by, or a building site or even the local tip, I have a good look to see if there is anything useful to 'borrow'

Sorry to hear that Cheddarp  :(  At the moment there is no treatment available on the NHS due to the fact that A4A has so many members that the problem has reached epidemic proportions.  The only solution is to do as much of it as possible to get it out of your system early on and hopefully the urge should wear off

If you need further counselling for this embarrassing problem please don't hesitate ...  ;D

blimey slyfox!i fell over at the end of your post-the human tornado!!!!!
you've done such a lot and spent sooo little!and i thought i was keeping it cheap too!be intersting to hear how your lottie progresses thru the seeson.
by the way-i think punctuation is very over rated! ;D

I reckon if the police did a survey on the cause of minor car crashes they'd find  most of the drivers had a lottie ;D i have had so many near misses 'cos I'm forever looking in fields, hedges, skips, in fact anywhere to see what i can scrounge for free ;D

I think mine would cost me less if I planned what to do properly and stopped breaking forks ???

trouble with you tamsin-you dont knopw yer own strength! ;D

Get a steel-handled fork. I have one I picked up for a fiver at the local market; it can be cold on the hand with no fear of breakage.s in winter, so it's better to have both, but I can lever anything with it with no fear of breakage.

I boought a brand new stainless steel fork and I have bent one of the prongs - is it worth getting this sorted out under the ten year guarentee or should I just get my mate to straighten it?

Depends how you feel about it. If it's got a guarantee why not use it?

just a bit of an update i managed to get the freebie rotavator going  the woodruff key had sheared on the flywheeland
having a problem with my  cockerels fighting (they where nest mates ) so had to sererate em up and got my five chicks at the plot now  ( the ones i hatched in my  home made incubator )
the eggs cost me more than the incubator but managed to hatch some even thought they came in the post from summerset hopefully the Mk2 version will be more stable now i understand the basics a little better

Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on May 29, 2005, 21:47:22
Depends how you feel about it. If it's got a guarantee why not use it?

Decision made - handle broke today  >:(

i've got a fork like that clanger-had the same fork for   30 years.new tines in 1980 and a new handle in 1990.. ;)