My Allotment

Comment

Comment by Glenn Fletcher on December 16, 2009 at 7:44am

Thanks Kathryn
Not only are my gardening and kitchen skills improving, but my geography is coming along a treat as well!!

Comment by Kathryn on December 16, 2009 at 4:23am

Hi.Glenn.thanks.for.the.info...I.am.living.in.Gaziantep.which.is.hot.in.summer.and.fairly.cold.now.with.lots.of.fog.and.it.is.probably.about.5degrees.now...They.say.it.snows.here.so.am.waiting...It.should.start.warming.up.in.February.March.

Comment by Glenn Fletcher on December 15, 2009 at 2:51am

Hi Kathryn
Whats the weather like where you are? Does it get cold at Christmas or do you have a mediteranean climate?
I think the plot is nearly 300 square yards, which is the standard allotment size. That is about 18 yards by 18 yards, although it is some years now since i measured it.

Joel
The area below my allotment used to have plots on it but became to badly drained to grow anything, so they let it run to grass with a few willows on it try to soak up the water. Last year they spent £20,000 pounds installing new drainage, so thay are now turning some of the area back into plots to reduce the shortages.

Comment by Kathryn on December 14, 2009 at 11:14pm

Hi.Glenn..You.didnt.say.how.large.your.allotment.is.

Comment by Glenn Fletcher on December 14, 2009 at 4:12pm

Hi Joel
5 acres sounds really nice. I think with that area a greenhouse is a must, for bringing seedlings on early and for producing your own plants from seed.
A greenhouse is a great place to work when it is a chilly but sunny day. I have a small one in the garden and a larger one on the allotment. Both are aluminium framed, and were obtained second hand.
I am replacing the glass gradually with plastic, in the greenhouse on the allotment, as the vandals keep throwing stones through it.
I would like to get somewhere with a larger garden when i retire, maybe somewhere in Europe, but we will have to see.

Comment by Joel LeGrand on December 14, 2009 at 10:20am

Nice, we have nothing like this here that I know of. I am lucky in that I inherited 5acres, I now have a total of 5.5 Hectare,some of it is woodlot. Is that a park below you?
The only people I see when I garden is family, the 33 acres, was cut into 7 lots, six are 4.999 & one with 1 acre( mother home) when my father pasted. I do not have a greenhouse yet. I am a little envious of all the thing you have done with your allotment.
I will do better as time alow. I hope to get a greenhouse this coming year, but like you I have to work, can not wait till I retire.

Comment by Glenn Fletcher on November 23, 2009 at 3:31am

Hi Maggie
I hope you are well. I see most of the people on a Friday afternoon, when i do not have to go to work. Most of the other plot holders are retired so they go on weekdays when i am at work.
It can be quite solitary, which i find quite pleasant as it allows the mind to wander in a very relaxed way. As well as the Friday afternoons i try to put in an hour, early on a Saturday and Sunday morning.
We have had very heavy rain at the weekend so yesterday i was definately the only one there. Using the deep bed system with narrow paths between allows you to work even when it is quite wet. I dig from a board so i seldom stand directly on the soil.
I also cover the area that i will dig next to keep the rain off. I have even been known to do some digging when there is snow on the ground.
I give most of my spare produce to family members. My wife has six sisters who mostly live in York with their families, so there is never a shortage of people to give stuff to.
I wish you luck with your bartering group. I am not very good at organising things like that.
I hope the weather is being kind to you and your garden.
Glenn

Comment by Maggie on November 22, 2009 at 2:58pm

Wow, they are good sized plots. I wish we had allotment areas here in Adelaide.
Do you get to know the other allotment gardeners?.
We have almost finished our composting, pruning back, seed saving and planting out of our seedlings.
With a small garden patch it is like doing a zig saw puzzle.
Some things just have to be composted to make room for new seedlings.
All that said we can still grow lots of things and enjoy many delicious meals from our garden.
I am thinking of starting a swap, barter or buy group.
They idea would be that local home gardeners from our seed saving group could email each other if they have excess plants, fruit or produce, or need help and then make their own arrangements to buy or barter.
Thanks to emails and blogs I think this would work very well.
Do people at your allotment share produce?

Comment by Glenn Fletcher on November 22, 2009 at 12:30pm

Hi Kathryn
This image is a screenshot from Google Earth. The only drawback with Google Earth is that you cannot zoom in as close as you would like.
I have a greenhouse in the bottom right and a shed and covered compost bin at top right. A lot of the other patches are GRP plastic sheets that i use to dry and hence warm the ground in spring to get the crops of to an earlier start. These sheets are recycled from the factory roof of a company that i used to work for.
I think that Google must have taken this picture early in the year, but it is odd that the trees are in leaf, yet there is very little growing in the ground.
The area with no plots used to flood, but now they have improved the drainage, so i imagine they will be making new plots there to reduce the waiting list.

Comment by Kathryn on November 21, 2009 at 10:15am

great shot, yours seem to have the most on it.