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Farnborough Hill Allotments Ltd
Tips & Hints
Everyone has an opinion on what and how things should be done on your allotment plot. I have heard it said that 'If you ask 5 people, you get 7 opinions'. This may or may not be true but this is my way of saying - what is written here is opinion not fact so feel free to ignore or, if you have an alternative or additional tips and hints, let me know and I will add it/them here.
12 Month Planting Planner
Click on the PDF below to see the Planning Planner produced by Future Gardens. There are other calendars out there but this one is pretty thorough.
Crop Rotation
Crop rotation is well established in the allotment world and the picture to the left is taken from the Dig for Victory growing guide of 1945 so is certainly nothing new.
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Crops can be divided into different categories:
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Brassicas, Legumes, Onions, Potato family & Roots
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Soil fertility, weed control and pest and disease control are all good reasons to rotate crops and it is worth going to the RHS to see what they have to say.
Managing your plot
Time
If you want to keep you plot in reasonable condition you will need to spend a minimum of a couple of hours a week weeding though it would be less in the winter. The spring requires more time for planting and the summer could require a lot of watering. In other words, it's a moveable feast but the more you do the better your plot - quelle surprise!
Setting up & maintenance costs
This can be quite expensive, especially initially, as there are tools you may not have, shed etc but it doesn't have to be. You can get secondhand equipment from the likes of Freecycle. They will also often have pallets or other wood which can be used for building a cold frame for example (expensive to buy) or borders for your beds.
If you want seeds, other than the shop, which is excellent value, a number of stores sell off their seeds at the end of the planting season. Wilko's reduced many of their seeds by more than 50%. They also have a good range of inexpensive resources.
Thinking ahead
It's a good idea to plan ahead how you want to lay out your plot. This will allow you to get the most from you land as you rotate crops. You may chose to do this with regimented beds or be a little more fluid. As long as you keep track you should be fine.
Be prepared to fail
No matter how good you are, it does not guarantee success. You may have a bad batch of seeds, your soil isn't quite right for the produce, there isn't enough rain, there's too much rain, the wildlife have come to dinner etc. If you accept this before you start you can manage your expectations and so be a little more thrilled with your produce because you gained it despite all the problems.
Biodiversity
How an allotment plot can contribute to the goal preserving the planet and all its inhabitants.
Biodiversity - definition
Biological diversity - or biodiversity - is the variety of life on Earth, in all its forms, from genes and bacteria to entire ecosystems such as forests and coral reefs. The biodiversity we see today is the result of 4.5 billion years of evolution, increasingly influenced by humans.
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Biodiversity forms the web of life that we depend on for so may things - food, water, medicine, a stable climate, economic growth, among others. Over half of global GDP is dependent on nature.
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Taken from:
United Nation: Climate Action - Biodiversity - our strongest natural defence against climate change
Protect and Restore
In an allotment many of the growers use organic methods, compost and grow a range of produce which encourage bees and insects. All of this is excellent for the protection of our environment.
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However, this is not all we do. By growing seasonal fruit and vegetables we limit our carbon footprint and, in fact have a negative footprint.
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As if all that weren't enough, we also commonly upcycle old or unwanted materials: bicycle wheels for wind spinners to scare bird, old windows and door to make cold frames, wood for sheds etc.
Follow our blog
Biodiversity is so important and there are so many different ways that having an allotment can contribute to and benefit, from biodiversity, that we decided to dedicate our blog to this area.
Crops
RHS and other sites
The RHS has an excellent website and app which can help to know when to plant and harvest. This is not the only site out there but I have found it one of the easier ones to navigate.
Grow or not to grow
Ultimately, there seems to me to be 2 main things to consider when deciding what to grow:
1. will it grow on this land and
2. do I want to eat this or that produce.
If the answer to either one of those questions is 'No' then why attempt to grow it?
Freezer v dehydrator
Most people I have spoken to have an additional freezer to store their produce for use over the winter months. Because I don't have obvious space for an additional freezer I decided to do a bit of research and found that a dehydrator was an, in fact, a cheaper alternative due to the initial cost and then the ongoing power costs. Although the typical dehydration time is around 36 hours, once it is done you simply store your dried goods and they no longer need an electricity supply. Some independent research done has suggested that using a dehydrator is about a third of the cost of freezing.
What will work for you?
Although an allotment takes time and effort on a regular basis it is very likely that you won't always be able to be there. If you know that you will be away mid-summer for a couple of weeks or more then plant accordingly. There is little point growing something that will ripen when you are away. This may simply mean plant your seeds at the beginning or tail end of the season. Alternatively it may mean opting to plant a different crop which will be ready for harvest earlier or later.
Recipes
BBC Good Food
Recipe books are great and I have a shelf full of them but I have found that I sometimes want to try something different. Repeatedly it is the BBC Good Food website that provides me with multiple recipes for a particular fruit or vegetable which is really useful for ensuring I don't get bored with my courgettes!
Soup
I confess to being a cook of the 'quick and easy' persuasion and I have noticed that there are lots of soup recipes which require lots of work. However, a spoonful of Bouillon and pretty much any vegetable or combination thereof equals a tasty soup. This suits me just fine.
Courgettes
It was mentioned once or twice that I may have grown a few too many courgettes. My answer to such comments is 'there's no such thing as too many courgettes'.
I tried various recipes: fritters, pasta sauce, fritatta etc but my favourites were:
Courgette, potato and cheddar soup
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Fritatta
These are my go-to lunch or dinner and are perfect with pretty much any vegetable grown on the allotment. I particularly like my rainbow chard (lightly steamed) with bacon and cheese. You can choose the size of your frittata by the number of eggs added.