Meet the committee

Asters sown at the side of a plot to bring colour and to encourage bees

You need have no worries as to the quality of your crops as they will mature and ripen naturally and you can have the satisfaction of harvesting your own produce.  It is always exciting to dig up your first potatoes or to watch the runner beans that you sowed as hard, dry seeds in spring grow around their poles, attracting bees and forming long, luscious pods in summer. You will get a real sense of achievement as you watch your plants grow and mature and are able to take home bags of your own crops, knowing that you haven’t had to queue at the checkout and pay top price for them.

The rep with a squash he has cut from his plot

If you have ever tasted home-grown vegetables you will remember the very special flavour – quite unlike that of anything bought from the supermarket.

Why pay extortionate prices for flowers when you could pick your own from your own plot? Or you could just leave them to cheer the other plot holders as they pass and admire your plot.

Two roots of main crop potatoes – Maris Piper – planted 19 April 2004

Tomatoes – Alicante – sown indoors in February, transferred to greenhouse and hardened off at home for planting outside late May

Health advantages

Having an allotment means that you have to get out into the open air. It is a means of taking exercise without the boredom of a work-out and you can spend as long as you like at any one session and can stop when you have had enough. You don’t have to run the Marathon or even go jogging round the houses – after a session on the allotment you will feel you have done your daily exercise routine, knowing that your efforts will be worthwhile, since you will be working to till the ground and improve your crops.

For the good of the family

How many children are unwilling to eat greens and other vegetables?  If they have grown or helped grow them they are sure to want to try them! You know that by giving the family home grown produce you are giving them the best.

Giant sunflower
very easy to grow

One plot holder is ready for a picnic or just to sit and relax for a while

Relaxation and leisure

Working an allotment is therapeutic, a change from the workplace or the home.  You can work off your frustrations and anger by digging or pulling out the weeds.  It will give you an added interest that requires both mental and physical exertion – in planning what crops to grow and when to sow or plant and in the day to day maintenance of your plot. It will take your mind off your problems and give you a quiet and peaceful environment to work out possible solutions.

Some plot holders have greenhouses, others use what methods they have available to give additional protection for crops

The social aspect

Allotments are friendly places where you meet all sorts of different people, with different interests. The whole family can get involved and can work together with a common purpose – or you may just want to get away from them for a while and be on your own! You need never feel isolated on an allotment because there will always be people passing and ready to exchange ideas and offer advice. You need never be afraid to ask what crops to grow or how to set about it. You can be assured that there will an abundance of knowledge and experience which you can tap into and before long you will be sharing your experiences and expertise with new tenants.

Autumn digging in preparation for the next crop – maybe onions to over winter

The educational aspect and wildlife

There is much to learn about the environment and nature.  You can learn how to make compost and recycle your kitchen waste to improve the fertility of your soil and grow bigger and better crops. You will learn to recognise the song of the robin or the call of the green woodpecker.  You will come across ladybirds, lizards and slow worms.  Your children will learn to care for the environment and be encouraged to discover how plants grow and develop. If they have a part of the plot that is their own responsibility they can have the satisfaction of growing and eating their own radishes or onions, for example as a change from watching TV or playing computer games.

Runner beans ready for harvesting

One of the reps by his plot. He will always help you look for a vacant plot

When is a good time to take on an allotment?

You can start at any time, although the best time is the autumn when weeds and grass are beginning to die down. There is no rush to plant or sow new crops until the spring and the ground is usually just right for digging to prepare and feed the soil for the spring.  The Council’s renting year starts in October when a newsletter is circulated to all plot holders.

This plot has been carefully laid out into beds with gravel paths between

Expenditure

You will find that the rent for a plot is very cheap and there are plenty of places where you can buy inexpensive seeds and plants, including allotment huts at other Sutton sites, for an annual subscription of £1.  In addition once you get started you will find that other plot holders will often offer you some of their spare seeds and plants.

A general view across the site showing water tap – ready for use in spring and summer

One of the plot holders trimming the edges of her plot

The Roundshaw Allotments and Leisure Group

The tenants of the Roundshaw allotments have formed a society and a committee to set in motion a regeneration process of the site and to encourage new plot holders to come and join us. We have a number of projects in mind and will publish up to date information on this site. Our first project is a workshop with the Centre for Environmental Initiatives (CEI) to build a composting toilet on site.

Another plot holder hoeing to keep her bed clear of weeds