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       The perfect allotment

      From first contemplating and acquiring an allotment to choosing gardening methods and tools, there are many opportunities and options to consider before you set out to sow or plant your first crops.

      making a start

      Why have an allotment?

      There are numerous compelling reasons to have an allotment. For some people, it is an instinctive and traditional activity, and even in industrialized countries no one is more than a few generations away from working the land. Others feel that manufacturers and processors have systematically destroyed their food culture, and that the only way to ensure a reliable (often affordable) source of favourite fruit and vegetables without chemical intervention is to grow them oneself. And growing crops close to home reduces the environmental cost of ‘food miles’ associated with long-distance transport.

      Fresh, good-quality food is not the only essential ingredient of a healthy lifestyle, however. Regular exercise is just as vital, and working in the open air on your own piece of ground can be a more agreeable and productive way of keeping fit than going to the gym. In urban areas, allotments are vital oases of open recreational space, healing places that soothe the spirit and subdue mental stress.

      Many welcome the strong, supportive sense of community (although you are equally free to be peacefully alone, if you prefer). Tending a plot can be a shared activity for families, while the wider community of plotholders, uniting gardeners of varied ages, abilities and backgrounds around a shared interest, offers the kind of support, co-operation and tolerance often lacking beyond the site boundary. You can find sanity and sanctuary as well as opportunity on an allotment.

      FINDING AN ALLOTMENT

      How you go about finding an allotment depends to a great extent on where you live, but in the UK you should first contact your local authority because most allotments are council-owned. These allotments may be statutory, in which case they are protected by law, or temporary sites on leased or rented land, where long-term tenancy is not guaranteed. Some sites are privately owned – by churches or public utilities, for example – and the best way to find out how to rent one of these is to ask an existing tenant.

      A standard full-size allotment is about 250 sq.m (300 sq.yd), but half, quarter, even one-tenth plots are sometimes offered. You may find a vacant plot to take over straight away, or have to join a waiting list if demand is high and the site full. A tenancy agreement, which usually lasts for a year and is renewable, is signed by you and the owner or owner’s agent (such as a site association) and you will pay rent, which the law says must be reasonable, in advance.

      In return you can usually expect safe access to your plot, an easily accessible water supply (its cost often included in the rent), and adequate site security. The site will usually have at least toilet facilities and a communal hut for storage, meetings and the sale of materials. Your plot may also be equipped with a shed, sometimes for extra rent, and permanent paths.

      The agreement will explain your rights – to grow vegetables and fruit for personal use, and also possibly to keep hens or rabbits and sometimes other livestock such as pigeons or bees, depending on local bye-laws – and your responsibilities. Chief among these is the duty to maintain the plot in good cultivation, with respect to your neighbours and other plot-holders. There may also be restrictions on using hosepipes, lighting bonfires, creating ponds, planting trees or fencing the plot (especially with dangerous materials like barbed wire). You are normally not permitted to sublet or use the plot as a business.

      ALLOTMENT ASSOCIATIONS

      Well-managed allotment associations welcome new tenants in different ways. You may be given a starter pack that includes all the benefits and opportunities open to you (like sharing in a bulk purchase of materials or manure), a full description of the site as a whole and possibly details of your own plot, and even the offer of assistance from volunteer members to help you clear an overgrown plot and get started.

      A key common reason for taking on a plot, whatever the private social or therapeutic motivation might be, is the deep sense of achievement when you harvest your own food. Daily work is often far removed from the basic satisfaction of making or producing something, while increasing pressure on the use of land results in gardens becoming ever smaller. An allotment can be a wonderful place to rediscover a sense of fulfilment.

      Assessing yourself Whatever your motivation for acquiring an allotment, it is a good idea to assess your aims and capabilities. Be realistic about what you can achieve – it is easy for idealism to cloud judgement. However, owning an allotment may be less demanding than you imagine.

      TIME It is possible to manage a plot well with a single weekly visit, although you will probably want to visit more often, especially when regular watering and harvesting are necessary. Add in your journey time if you live far from the site. If you don’t have your own vehicle, check out public transport links and consider whether you will be able to call upon friends to give you a lift with heavy items. Techniques like mulching can postpone the need for urgent attention, and neighbours will often share the care if you are away.

      COMMITMENT Regular care is essential, even required in some tenancy agreements. As the sun doesn’t always shine, this will sometimes mean working in cold or wet weather. Low-maintenance methods, however, reduce the amount of routine tasks. You ultimately decide how much or how little you do, and even sitting out a rain shower in the shed can be therapeutic.

      STAMINA Basic physical abilities are an advantage. Cultivating some soils can be strenuous work, and you might prefer to get someone to rotavate the plot for you. Routine skill and dexterity come with experience, and techniques are easily adapted for elderly and disabled plot-holders. And, with the goodwill of most allotment-holders, help with a particular task is often only a plot away.

      EXPLORING YOUR PLOT

      Before contemplating crops and how you intend to grow them, assess the plot as a place where you would enjoy working and possibly spending a lot of leisure time. Note all its apparent deficiencies as well as its merits and, if necessary, its scope for change. Although you will probably alter or adjust things as you go on, discoveries and decisions that are made now can affect future plans. Don’t rush into anything because time, weather and inclination are all unpredictable.

      ▸ The condition of the plot may be immediately obvious if it is overgrown, still partly planted up, or empty and cleared. Find some exposed soil and examine its character (see page 115) – plans that ignore the nature of the soil are unlikely to succeed.

      ▸ Note the lie of the land – whether it slopes and in which direction (this can affect temperature and the amount of sunshine it receives); low ground could be a frost-pocket or it may be waterlogged. Find out about prevailing winds. (See also pages 116 and 169.)

      ▸ Light and shade are important influences, so notice if existing tree canopies cast deep shadow, which might interfere with growth, or merely light shade, which is a valuable asset for sensitive crops in midsummer.

      ▸ Identify convenient places for essential accessories like compost bins, a shed, cold frame or manure stack. Try to find a draught-free position for sitting or eating.

      ▸ Access is vital: evaluate existing paths, their condition and durability, whether they are wide enough to take a wheelbarrow, and if they provide a direct, clear route to important places such as the shed, compost bin and main access road.

      ▸ Explore your surroundings. Locate the nearest water source, and assess any boundaries, hedges and fences for security, shelter or perhaps wild crops to harvest later.

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