Allotment Tales: Don't lose the plot

Published on Wednesday 10 June 2009 17:40

I FIRST visited the prospective site of Comrie allotments on the former Cultybraggan Army Camp more than two years ago on a snowy winter morning. Flat ground bounded by distant hills must make it one of the more scenic allotment sites, although I remember my cold toes and the hospitality of the Comrie folk more than the view.

The initial negotiations over rents, leases and facilities are passed. Wrestling with a theodolite and lengths of string measuring out the plots is part of history. You might think that actually getting a spade in the ground would be welcome relief.

For newcomers who join an established site, there is no shortage of help and you can look around and see what your neighbours are up to. There will be advice on what grows well. Even if the plot you have taken on is a bit neglected, with luck you'll have inherited some rhubarb and a few fruit bushes.

Not so on sites such as Comrie, where everyone is new and the nascent plots are just a grassy field. For some people, this is their first experience of gardening and excitement could give way to despair.

Families and friends will be expecting to sample some produce sooner rather than later to justify long hours spent on the allotment neglecting the usual domestic chores. Early successes are very necessary.

Comrie's "Welcome Pack" for new allotmenteers is a shining example of how to help the first-timers make some headway. It lists some quick and easy crops such as radishes, peas and beans. There are sections on composting, weeding and watering, together with recipes for organic liquid feeds and how to cope with pests.

Trying to prepare the whole plot at one go will have something in common with painting the Forth Bridge. By the time you have reached the end the weeds will have recolonised the beginning and you may be heading for the osteopath. Reaching for a rotavator is not a quick fix. The blades will chop the roots of all those perennial weeds such as docks and couch grass into little pieces, and where you had one this year you may have 20 next. The secret of success with a new site is to take it slowly, section by section, planting as you go.