Do Allotments Save You Money?

 For most of us growing our own is a hobby. Unlike most hobbies, it actually saves you money. Yes, you can spend a small fortune on equipment but you don’t need to. The few tools you absolutely need can be picked up for a few pounds second hand. Electric propagators and rotovators are great but you don’t absolutely need them.

Seeds are not expensive. With some crops like beans and shallots it is really easy to save your own so no cost there. Even those you buy aren’t really dear, I’m looking at a packet of calabrese that retails for £1.55 and contains 900 seeds. A conservative assessment is they will last 4 years once out of the packet and say 50% germination. That’s over 100 plants a year for 4 years. You could almost supply a branch of Tesco with that lot. All the broccoli you can eat for just 39p a year!

Rent for plots varies but even the extortionate rate of £80 a year some councils demand with menaces isn’t that large compared to the gains. A couple of years ago we calculated a plot could save an average family £800 a year. With inflation this is probably creeping towards the £1,000 mark now. Incidentally, that’s calculated on ordinary, not organic vegetables.

Growing your own teaches you the value of your food, the effort you put in means you reduce waste and the flavour means you eat better as you realise how tasteless a lot of the supermarket stuff actually is.

The only other thing is time – allotments and growing your own does take time but it’s time you enjoy spending. Not like a boring job, you get fresh air, exercise and company from other allotmenteers.

Hobby or Survival?

It’s a hobby now for most of us but I think a time will come when it’s going to be a matter of survival. Oil is going up and up so this will knock on into food. Everything from tractors to transport and fertiliser depend on oil.

Population is going to peak at around 9 to 10 billion by 2050 and the UK will have increased its population to 70 million and we import the majority of our food. This means we’ll be competing on the world market for a scarce product so the cost will only increase.

At the same time, countries like China and India are becoming wealthier and their populations are able to pay for better quality food. Specifically more meat in their diet and meat is far less efficient in terms of land use than a vegetarian diet.

Finally, the big unknown of climate change. It could be a nightmare scenario where the human race scrabbles to supply increased demand for food at time when production drops dramatically.

In that situation I can foresee rationing at least in the UK and Europe and growing your own being a matter of survival rather than a lifestyle choice.

Filed under Allotment Diary by John

How to

  На дачном участке обычно столбы устанавливают через 4 метра, проволоку натягивают на высоте 120 см над землёй. 

Проволока должна быть оцинкованной, толщиной 4-5 мм. 

В ряду растения высаживают через 70 см, а ряд от ряда делают на расстоянии 1,8-2,0 м, то есть на высоту нормально выросших кустов малины. 

Сажать малину можно с одинаковым успехом весной или осенью. 

Сажают под лопату по одному саженцу в лунку, но урожай получается раньше и лучше, если в каждую лунку сажают по два саженца.

Чтобы саженцы не подсохли (все же май), поливайте их раз в 3 дня до тех пор, пока не приживутся и не начнут расти.

Если «крапивка» слишком высокая, укоротите ее до 15-20 см. И обязательно перед посадкой обратите внимание на верхушку растения. Вялая и поникшая? От такого растения лучше отказаться: оно повреждено малинной мухой.

Выкапывать отпрыски можно только тогда, когда на них уже есть молодые корешки белого цвета. Пересаживать лучше во влажную и прохладную землю. Сделав лунку, перенесите росток вместе с комом земли, добавьте немного фосфорных удобрений и вылейте полведра воды. А затем замульчируйте посадки перегноем или торфом.

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Стебли малины имеют двухлетний цикл развития.

 Размножается малина корневыми отпрысками, корневыми черенками, делением кустов. 

Для посадки малины готовят траншеи шириной 40—50 см и глубиной 35—40 см. 

Весной, когда почки трогаются в рост, у всех стеблей, оставленных на плодоношение, удаляют верхушки до сильной, хорошо развитой живой почки. В одном кусте должно быть примерно 8—12 побегов на плодоношение. В августе, после сбора урожая, вырезают коротко, до уровня почвы, все отплодоносившие двухлетние ветви. Их сжигают. 

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Однако самым удачным решением являются такие горшочки, в которых растение может быть оставлено при пересадке в грунт. Это самодельные бумажные или газетные стаканчики, яичные скорлупки для мелких сеянцев, специальные емкости из прессованной рисовой муки, которые разлагаются в грунте, или торфяные горшочки.

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Things to Sow

• Beetroot
• Broad Beans
• Early Peas (but they may do best started in a gutter in the greenhouse then slipped into a trench)
• Brussels sprouts – early varieties like Peer Gynt will be ready in September
• Kohl Rabi
• Leeks
• Lettuce
• Radish
• Parsnips
• Spinach Beet
• Early Turnips

Grape, Raspberry, And Strawberry

 for grapes: in early spring about 3 weeks prior to last frost, set out year-old vines after trrimming their roots to 6 inches (this forces growth of feeder roots). Pace them as deep in the soil as they grew in the nursery, spreading the roots in all directions. Cut top growth back to two buds.

For strawberries: In most parts of the country they are planted in early spring, about 3 to 4 weeks before the last exected frost. Where winters are mild, you can plant them in early summer, autumn and winter. Throughly loosen the soil and if it has organic matter you should need no fertilizer. Before planting the roost should be kept moist and if from a nursery are probably year-old plants. Anyway, trim the roost to 6 inches for easier planting. Whe setting the plants, it’s essential to have the base of the crown at soil level, roots gently fanned out and the soil firmed around them. Roots must be completely buried.

Blueberry: plant them in the autumn if your winter is mild, otherwise, in early spring. Prune transplantsdown to 3 or 4 of their strongest shoots and prune off the plump fruit buds. Dig holes 18″ deep and as wide. Blend soil with organic matter before back-filling and planting. Set plants 4 to 6 feet aprat. Put down a thickmulch around each plant to help shallow roots to retain moisture. For purchasing blueberry plants one should buy 2 or 3 year-old plants that are 12 to 16 inches high. To allow essential cross-pollination, choose two or three different varieties to raise together. (Although today, some are certified as not requiring cross-pollination).
Rspberry: avoid planting where you have previously grown tomatoes, potatoes, peppers or eggplant – they may have tainted the soil with a potentially harmful fungus. Plant in early spring. Plant red and yellow raspberries in rows; purple and black raspberries should be planted 2 to 3 ft apart and devlop into “clumps.” Set all raspberries 1 to 2 inches deeper in soil than they were in the container. Cut back all newly planted canes to 5 or 6 inches above the ground.

Огурцы

 Кукурбитацин - это то самое вещество, которое придает горечь огурцам. И не только из-за недостаточного полива огурцы горчат. Кукурбитацин накапливается из-за избытка калия и фосфора, а редкие поливы просто делают его более концентрированным в огурцах.

А сажайте тогда, когда ночных заморозков не будет в вашей зоне. Если нет теплицы попробуйте так: половину бочки, любой объемный деревянный или металлический ящик наполните питательной землей, на дно неплохо бы навозу конского или коровьего, он будет подогревать землю. И сажайте туда. три корня посадите - огурцов будет море. Забыла один момент - повосмесью не до самого верха засыпайте, от верхней кромки емкости до уровня насыпанной смеси примерно 20 см оставьте. Молодые огурчики можно будет прикрыть от холода лутрасилом, например. Только не пленкой, без проветривания сгореть могут

Black radishes

 Grow black radishes much as you would the common rosy radish, although, as mentioned, they will take longer to mature – about 55 days. 

Plant black radish from mid to late summer (or in the fall in mild climates) either directly sown into the garden or started indoors to be transplanted. 

Space the plants 2 to 4 inches (5-10 cm.) apart or even farther if you want larger radishes. Sow the seeds in well-draining, loamy soil that has been raked free of stones. 

Situate the radish bed in an area that receives at least six hours of sunlight and has a soil pH of 5.9 to 6.8.

For storage, the mature plants can be kept in the ground if temperatures are low. The radish can also be stored for months in a root cellar or kept in the fridge for up to three weeks at 0–5°C (32–41°F).

How to make miso-roasted black radishes

We’re simply roasting some vegetables here—nothing fancy. Miso and roasted radishes make a perfect pair, so we combined miso paste, soy sauce, garlic (very finely minced!) and some vinegar to cook our radishes. 

For a fun visual touch, use a vegetable peeler to peel stripes along the length of the radish before slicing it into disks about 1/2 inch thick. 

Then, coat them in the miso mixture and roast. 

Start with 15 minutes on each side, but depending on how thick your slices are, you might want to add another 5-10 minutes to soften them. 

Once they’re soft, remove from the oven and enjoy!

• 2 medium-large black radishes
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1-2 cloves of garlic, very finely minced
• 1 tbsp. red miso paste
• ½ tbsp. soy sauce
• ½ tbsp. rice vinegar
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Prepare a baking sheet with a silicone mat and set aside.
2. Wash the radishes well, and use a peeler to create stripes, leaving parts with the black skin still attached (totally optional, but a fun visual effect!). Cut the radish into slices, about ½ inch thick.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, and mix well to combine. Once it’s thoroughly mixed together, add the radishes (in batches if necessary), stir to coat, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Pour any remaining sauce over the radishes, and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the radishes over, and bake for another 15-20 minutes until soft and a little crispy.

 Using black radishes in pressed salads: 

Basically, I slice them very thinly (using the food processor), along with thinly sliced carrot, cucumber, cabbage, etc, add a teaspoon of salt and mix it all for a few minutes with (clean) bare hands until the vegetables start to exude liquid. 

Then place a plate on top of the mound of salad, fill a tea kettle with cold water, place it on top of the plate and let it "press" the salad for about an hour. 

Then drain off the liquid and voila, a refreshing crunchy salad. 

It takes off the sharpness of the black radish so if you like the sharpness this may not be the best recipe, but I find it delightful. I saw this recipe in a macrobiotic cookbook. Bonne année.

Allotment at 27 Jun 2025

 

Epsom salt spray

Epsom salt adds magnesium, which helps plants grow strong and green.

How to make it:

• Mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt with  1 gal = 3.785 L  of water.
• Spray the mixture on your plants’ leaves or pour it into the soil.

Where-to-buy-seeds-for-less

https://www.muchmorewithless.co.uk/where-to-buy-seeds-for-less/

Perennial Vegetables: Babington Leek/ wild leek, Welsh leek.

 Babington's Leek (Allium ampeloprasum babingtonii) is available for purchase in the UK from various suppliers:

• Adaptive Seeds: Offers organic Babington's Leek bulbils for sale. Orders containing Babington's Leek and garlic or shallots will ship by late September.

• Otter Farm: Provides Babington's leek bulbils for sale. Available in packets of 5 pips suitable for sowing in modules or small pots.

• Kore Wild Fruit Nursery: Sells young Babington leek plants grown in 7 cm pots, available for mail-order.

• Growild Nursery: Offers Babington's Leek bulbils for UK customers only.

• Incredible Vegetables: Sells Babington perennial leek bulbils in packs of 20 with a special offer of 50% extra free.

Soil conditions, location, and cultivation

Will grow well in a wide range of garden soils, including clay ones – but does less well in especially gravelly soils. 

Will grow in semi-shade or full sun. 

Tolerant of wind.

Plant the bulbs or bulbils at any time of year, about 20cm apart, about 5-7.5cm deep. 

Shoots will emerge in late winter or early spring. 

Flower stalks do not usually emerge in the first year after planting, but in subsequent years, they appear in late spring/early summer and produce a head of bulbils (tiny bulbs) with a few sterile flowers.

Good Companion Plants for Leeks:

• Carrots: Leeks can help deter carrot root fly, and they share similar growth requirements. 
• Celery: Both plants benefit from being planted together. 
• Onions: Onions can help repel pests that may harm leeks, and they share similar growth conditions. 
• Spinach: Spinach is a good companion plant for leeks. 

Container gardening

 Container gardening is an excellent way to grow vegetables and herbs in small spaces, such as balconies or patios. The key is choosing the right pot size for each plant. Here’s a quick guide:

Choosing the Right Pot Size

5L Pots: Lettuce, Chard, Parsley, Basil, Chives

10L Pots: Radish, Celery, Turnip, Carrot, Kale

15L Pots: Cabbage, Beet, Garlic, Brussels Sprouts, Chillies

20L Pots: Tomato, Broccoli, Pepper, Chícharo (peas), Cauliflower

40L Pots: Cucumber, Potatoes, Watermelon, Zucchini, Melon

Quick Tips for Success

Use Quality Soil: Nutrient-rich, well-draining potting mix.

Sunlight: At least 6-8 hours daily.

Water Consistently: Pots dry out faster than ground soil.

Fertilise: Use organic or liquid fertilisers as needed.

Drainage: Ensure pots have drainage holes.

Support Climbing Plants: Use trellises or stakes.

Final Thoughts

With the right pot size and care, container gardening is an easy and effective way to grow fresh produce at home.