Allotment ...........the cost of setting up

[betula]

After moving house and no prospect of a new allotment for a long time....it would be good to see into the future sometimes LOL,I gave away everything apart from the basic tools.

With the lack of a shed containing everything I need..........well the till is starting to ring.I am once again consulting skips .

What is the name of that site where people give stuff away they no longer need?

Anybody else finding the money side of it a bit much or is it me ,wanting things I could do without really LOL :-\

[betula]

[shirlton]

We would dread the thought of having to replace everything we use at the allotment. When you buy as you go along you don't notice how much you are spending. If we added it all up we would be amazed. I know that freecycle is a site that gives away. I only tried it once and my inbox was full so I quickly left it. I do believe that there are now local sites like it that are just in your area. You could always try a car boot but then you might be buying some knocked off stuff.

[goodlife]

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it would be good to see into the future sometimes LOL Oh indeed..would be a big help.. ;D
Is it freeserve you were looking for?
Money side when starting is always the issue..with me is all the time.. ::)..too many 'wants' surfasing all the time..particularly seeds.. ;D..and then there is never ending need of 'building' materials etc.
You just have to make right kind of 'friends' and start training the others for saving/salvaging for thing interest to you.. Soon you won't know where to put it all.. ;D ;D
Luckily I've got couple of builders living on our street..they always ask me now if  I'm in need of this and that from their work skips. Once I've got something spare fruit and veg wise..they are the first ones I offer them to.. ;D They must be please with our 'arrangement' as they keep offering things.. ;)

[Kleftiwallah]

Shirlton is correct, Freecycle is the site you need.  They are based in various towns around the country.  Don't forget to cruise the boot sales.   Cheers,   Tony.

[zigzig]

It is a good point.


OH said we were low on Tomato feed  the other day and when I saw the price of it I wondered WTF is the point? By the time they are ready the tomatoes will  have cost more than tp buy them in the shops.

It depends on where you are. Supermarket prices for perfectly shaped fresh veg are high.  Markets often have 'seconds' just as good but not perfectly shaped for less and frozen foods, such as peas will be good  enough.

On an allotment or in vegetable garden, most things come ripe at the same time.  That is the same time when the same fruit and veg are cheap in the shops.

So,  We find that sowing spuds early means that we have a crop when they are at the dearest.

Winter/Early Spring crops like leeks and purple sprouting broccoli are worth growing

Fruit of course is always expensive in the shops. Especially the berries which are labour intensive to pick.

Best of all is picking and cooking within minutes. The flavour and probably the goodness too is at it's peak.

The cost of setting up a new plot is up to you to be honest. It does take time to dig a plot in. To shape it, add fertilizers to it

Rather annoying when councils say that they are closing a site but will offer new land to the allotment holders. HOW DARE THEY?

New land needs digging into shape. Years of hard work have moulded a lot of plots and vegetable gardens.

Starting from scratch, if you have just moved means, to me. A lot of spuds.

[betula]

Well I have never been convinced that it is cheaper to grow your own.

For me an Allotment site is a magical place and I love being part of it  ::)

I think it is an amazing hobby,it gives you a great high when you take a successful crop home and the disasters just make me vow to do better next time.

I have just had a small weep LOL when I think of all I have given away re equipment and fruit etc.............luckily my DIL had most of it and it is good to see the Greenhouse up in her garden and my fruit trees growing nicely in her garden and seeing her use all my lovely tools gives me a great thrill Grrrrrrrrrrrr. ;D

I have put my name down on the local Freecycle thingy and I am waiting for them to approve of me.

Went a bit batty with the reduced wilco  seeds yesterday,it is good to be back LOL

[tomatoada]

Saw broadbeans in sainsburys at £4 a kilo which cheered me up.