Just been given an allotment

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chrig

Banned
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
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Location
Manchester
Its taken about 2months to get hold of the right person but at last we have been given an allotment, word on the plot is that rents are very cheap and the plots are pretty rough... My wife typically has picked out the roughest looking one and requested it.

I received instruction yesterday to go and take the lock off and put a new one on. So today im breaking in with my spade(my only gardening tool) to have a look!

When I started looking it was summer and I had thoughts of apples, grapes, hops and stawberrys... Now its cold and my wife is talking onions potatoes and cabbage.

"you could do your brewing there if you build a shed.."... How about no :lol:
 
Congratulations :clap: :clap:

And which part of our fair city is it in? I would love one but was always told they were like hens teeth round these parts. :thumb:
 
Are they big enough to grow on and build a shed?

Some alotments are run by tge other alotment owners and the chuck out people who don't keep it looking nice. A few beery bribes may be in order.
 
Only 2 months? I've been on the waiting list for 3 years! I got a call from the allotment people the other day asking if I still want to stay on the list :?
 
Duncs said:
Only 2 months? I've been on the waiting list for 3 years! I got a call from the allotment people the other day asking if I still want to stay on the list :?
Click to expand...

That's a good thing means that everyone that's given up or moved gets taken off the list! your moving on up :party: (http://youtu.be/oqwborlxOwo?t=54s)

I've been on the list here since May 2012 so just over 18 months although I'm told it's a 3yr waiting list... I could probably get an allotment quicker if I looked elsewhere but these ones I can see from the backdoor
 
Having had a allotment for many years, last year I had to give it up, due to not having the time to tend it properly. Realistically, in the summer youll have to spend 2 hrs per day and 8 hours over the weekend. Heres some advice=-

Only tend what you can manage, maybe sub-let half of it.
Do a little and often.
Don't go balls out for the first couple of weeks
Don't be afraid to spray with Glysophate
Only grow what you want to eat.
Build 3 compost heaps (old pallets are ideal).
Take time to enjoy it

Be prepared for drastic price increases over the next few years
 
Its in Gorton east Manchester... There are another two maybe three imediatly available for anybody local!

The waiting lists are long but the key is visiting the people running them in person, that was the difficulty I had, the other plot holders wanted new people in to get things moving. About 3/10 are used properly. Out of two sites in Gorton this is the least popular, the other one has a year long waiting list, and only then if you visit often on a Sunday....

The plot is quite large, estimating distances isn't my strong point but I'll post some pictures, a shed will easily fit on it. There is some council fencing work going on here, im trying to get them to drop off the broken uprooted panels to knock some shelter together.



Thanks for the advice, compost bins are first on the list
 
I was on the waiting list for 3 years, got the letter through saying "you have an allotment" the week before I moved away for 3 years, now I'm back, time to wait another 3 years...
 
10 years ago, when I first got my allotment, Birmingham City Council were giving them away, hence the £6.00 per year charge, now the waiting list is so long, its not worth putting your name down. BCC now charge £70.00 per year. I know of a privately owned site that charges £140.00 per year. I did some research a few years ago and apparently if 12 or more people request a allotment, then the local council must supply them. The reason I mention this is because Ive seen s88tloads of plots where the owners do the absolute minimum to keep them. To me this is wrong...just give it back and let some one else have it. It broke my heart to have to give mine back, after all the hard work and expense, but I could dedicate the time need. That is why im a strong believer in sharing a plot.
 
This is what we have:


The plot goes right back to the tree's and between the hedge row on the right to the tree stump on the left, right in the middle of the picture. IN'll pace it out if i ever get in :lol:

And this is the lock in my way at the moment


I'm going back in a minute to see if the wd40 has loosened it up at all, if not i have a hacksaw a crowbar and a big hammer, should be doable...

Talking to the council and also the allotment managers they just suggest visiting in person, recently they cut down an allotment waiting list from 200 people down to 16 people, the rest had moved away or were no longer interested.

Its now that rents are being paid in manchester so a good time to start hassling the local allotment manager.
 
Rotavators are your friend. They are a lot quicker and save your back. Less time digging equals more time :drink:
 
Gortons a great lotty, I think they have a show every year IIRC. That patch looks well overgrown, gonna take quite a bit of work to sort it, though luckily you're at the right time of year to do it. Hopefully you've inherited some fruit bushes etc, well worth a check before hacking them down :thumb:
I think something overlooked is that the key to a good lotty is your neighbours plot. I moved from a site because after 4 years I got fed up of weed seeds blowing in from the plots either side making my life hell. Now I'm on a new site and all the plots are very well tended the problem has gone away and it means I can spend more time sowing than weeding.
 
I'm not at the well known gorton allotments, by debdale park... I'm down the road at a much smaller and more overgrown one.

I still couldn't get the lock off as it turns out i was mis informed and it is still fully locked and seized... well its not longer seized up but its well locked. but i managed to get in and have a poke around. Lots of work... lots and ltos of work! :D
 
looking at the plot....theres all your beer brewing time and money gone then...... :(
 
aah the wifes idea ! guess she's getting a new SHINY spade for christmas...
 
chrig said:
This is what we have:


The plot goes right back to the tree's and between the hedge row on the right to the tree stump on the left, right in the middle of the picture. IN'll pace it out if i ever get in :lol:.
Click to expand...

Jeez,I though my allotment was bad when I took over it but that one needs a few grenades thrown in to clear it :shock:

Seriously though,you'll enjoy it just dont let it take over your life. We had our 1st one in 2011 then had another plot the following week
behind the 1st . My thinking was that I read 1 plot feeds a family of four where as I have a wife and 4 kids so I needed 2 :doh:

Now back to one,but I don't spend 2 hrs a day on it in the summer. I have a fruit cage, 3 mesh caged areas and grow loads of potatoes as they're good weed suppressants :grin:
 
i'm getting a lot of suggestions for using "round up" followed by a Rotavator. I think my dad may know somebody who has one if not i'm sure somebody at one of the two local allotments will know where to go for one
 
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