TOP TIPS FOR YOUR FIRST ALLOTMENT PLOT

Hello everyone, welcome to my allotment plot. My name is Emma. Today I want to give you some advice for starting your first allotment plot. I do get a lot of comments and questions about what to do when you first get your hands on a plot. I know this is the time of year when a lot of people are given their first plots, so I would like to give you a little bit of advice, things that I have learned from taking on my first allotment plot. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel if you are new around here and I will get straight into my top tips. The first thing I did when I first got my plot was to decide on the layout of my plot. As you can see behind me I've gone for raised beds. I like raised beds because I just think they're easy, they're so simple, you can reach in, you can weed them, you can give your plants exactly the environment that each plant deserves. So for me choosing raised beds was all about making it as easy to access as possible. Top tip number two is to think about your paths. You want them to be wide enough so that you can get a wheelbarrow down them and you don't want them to get too muddy. I've gone for wood chip paths just for that reason that I don't want to get really really muddy in the winter. I still like to come here. Paths are really really important at your plot. You need to think about access to your compost bin, access to your shed, access to your raised beds if you've chosen to have them. So paths are your next point of thinking. Right, your raised beds are in, your paths are in, your plot's looking nice and tidy. It's time to think about what you're going to be planting. Here's a quick top tip. Try to just plant the things that you actually are going to use and eat. This is a beautiful chard that I've grown and I've probably only used it about three or four times. So try to really really think about what it is you're going to actually be picking and eating. Otherwise it just acts as a pretty plant that is not much good to you. Be realistic about the amount of time that you've got to spend at your allotment plot. I come here nearly every day but if you haven't got that much time grow things like broccoli, cabbage, rhubarb, things that kind of take care of themselves and then you're not feeling under pressure to have to be here every single day. Think about wildlife. Flowers are really pretty but they actually bring in a lot of pollinators into the allotment plot so consider growing a big flower bed. And maybe think about putting in a pond like this. It didn't take much time, it's really fun. It's really fun to come and watch the wildlife here and it attracts frogs, beetles, all kinds of wildlife which is definitely something you really want in your allotment plot. Here's another quick tip. Take photos of your allotment plot regularly. Whenever you're feeling defeated you can always look back on these photos and just see the progress that you've made. I upload mine to Instagram and whenever I'm feeling a little bit deflated I can always just flick through them and see all the progress that I've made at the plot so far. Another top tip, get a shed. If you're even debating thinking about it, get a shed. You can store your tools in there, you can sit in there when it rains, you can have a nice hot cup of tea. So even if you're just thinking about it, my advice is if you can, get a shed. You don't have to paint it pink and decorate it but I would definitely say go for it if you want to. I have a slightly different technique when I plant things out in my allotment plot. It's called the whack it in technique. Gardening can be very complicated, very stressful. There's numerous books you can buy, you can watch all the TV shows but at the end of the day, look, this is a seed. Its sole purpose in life is that it wants to grow. This one wants to grow into a runner bean plant so whatever I do it's just going to be helping it to do the one thing that it was born to do, to grow into a plant. It really doesn't have to be any more complicated than sticking this in the ground, giving it a bit of water and seeing what happens and if it doesn't grow, you can try again or try something else or better yet, pick it up, chuck it in the compost heap. I hope at least some of these tips were helpful for you and good luck with your new allotment if you've got one. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel and I will see you in my next video guys. Thanks for watching. Bye!