| All About Allotments |
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| A website about growing fruit and vegetables based on my experience cultivating an allotment plot in Liverpool in the North West of England. |
| By Dr George Cook |
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| An allotment is a large undertaking requiring an average commitment of five hours a week , although the work tends to be squashed into busy months such as April, May, June and July. Remember that picking and cleaning crops, tending to pathways and compost heaps and general maintainance all take time. The table shows a typical years commitment by me after the plot was established. Construction works were still in progress in 2009 and completion is due in 2010. (I set myself a five year taget). |
| Most owners of new plots start with great enthusiasm but when, after digging a small patch, they realise the enormity of what they have undertaken, gradually do less and less and are asked to vacate the plot. This is a great shame as the plot is left in a mess for a further year and the weeds get bigger making it even more difficult for the next incumbent. Luckily 1/3rd of mine was covered in old carpet and I started in March before the grass and weeds had started growing vigorously as can be seen in the May photograph. |
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| March 2006 |
| May 2006 |
| June 2008 |
| Nearly halfway there! |
| January February March April May June |
| 8 9 34 29 58 78 |
| July August September October November December |
| 46 19 23 29 10 5 |
| Example of my monthly hours worked totalling 348 (about an hour a day) |
| These hours are affected by weather, holidays, and work, and include construction works and picking crops. |
| My website is split into sections that are accessed from the right hand column and was originally an extension of my site allaboutliverpool.com which has proved too much to maintain. I have restarted this site as allaboutallotments.com with it's own domain name and some links will continue to use the old site until all the pages are completely rewritten. Vegetables and fruit will have their own pages and will eventually contain health information. |
| I am a full-time GP in Liverpool and am well acquainted with the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle. A diet low in vegetable content, lack of exercise, and cigarette smoking are the main causes of many debilitating and life threatening diseases. An allotment helps the first two but I am amazed at how many plotholders smoke. Sunlight is the source of essential vitamin D and provided you do not burn, and you keep an eye on moles for change, is good for you. |
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| September selection of vegetables |
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| Homepage |
| YouTube video taken July 1st 2009 This video was taken just after my plot had been judged as an entrant to the "Best plot in Liverpool" competition. It was my first attempt and I was awarded third prize. All the paths have been paved and the surrounding fence posts, with wires for supporting fruit, are nearly finished. The basic layout with thirty 2.4m x 1.2m (8x4ft) beds enables me to have various modules to move from bed to bed. There are plastic, net and fine mesh ones in different heights to suit different crops. I now manage to produce most of the vegetables that my family of three need with extra at glut times to give away. The link at the side goes to my YouTube page where there are several more videos of the plot. |
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