Getting the best from an allotment space often requires a little bit of ingenuity – and, perhaps, the help of a few key pieces of equipment. If you’re looking to get the best from your allotment throughout the year, then it’s worth considering a few different ideas. Let’s take a look at some of the best of them.
Getting a Small Polytunnel
A polytunnel is a flexible alternative to a greenhouse. You can think of it as a kind of transparent tent in which your plants can sit. This will allow them to thrive in a variety of weather conditions, and leave your allotment less vulnerable to sudden swings in temperature and precipitation.
You don’t need a very big polytunnel to get great results. You might even leave certain plants outside of the tunnel, and concentrate the more fragile ones under cover.
Create Paths
If you find that you’re constantly having to watch where you step, then it might be a good idea to plan out a few pathways through the space. This might mean compromising on the amount of space in which you can actually grow things. But, on the other hand, you’ll be able to actually enjoy the time you spend in your allotment, and be able to tend to a few plants well rather than many plants badly.
Plant Perennial Fruits and Herbs
Certain kinds of plant will persist for years, returning in spring from their roots. This might be taxing on the surrounding soil, so you’ll need to keep on top of your composting. On the other hand, perennials tend to be much more forgiving, especially for beginners, and for time-poor gardeners.
Tomatoes, strawberries, garlic and basil all tend to be effective perennials. Keep them well maintained, but don’t scrub away any dead foliage that might collect on the soil – when it rots, it’ll pay dividends.
Customize things
What’s the point in owning an allotment if you can’t put your own unique spin on things? A few personalized items can help you to feel that you’re at home in your allotment, and to set yourself apart from your fellow gardeners. Go for unique tools, and perhaps a few choice decorative items, like plant-pots and whimsical signage. Less is more, here: you want the plants themselves to remain the stars of the show.
Plan ahead
The more that you plan the allotment in advance, the better the results that you’ll get. This means marking where you’ve planted your crop, using a ruler to divide things up nicely, and writing things down as much as possible. You might even resort to electronics, using technological tools to monitor and maintain things like soil acidity, temperature and moisture.