What have we learnt in the last six months of having an allotment?
The first one is an obvious one. It is hard work.
Don’t be fooled by the pictures and the accounts that make it seem like it is a breeze, it really isn’t. Some days it is six hours of digging in the blistering heat, or 2 hours of trudging around in the mud on a chilly Winter morning.
Expect failures.
Sometimes the easiest thing to grow will fail, you can give it all the care and attention in the world and it will not survive. We experienced this with our tomatoes. They were doing so well, lovely green tomatoes starting to ripen and suddenly over a weekend they died. They had contracted blight, so there was no hope. Our rhubarb root was eaten when it was moved and our lettuce bolted. Be prepared for some disappointments.
There are no real rules.
Plants that shouldn’t thrive do, plants that should grow with little help need a lot. Colours that shouldn’t work together look wonderful. Sometimes, you really just have to wing it. Nature will do its own thing.
The pumpkins absolutely thrived in terrible soil, so we had to move the herb patch as they were being overshadowed. Your allotment is always changing.
You will get a glut of something.
No matter how little of something you think you have planted, there will always be a glut and preserving will become your best friend. But, if you aren’t a fan of chutneys and jams, expect to have a freezer full of runner beans and eat potatoes everyday for a week (and still have left overs!)
People are generous.
We have been given a shed, paving slabs, seeds, plants, tools… and the list goes on. We are so grateful for this and we try to give back when we can. We have been blown away by peoples generosity. People want to see you succeed and will help you along the way.
You become quite thrifty with your money and materials.
For anyone who knows me, I have always been someone to hunt for a bargain. Having an allotment has increased this sense tenfold! Half dead plant for 50p? I’ll take it! All it needs is a bit of TLC and it will come back to life, but don’t buy things just because they are cheap. You have to find a balance.
There are plenty of things that we have given a second life to down at the allotment. Scrap wood became our work bench, old clothes became our allotment clothing, a tire we found became a herb planter and a bunch of pallets became a compost bin. Almost anything can be given a second life with a little imagination.
Time management.
Time is precious. You have to make the most of the time at the allotment, especially in Winter when a lot of the time the weather isn’t on your side. If you haven’t planted your seeds or prepared the ground in time then you simply won’t have a crop. I’ve found by just putting my seeds in month order and digging a little bit at a time keeps you on top of things, but don’t be lured into a false sense of security.
I could sit here for hours and talk about all the little things we have learnt, but I would say these are the factors that have seeped into our everyday lives. I am grateful for the journey this little patch of land has taken us on, here’s to the next six months and beyond.
