Time and money spent on allotment?

[Eyren]

The hardest time, I find, is May and June. You've got all your spuds, onions, etc in the ground and you're waiting for your French beans and sweetcorn to get big enough to plant out, plus it can be rainy that time of year, so it's tempting to ignore the lottie for a week or three. Big mistake!

That's the time the grass and weeds really kick into overdrive. And they love the rain. I've learnt to my cost that you have to grab every dryish May/June weekend and evening you can, in order to keep the plot under control. Other times, you can get away with less work, but in spring and early summer the allotment has to take priority over other activities. If you can't commit to that, your plot will quickly get overgrown and the letter from your allotment secretary won't be far behind...

[Snadger]

The cost isn't an issue.........allotment gardening is about 'make do and mend'.
The time spent at allotment is another issue. If you ain't got the time, don't do it, and at least allow someone on the waiting list to get the benefits of allotment gardening i.e. fresh organic produce, excercise,camaraderee or piece and quiet if required to name but a few!

[Novice Gardener]

I took on my plot last June when I had a fair bit of time on my hands. It was totally overgrown and I worked my socks off getting it dug over and weeded. In September I had to return to full time work as we were struggling financially so since then I've only been able to vist at weekends. From Sept to Nov I probably spent 4 hours a day on both Saturdays and Sundays there, since Dec I tended to pop over there at least one day at the weekend just to do a bit of weeding and check everything is ok. Now spring is on its way, I'm spending a bit more time there, but I am planning on taking a few days off mid March to really get things going again. I have to pass my plot on the way home from work, so once the evenings get light again, I'll probably pop in most evenings for an hour or so. Like someone else said, I enjoy it, so I don't find it a chore, but I think if I had a huge plot, then it'd become too much for me.

[Eco-Chic]

Many moons ago a friend with no gardening experience took on a lottie at the back of her tiny garden. She reckoned she needed to devote at least two afternoons a week to do it justice and decided it was a waste of valuable drinking time:-(

[MaureenHall]

If you're really determined, then you really do have to spend at least some time there each and every week. Have a look in your local library and see if there's a copy of "The Half Hour Allotment", it sets out exactly what you can achieve in just 30 minutes every day. But it's the "every day" that counts. Basically what I'm saying is that you have to spend about 4 hours a week or you'll just grow weeds and virtually nothing else.