A Chance of an allotment

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A Chance of an allotment
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deerstalker

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 589

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 04 9:55 pm Post subject: A Chance of an allotment

I have a chance of an allotment, 70 feet by 30 feet covered by 6 feet of brambles!
The rent is so cheap, and I've waited a long time.

Trouble is I have quite bad arthritis in my hips and back caused by the immune system (as Anneka will tell you from my last virtual massage! ).

Do you think I should take it on, or wonder what might have been!

If I can't hack it - and I don't know (the spirit is willing etc), I'd rather let someone else have it who can make a go of it!

I'm loosing sleep over this now!

Doctors are no help at all!

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 04 10:02 pm Post subject:

Could you share with someone younger and more supple (you provide the knowledge and less strenuous tasks, they the legpower?).

Alternatively Treacodactyl says brambles aren't such a huge problem in themselves...he should know, having cleared our garden which had been run for the last 20 years by an old lady who lived in the back room.

And you can use them for weaving baskets (brambles, not old ladies).

If you can get it now-ish, is that enough time to cover it over with plastic, carpet and whatnot, or do brambles need a couple of years for that kind of treatment?

deerstalker

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 589

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 04 10:13 pm Post subject:
Nope, it's down to me (and less of the "someone younger stuff", I'm only in my forties, ahem I mean 20ish ). Really it's up to me, or let it go!

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 04 10:16 pm Post subject:
Will someone else take it if you don't, or will it just sit there? If the latter then it seems to me you might as well take it.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 04 10:30 pm Post subject:
Have a clearing party, you provide the two BBQed roe deer and everyone clears the allotment, prepares several deep no-dig beds and we cut to an evening scene of merry people eating and dancing. Not sure where I've seen that but it sounds familiar.

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 04 10:34 pm Post subject:

I relinquished my allotment before I'd even started, as I realised it would be too much for me on my own. Instead I am going to convert my tiny patch of front garden to accomodate extra veggies, by getting a few of those big half barrels and filling them with soil and compost. It will be easy to keep the slugs off by putting Velcro round the edges, and dead simple to make cages to keep the birds and butterflies off. And I won't have to bend down to pick my harvest!!

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 04 10:41 pm Post subject:

nettie wrote:

It will be easy to keep the slugs off by putting Velcro round the edges

Two rings of copper tape also work well (slugs don't like copper) and it looks ornamental.

deerstalker

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 589

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 04 10:48 pm Post subject:

nettie wrote:

Tell me more about your allotment and your reasons (please)!

PM me if you feel a little more comfortable, as it's important to me!

Yoga Girl

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 3
Location: STAFFORDSHIRE

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 04 7:43 pm Post subject:
Just out of interest (as I'm looking into allotments for myself) how many hours a week do you need to put into an allotment? How often do you need to visit your plot?

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 04 7:55 pm Post subject:
To add to Yoga girl, how many people does those hours feed, and for what percentage of vegetable and fruit consumption.

deerstalker

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 589

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 04 8:14 pm Post subject:
You're asking the wrong person. I haven't got an allotment yet, and if I had, I'd be a total allotment virgin! Trust you Alison to start complicating things at this stage. At the moment I'm debating as to whether I could physically handle it (seeing the doc tomorrow).

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 04 8:14 pm Post subject:
Have PM'd you, Deerstalker.

alison
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Posts: 12918
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 04 8:47 pm Post subject:
ds, I hear what you are saying. I thought all the gardening gurus would be advising you and could give some ideas on this too. Hope all goes well at the docs.

Mrs Fiddlesticks

Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 04 9:15 pm Post subject:

not an easy one to answer DS. There is a guy on the plot next to us with a dengerative spinal condition. His plot is small but he got relatives to construct two large raised beds and apart from the shed that's it! The views are glorious and he comes up for a gossip and a potter. But he says its hard. I think you've possibly answered your own questions with your doubts. You do need to be committed to get the best out of the plot. Speaking to the doc seems a good idea. Would gentle exercise help? in which case the plot if sorted out with thought could be a good thing. Mentally there are benefits, but then you get out and about anyways. i love the plot, but I've struggled to get on it in the last month or so due to illness and Christmas preparations which has been very frustrating. , but its ok up there, it is recoverable.

As to how many hours it takes to maintain a plot, thats one of those how long is a piece of string type questions. Size of plot, condition, what you're growing. etc. Very difficult to quantify. This time of year obviously very little to do on our plot, April time, manic and not enough hours in the day.

I realise that doesn't answer the questions raised, but they're not simple answers

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28238
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Tue Dec 28, 04 10:05 pm Post subject:
I am also suffering allotment angst It is not the sort of commitment to make and then fail to keep. When I do something I like to be able to look back on it as a success and not a failure. jema

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