#19. Growing Vegetables on an Allotment
People who love gardening but don't have the space to enjoy this hobby, often take up growing vegetables or flowers on allotments. The concept of allotment gardens or community gardens as they tend to be referred to in the U.S., are plots of land made available for non-professional gardening. The city leases out the plots to individuals or groups for gardening purposes only.
Here's an idea worth considering by anyone who is simply aching to dig down into the dirt and start planting vegetables or anything else – allotment gardens. Keep reading to get some information about growing your vegetables on an allotment.
So you have secured your allotment garden and are all excited to get started. Be prepared to find your new garden plot full of weeds for starters and possibly a whole lot of junk left behind by the previous tenant. People are not always civic minded, so you might have to mentally prepare yourself for a huge cleanup job first.
In terms of rubbish it could be anything so when you start operation clean-up, do be careful of broken glass or rusted tools and other stuff. Wear your oldest clothes, a thick pair of workman's gloves, boots that can take you anywhere and get a wheelbarrow and some tools and you're in business.
Once you have cleared the area and see nothing but bare ground, it's your moment for rejoicing. The dream of starting a vegetable garden is now a reality.
Soil is very important, it will determine whether you succeed or not in turning out prize winning vegetables. If you are not sure about how to check the soil, take some away to be tested and analyzed. Nothing like doing things right the first time round. You need to understand your soil, what it contains and what is missing that you need to add. For example, the texture of the soil will tell how many nutrients it has and how well it will drain.
Your vegetables will require mostly 6.5 to 7.5 pH values; extremely high levels will kill off the micro organisms that feed the plants. Here's how you can test the texture of the soil. When the soil is neither too wet nor too dry, take a handful and really squeeze hard. If it instantly lumps together, sticks together or becomes shiny when rubbed, you've got clayey soil. Soil that sticks together, but breaks up when rubbed is silt. Soil that does not stick together is sandy.
When planning your plot layout, here are a few things you may want to add to the list. Two compost bins, manure bin, shed, water butt, old bath or pond; this will attract the beneficial wildlife your garden needs.