Now I know the internet is full of allotment forums but I'm interested (prompted by Tim Lund's thread on an unrelated subject) to know who on this forum holds a plot on an allotment locally (or 'grows their own' at home) and maybe share some experience, ideas, etc?

I can't share much experience myself having last autumn taken over a plot that had been uncared for over the last few years. All I've been able to do so far is clear the plot and make a start on the raised beds. I'll be amazed if we grow much this year given the state of the soil.

Anyway, my plot is on Grove Allotments, across the road from the Harvester/next to the tennis club on the South Circular.

I have a plot at Broadmead, Bellingham. Its a 1 mile walk from home.

This is my fourth year - I was lucky to get my name down before the waiting lists filled up in the last few years.

Good luck with your new plot. I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Growing your own veg is very satisfying and the other plot holders are usually very friendly. In fact stoping for a chat can become a full time ocupation.

We have a plot on One Tree Hill. We occasionally blog about it here: http://onetreehillallotment.blogspot.com/

IWereAbsolutelyFuming - I'm honoured by the mention.

Can I make a special offer to you and all other allotment holders on this thread, collectible in person Sunday May 22 at my allotments open day, namely cuttings of gooseberry and grape?

These gooseberry cuttings are now potted on


and can be trained like this - this is where they came from. The fruit when purple and ripe are sweet enough to eat off the bush


And here are some grape cuttings, now showing rather more leaf


The variety is "Black Hamburgh" and I got well over fifty bunches of very sweet grapes from it last year, growing outside against a south facing wall. Very disease resistant.

I'm very lucky to have been asked to share an allottment (lottie...or plottie as in Lost the Plottie as i call it) at Oldstead Allotments way away near the big Homebase. I love it. We started it end of last May but still managed to dig it over bigtimeclaysoil stylee and grew loads of stuff, including a star sparkle herb bed.

I'll def be up for this event, for any cuttings and indeed to do some seed swaps/giving (i've got loads)...if that's allowed?

So far the thing I love most about our plot is that it is on the route of my ride home from work so I can stop off whenever I want. That and it is close enough to walk to with my kids. And it might even have some fruit and veg on it at some point.

Thanks for the offer Tim, much as I'd love to take you up on it I've decided this year that I wont risk planting anything that anyone else has put the effort into growing, in what it pretty terrible soil right now...I'd just feel too guilty. It doesn't look like any soil improvement has ever been done on the plot.

I have a plot on Hurstbourne Road allotments. We put our name down when we first moved here even though we didn't want the plot right then, because we knew the waiting list was so long. When we got it 3 years later, it was perfect timing. The kids love it and are learning so much about vegetables and fruit.

Also its not actually that much hard work if you are organised about it. We put in raised beds and paths (wood from skips thanks to all the loft conversions in this area, and paving slabs from freecycle). Weed control fabric under paths. The raised beds keeps the weeds off and means the kids know where they can and can't walk. Cover up any areas you aren't cultivating with thick black plastic to keep the weeds down. Otherwise the weeds take over suprisingly quickly and the seeds just spread.

Don't feel you have to do the whole plot at once. In our first year we only did one bed and we covered the rest up. The next year we did two more beds... and so on. It kept it manageable and meant it wasn't overwhelming.

If you don't have time to sow your own seeds don't despair, all the local garden centres sell vegetable plants. Shannons are good quality (but not cheap!) and they have a great range. Their strawberry plants are really good - we have a whole bed!

Speak to other allotment holders about what grows well in this area. Our soil and climate suit some plants better than others. But the soil can change even between different allotment sites so speak to you neighbouring plot holders - they will only be too grateful to pass on their tips! I am gradually learning what is successful and what not to bother with (we always have a problem with potato blight for example, so I only grow early potatoes).

I don't know about other allotments, but the main animal issues we have are foxes (chew everything esp gardening gloves, and leave animal bones and droppings) and pigeons (eat all the fruit and seedlings esp peas, so net it all) - luckily no danger of rabbit problems around here!

On the subject - shouldn't Lewisham Council be tackling the issue of ridiculously long waiting lists for allotments? Are they doing anything to find new sites? There is some legislation about Councils being obliged to provide a sufficient number of allotments ... will have a look for it.

We actually only have a half size plot because of the long waiting lists they are not giving out whole size plots anymore.

Having failed to sell off the forests there is rumour that allotment ground is next...

It's not so easy for them to get rid of allotment land when there is proof of sufficient demand, but doesn't mean they won't try! I do hope that rumour isn't true...

Some info on allotment legislation here

http://www.allotmoreallotments.org.uk/index.htm#hh

http://www.nsalg.org.uk/uploads/article5...Basics.pdf

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Edw7/8/36

Here's the link the Lewisham Council allotment page if anyone wants to see their nearest allotment - there is a document showing waiting list times

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/LeisureAndCul...tments.htm

Any other allotmenteers going to be at the Lewisham Parks and Open Spaces Conference 2011 tomorrow?

Thanks to the link to the Lewisham allotments web page, which looks as if it's been updated since I last looked. Why the link to a Bexley Federation? Don't they want people straying over the nearer border to Bromley? I'll see if they can but up a link to this www.balgf.org

Won't be there Tim...too much to do at the plot tomorrow.

Jane2: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/...77463.html

Nor was I, because I had the date wrong - it's next Saturday.

In the meantime, here's something I just posted on the Sydenham Town Forum relevant to this with various thoughts on allotments vs. community gardens.

What's the netiqette here? Should I cross post things here which are as much about SE23 as SE26?

Long time no see fellow allotment holders. Thought I'd revisit this one after reading the Welly Thief thread.

This last year has been terrible for thefts from our site and I wondered how other sites were fairing? We've had all our site wheelbarrows nicked, people's tools and produce taken and now someone has been in and nicked all the metal parts from the plumbing to the water tanks (taps, stop-cocks, etc). I know allotments are vulnerable to this sort of thing and ours is particularly so due to the nature of its boundary. The committee on our site is considering options but I wondered if we were alone in being hit badly at the moment?

I have a plot on the One Tree Hill site and we too have had a spate of thieving over the last few weeks! Someone systematically breaking into the sheds and taking tools and other oddments, also produce roots and all.

Where are you based? Wonder whether the stuff is being sold at a local Boot fair, so mark your tools (may be with paint) and look out at local fairs is all I can suggest.

Ours is a bit of a distance from yours moth but I'm sure these lovely folk don't mind a bit of travel. I guess there is very little we can do about it as allotments are inherently vulnerable.