Grow Your Own Magazine

Couldn't believe it I've been on waiting list for 3 different sites near my house and been in double figures for ages after reading an artice in GYO a few months about lottie waiting lists and being persistant I rung up my local council allotment office and asked if there were any plots at all even overgrown ones and i was told to ring back at the end of summer so i gave it a month or so and rung again and was told they would look into it and i explained i dont shy at a bit of hard graft if it meant i got a plot and they said the had just done their yearly inspections and was writing to a few holders as they didnt look tended to for a while to see if there was a genuine reason or if they was willing to give it up. So I left it a week or two then rung back and got a reply they were 2 vacant plots on the site nearest to my house but was warned it was very overgrown so i took a look and 1 plot was like a half plot and the other, the one i chose is the biggest on the site because it takes the shape of the boundary so it is instead of being 10m x 20m like the rest it spreads in its widest place about 20m x 30m long because it is a slight triangle shape

There are pictures in my album 'Lottie pics' as the plot is now before i start clearing it


Click on this link to go to them:-
Grow Your Own - Growing, How To Grow Tomatoes Growing Fruit & Veg - Recipe Advice, Organic food Gardening, Chickens, Seeds for Sale

well done, just goes to prove persistance pays off, although the hard work starts now, but you should be ready for the new growing season.....i'm not far from you so a few weekends weather like we've just had should set you off nicely...good luck

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The love of gardening is a seed once sown never dies ...

I know the weather hasn't been too bad just at present just need to organise the equipment : chainsaw, pruning saw and a brushcutter i think should get it beat because i have had the ok from the allotment office to cut the trees back so i might as well take them out completey and site the compost heap, strawbs and rhubard and maybe an asparagus bed alond boundary with eden close, It would also let more light in in the afternoon to the sheltered housing that is in eden close

Wow, you've certainly got your work cut out for you there!!! I don't envy you at all, but once it's done it'll be great. Good on you for nagging

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Always look on the bright side of life
View my blog - http://chooksandveggies.blogspot.com/ updated November 1st 2008

wow u lucky thing, i have been waiting on an allotment there for a while, well along woth the parents i live in wyke myself and know exactly where these allotments are, they are the worthing head road ones arent they? i often walk down (weather pernitting that is) to see which ones are occupied, theres alot empty wonder y i havent had one offered to me maybe i might see you round there, near eden close is it? thats the far end?

Cor, you've got a dry stone wall and a blank canvas! Keep taking piccies as you progress and you'll be amased at the difference!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

Just had a look at those photos! Slash and burn this winter! Good luck!
It will be lovely when it's cleared with that great wall and it looks massive!

You're going to have fun!
all you can really do over the next few months is hacking down, rough digging, and basic clearing It has taken months or years to get to that state, so it's not going to be perfect in three weeks Think of this winter as getting things ready for next spring when you can do the finer weeding Do part of the plot well, say a third or even a quarter; if you try to do everything at once it will be really hard and disheartening
Try to get a shed asap then you won't have to lug heavy tools each time, have somewhere to eat your sandwiches and brew tea, to plan, and to daydream, and to shelter

Send for a lot of catalogues from seed and equipment merchants; for inspiration and ideas Good Luck!

Brambles are the things i dread clearing most. Nasty , orrible spiteful stuff that grabs your hair an snags you face. No sooner have you got it off your sleeve , then another bit has grabbed your trousers an leg....grrr
You will be well served to get some of those rubber bramble gloves or the flippin stuff will be stuck on your gloves too.

It looks brill!!! have fun...lol

Wren

well done, have fun and post those pics!

Congratulations! I hope you have many happy years there.

Yes bigspuds they are the ones off worthinghead rd if you walk down the side instead of going into farfield rd you will see the footpath leading to eden close it is actually better down that end because there are no houses blocking the light all during the day as the sun comes up over the sheltered housing and with the site being about 4' higher than the path there isn't much shading from a fence that runs oalong the opposite side the key to getting a plot as i have proved is to keep inquiring and asking if there are any even overgrown plots which i can tell you for a fact unless it has been offered to someone else there is a plot further up along the wallside it is the one as you walk from farfield rd just as it curves you will see that there is a lot of brambles that was the other area that i had choice of

oh i mite look into that then. my mum and dad dont seen that into it now though so it would just be little old me on my own, well not so much little haha or old for that matter, my mates think im sad for wanting to grow my own veg but it tastes well loads better. them allotments are full of old men though, im worried i will have no one to talk to or sit and have a brew an a chin wag, have you net anyone up there? are they nice? ooh which plot ill ring up??

im only in 20s myself but my mum used to always grow veg in garden when i lived at home for as long as i can remember and i always loved the just picked freshness i got the same attitude from my mates my advice is just get on with if it makes you happy and a feel of achievement knowing you grew it all yourself and you have a vast aray of different produce to go at.
Ive spoke to a few plot holders and they seem friendly enough once you get to know who everyone is it should be good
It was plot 2 but it is only half a plot looking at the plans of the allotments
Ill add a pic of it to my lottie pics so you can have a look

im in my 20s also but its rather unusual so my mates say, i should be out clubbing not weeding an allotment but hey ho thats me. so have you started on your allotment then? i might pop up one day and see if you are around? if you dont mind that is, or ur partner or watever doesnt mind? my name is sarah by the way xx ps wud it be better to pm you?

I got that myself i havent been out for a while after all mite aswell have mates round for few beers have no hassle that way only thing i have done so far is spray linemarker so ive got somewhere to work to im going to start on it anytime after work i dnt mind if you popped up you'd be able to have a look around rest of site and see what you think you could pm me if you want im not fussed just its filling up the thread thats all ive put the plan on its in my lottie pics the two in green was the two vacant plots obviously ive got 20 now

Hi WykeSmallHolder, welcome to the 'Vine from another Yorkshire Grape
Looks like you've got your work cut out there! But well done for being persistant, and being brave enough to take on the job. Look forward to seeing your progress.

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Sarah

“Tell me one last thing,” said Harry. “Is this real? Or has this been happening inside my head?”
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

hi all made a start today spent 4 hours with chainsaw and headgetrimmers and fired through got about half brambles down im amazed how easy it is with right equipment how little bits there is if you use hedgetrimmers and go straight down thru brambles then across the stems also how much space there is i have put some pics on of progress

In the pics you can see an old bedstead that was stood up under the brambles and also the difference of how open it looks with me cutting the trees down