We seem to have taken on an allotment!
My daughter, Joanne, has wanted one for a long time, and was on the council waiting list for years, council allotment waiting lists are notoriously long so it's no surprise she was never offered one. But recently someone she works with has taken on a plot with Roots Allotments. Roots is a fairly new idea and I think at the moment there are nine sites around the country. Basically you rent a plot much the same way as you do with the council, but you get so much more. All garden tools, watering cans etc are on site and free for all to use, the plots, if previously used, are cleared and put ready for the next user. When you join you are given a box with seeds and various plug plants to get you started, so you can get growing right away.
There is lots of support too with both in person and online classes and tutorials, both fertilizer, wood chips and organic plant food is there for all to use as well as plant and produce sharing shelves.
These are some of the plots on the site
And below is ours. There are various size plots from mini to group sizes, we have a starter plot which is 36 sqm. I met the guy that had this plot before us on Sunday, he swapped it for a larger family plot and told me he he had recently put six barrow loads of fertilizer on there, so that saved us a job for now :-)
We spent all Sunday afternoon and a good few hours there on Monday so this is how it's looking now.
I created a little seating area on Monday and we have already planted peas, cauliflower, cabbage, baby corn, carrots, peppers, and a rhubarb plant. Joanne has been down there this afternoon and planted sprouts and leeks, both of which were free plug plants from the site.
Everyone we have met on site has been really friendly and helpful and I think I shall enjoy doing my bit, at least between the two of us the work and commitment will be shared, I'm not sure I would have wanted to take something like this on by myself but I'm already looking forward to seeing what results we will get from our planting.
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Sorry, I'm really behind on my blog reading and commenting because I haven't been on my laptop a lot recently, I'll try and catch up this weekend and also get round to taking photos of my recent finishes. (I'm already very late sharing my stick6in2024 finish), but I do have a finish and will get round to posting about as soon as I can.
I'll be back soon
-X-
8 comments:
What an exciting new venture. It's definitely a good idea to share a plot, we gave up our allotment as we just didn't have the time available to devote to it, they do need a lot of upkeep but that shouldn't be a problem when there's more people to muck in. It's so good for children to see where there food comes from too. I do miss my home grown veggies, you can definitely taste the difference. This organisation have recently set up a site where we live, it seems to be quite popular even though we've got council allotment sites here already.
How fabulous. Let's hope we see more and more of this.
How lovely and what a wonderful idea to have everything you need right there. My daughter actually got an allotment after waiting for years earlier on in the year but it's so full of brambles and mare's tail that she's about ready to give up. I'll mention yours and see if there are any schemes near her. Sue x
Had no idea there were programs like that. When we stay in Hilton Head, there's a large community garden, I wonder if it's part of the program. Have fun, don't over do. Gardening is hard on the back.
Enjoy your new venture, it looks good from the photographs you've shared here.
All the best Jan
Wow, you are definitely going to have fun with this. I love the little seating area.
God bless.
What fun , good to get outside and grow some veg .
Hope the weather is kind for your plants , hugs June.
This is such a brilliant way of allotment gardening but with so much more support and friendly advice. I hope you enjoy growing crops on your new plot. A very small plot is a great way to get started for some people so that they don't take on too much. Your plot looks well looked after.
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