The official term is "Allotment garden" and is a plot of land within an "allotment field".
The plot must not exceed 40 square poles (1 rood) or, in the metric system, 1,011 square metres.
The plot is to be cultivated by the occupier to provide fruit and vegetables for consumption by his or her family.
A standard plot takes about 10,000 turns of the spade to turn it over assuming a 7inch by 5inch sod. Each sod has to be broken up and weeds extracted, a total of about 80 hours work.
Is that all?
No, construction work, raking, planting seeds, tying up, thinning, spraying, cropping and chats with neighbours doubles this and means that you must be prepared to invest about 3-4 hours a week of time. Most work is done in the months of April, May and June and an hour a day is about the minimum commitment in those months.
The usual allotment plot is 10 square rods
a rod is 5.5 yards, this allows for a plot 11 yards wide by 27.5 yards long. There are probably very few measured in metres, but 10 by 25 metres is about right.
Under various acts of parliament, local authorities are obliged to make a number of allotments available. In practice, demand has fallen away from 1,400,000 plots in 1943 to 300,000 in 1996 and the statutary numbers are far from being met.
Approach your local allotment society, the office (usually a shed) will be open at least once a week. Do not be scared, after all you are intending to embark on a hobby and like all other hobbies you will find that they cannot wait to give you advice!
Do not be put off, there is usually a waiting list, but if you persevere you may find that there is an unwanted, neglected plot, or an uncultivated one that can be acquired. Go every week if necessary and get your face known. I was originally offered the bramble patch below!
Half size plots
Many allotment societies offer half size plots and/or joint tenancy.
The problem with sharing plots is the tendancy for one party to end up doing a disproportionate amount of the work leading to ill-feeling.
Prices vary but as a guide, my full plot in Liverpool costs £32 a year, about the cost of a ticket to watch Liverpool FC for 90 minutes!
The way you approach the digging will depend on three main factors, the time of the year, the type of soil,and the condition of the plot.
I was lucky as it was late winter, sandy soil, and some of the plot cultivated the previous year.
The basic requirement in all three is exercise and commitment. If you are afraid of these then try knitting.
OK you have got your allotment and are itching to get going, you probably have some tools, but if not, it is time to go shopping.
You will need a fork spade and rake to start with and these can be bought cheaply from B&Q. Stainless steel is the nicest material as it is light and soil does not stick to it as much as ordinary steel. The only problem is that is not as strong and the fork tines will bend if you lever too hard against buried bricks.
Screwfix direct sell a stainless steel fork and spade for only £11.99 each. I bought a stainless steel spade 40 years ago when I was 21, they were a new invention, it lasted 25 years and cost about £20!
As long as you can get the tools to the plot, a shed can wait. Mine was dellivered after 6 months and transformed the plot. Next year the trellis will have climbers growing over it.
between the two. The left hand wire fence surrounding the water board pumping station has black-berries growing over it. At the rear are globe artichokes and the other edible items are horseradish,spinach, nasturtiums and apples. There are roses and dahlias to provide cut flowers and plenty of annuals to attract bees and other pollinating insects. Two of our plotholders keep bees and I am considering doing the same.