What should you not do in an allotment?

What is the first thing to do on an allotment?

What not to do on an allotment?

Respect others' privacy: do not enter other tenants' gardens unless invited, and make sure your visitors don't either. Keep paths clear of tools and other items that act as obstacles and could cause injury. Keep your dog on a lead and off other tenants' gardens, and remove any dog mess.

How many hours a week should you keep an allotment?

For an average sized plot, you are looking at around 4-5 working hours a week to keep it properly maintained. Taking on an allotment garden is no small task. For the aspiring vegetablist, a plot presented to them midsummer can be rather overwhelming.

What are the rules of having an allotment?

Keeping the plot to in reasonable state; weed-free and tidy. Not to use for commercial use; for personal use only. Not to cause any issues for the occupiers of other allotments or obstruct any path used by the other occupiers of surrounding allotments. No subletting the plot without the written consent of the landlord.

10 MISTAKES TO AVOID ON YOUR FIRST ALLOTMENT PLOT / ALLOTMENT GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS

Can I sleep on my allotment?

If access to the allotment site is by way of a padlocked gate, the tenant shall ensure that the gate is kept locked after entering and leaving the allotment site. b) Overnight sleeping on the allotment is strictly prohibited. clearly displayed in a prominent position at the front of the allotment plot.

Can I sell food from my allotment?

The Allotments Act 1922 has a general prohibition on any "trade or business" being conducted on an allotment. But allotments are allowed to have an allotment shop, which councils tend to regard as fund-raising rather than a business.

What is the best layout for an allotment?

The most popular way to lay out an allotment is to have a path through the middle of the plot. The path should be wide enough for you to walk up and down, and if you plan on using a wheelbarrow, then it should be wide enough for this as well.

How do you clear an allotment fast?

You could use chemicals to clear the weeds and grass by spraying with a herbicide such as glycophosphate. The land will be cleared in a few weeks as this will kill the weeds completely and they will not re-grow, so the plot can be dug over as normal.

How can I make my allotment look nice?

Do you get rats on allotments?

Keep your plot tidy and ensure that allotment gardens do not become overgrown or allow rubbish to build up e.g. timber, old carpet, stockpiled materials etc, as this provides cover for rats to live under (harbourage). disease, Salmonella and Leptospirosis among other things and they urinate wherever they go!

Should I put raised beds on my allotment?

In wet seasons the soil in raised beds will be workable more often than soil that has not been raised. There are many ways to raise a bed: Wooden boards are commonly used, and are ideal for the allotment. Pressure-treated timber lasts longest, and modern wood treatments do not contain arsenic or chromium.

How long does it take to look after an allotment?

Allotments can use up a lot of time, so require some planning. Go for a plot size suited to your needs - half a plot is adequate for most people and ideal for beginners. This might need eight hours' work a week for inexperienced gardeners, but half that for experienced ones.

How hard is it to maintain an allotment?

Allotment plots are hard work, especially when you first get them. It's likely you're plot will be pretty overgrown when you first set foot on it and can take a good couple of months to bring it under control. Go easy on yourself and take it slow. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day!

How do you plan an allotment bed?

Can you pass on an allotment?

You are responsible for the allotment and may not sublet it or pass the tenancy on to anyone else, and you must notify the site manager in writing if you intend to give up your plot.

What is the no dig method?

What is no-dig? Unlike soil cultivation methods such as digging, forking and rotavation, the no-dig method avoids breaking up, lifting or turning the soil. Vegetable beds and flower borders are simply prepared by covering the ground with organic matter, such as garden compost.

How often should you go to your allotment?

It is best to allow around four to eight hours a week in the beginning, in case you need to perform some TLC. If it's going to be a while between watering sessions, add bark mulch to cover and shade early on to retain moisture, or consider other ground-shading plants.

Should I Rotavate my allotment?

If you can cope with roots, then you could try and rotavate once you are sure it's dead, but one of the more annoying things about ground elder is its ability to regrow even after you're sure you've killed it or dug it all out.

How big is the average allotment?

An allotment plot is normally 10 poles. 10 poles are 302.5 square yards. One pole is an area 5.5 yards' x 5.5 yards. This gives 160 poles to one acre, which is 16 plots of ten poles each to the acre.

What is a good size allotment plot?

An allotment is traditionally measured in rods (perches or poles), an old measurement dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. 10 poles is the accepted size of an allotment, the equivalent of 250 square metres or about the size of a doubles tennis court.

How to make money from my allotment?

Can I sell what I grow on my allotment?

Allotment Gardeners Can Sell their Surplus Crop

Of course the definition of 'surplus' is a grey area. According to Mick Marston of the Soil Association, as far as the law, and the government, are concerned, “limited commercial activity can take place as long as it is ancillary to the main purpose”4.

How much food from an allotment?

Although there are no official guidelines dictating the size an allotment should be, the accepted size is approximately 250 square metres. This is enough to grow food for a family of four.

Should I dig my allotment?

You will still need to dig the plot the very first time you get it, but not from then on. Instead lightly fork and rake over the top layer of soil before each planting season and add organic matter if needed.