Encouraging newcomers

[KG Steve]

Hi chaps,

We are asking for your views again in preparation fot he next issue and would welcome your input.

We have a debate about how to get newcomers interested in the hobby and howto keep them interested.

What do you see as the biggest attractions in growing your own fruit and veg?

Lots of newcomers are put off after experimenting with plotholding for a short while. How can we best keep their interest going?

Perhaps the media tries to make it all sound too easy, so that the hard work that might greet them in the form of an overgrown plot is just too much of a shock?

Maybe more half plots would be the answer - or more help when setting up for the first time?

Maybe the old tradition of learning from parents or grandparents no longer holds true leaving them unprepared? How can we fill address this learning gap?

Any comments on this topic very welcome and as usual we'll fit in as many of your views as we can in the next issue.

[Nature's Babe]

Well with home growing freshness and taste prove a good incentive, if you can spare a gift of produce they might just get a taste for it.
Encourage them to start small, a lot can be grown on a balcony, in a small backyard or in tubs and windowboxes while waiting for an allotment.
Encourage them to make it a family adventure, it shouldn't all fall on one persons shoulders and can be fun.
Mastergardener scheme in some areas happy to mentor those who are learning gardening skills, the scheme is gradually expanding
Children can be involved and there are easy packets of seeds designed tor them. Explain there are educational opportunities and ways to stimulate a childs imagination, a wee patch of garden can be themed to suit the child, I once saw a wizard of oz garden complete with yellow brick road.... well path. Runner beans would fit with a jack and the beanstak theme, or call them rocket runners for a space theme, just use imagination.The BBC has a section on gardening with projects to interest young children.
It is disheartening to be faced with a big weedy plot, so half plots or sharing at first is a good idea. Gardening is as hard or as easy as you want to make it some double dig and pull out every weed, others opt for lasagne gardening to smother the weeds and condition the soil, or check out Emelia Hazlips synergistic garden on you tube for less weeding and watering and no need to buy wood or plastic for raised beds , Different things suit different people it's a matter of choice
Finally help them find a good gardening book that explains good soil is the basis for good plants, or link in to a good gardening forum like this one!

[peter]

My council will no longer let full plots, 5 rod is the max.
Having a site agent who gets to know both the site and the plotholders helps, especially if he shows prospective tenants vacant plots and chats to them realistically about what the pros and cons of the plot are, also about the effort needed for the same reward using different techniques.
Substitute Association Secretary or Chairman for association run sites.
Create (or crib) a rules & advice book for each organisation which let allotments: site.& organisation rules & guides, plus handy hints & tips.
TV lies, it takes time to make a good plot, both working on it and in years of repeating the seasonal tasks like digging and manuring.
Even a small plot needs regular hard work.
People, clear, sow, b****r off for three months, then wonder what's happened...
After 5 years and with no weed wasteland next door you will probably find it needs a bit less work because the soil will be better and the weeds less numerous.
Weed recognition guide through the seasons.
Don't rotovate if you have these weeds, list....
If you want raised beds be aware of the financial and green cost of the instant result route as shown on TV and don't fill them with peat based composts.
How and when to safely and economically use weedkiller to clear pernicious weeds, so many people think they can use glyphosate in winter, or path clearing killers on productive ground. Even if you personally are "agin" weedlillers your plot neighbour may want to use them and the correct application next door is better than "splash it on all over on a breezy day".
You are unlikely to feed a family of four on a half or quarter plot, especially if you're trying different stuff you can't yet in the shops.
You're unlikely to save money just on veg. However add in not joining a gym, regarding it as your prime hobby and cost soft fruit in at supermarket prices 14lb of raspberries yesterday alone for me.
Another benefit is the psychological and longevity benefits of gardening and being outdoors to the rat-racer.

Magazines like KG to write some articles along those lines, especially weeds to look for this month and ways to deal with them. Methods to cover both empty ground and in amongst.crops e.g. raspberries.

[WestHamRon]

I have often been bewildered how a magazine/ website called Kitchen Garden, seems to be almost exclusively the preserve of allotment holders.

[peter]

A friend of mine, who just happened to win the National Allotment Trust Best Allotment competition a couple of years ago, reckons Kitchen Garden is the best of the glossy garden magazines says they know what they're writing about.

Maybe therein lies part of the answer.

Personally my back garden is 60 x 20 feet max, the allotments are 150 feet from my back gate and I prefer KG because its the best.

[Nature's Babe]

Allotment or garden, it's still all gardening, I have used both in the past, many large gardens have been appropriated to build on which is a shame, and the norm is a smaller garden plot these days so allotments are a good alternative when all that is available is a tiny garden.

[Colin Miles]

A magazine like KG owes it to its readers, or potential readers, to be honest and practical. Becoming involved in growing your own can mean a wide range of things, from the small back gardens that most people have, to taking on an allotment. So a menu which offers a choice of gardening might be the place to start, and what can be expected from each, the problems, how much effort is involved, how often, the possible savings if any, the benefits, etc.

Thus with container gardening - like growing potatoes in tubs, which seems to have become very popular - advice on watering is important, when to plant, when and how to harvest and varieties. And with small gardens and container what to grow and varieties.

At the other end it becomes 'So you are thinking of taking on an allotment?' Is it right for you? Are you prepared to put in the effort needed? Are you fit enough?

When I was 'in charge' of a number of allotments and trying to persuade and advise newcomers the main problems were: How to deal with a weedy allotment - don't rotovate as by the time you have anything worthwhile trying to grow it will be twice as weedy - very depressing. Don't overdo it - newcomer spends all weekend digging, does his back in and isn't seen for months, or ever again. Even though I was fit and had previous gardening experience, when I took one over and despite being aware of the problems and only spending 20 mins digging it was enough to put my back out. The 'newcomers' who who succeeded were either ones with previous experience, or those who took it slowly and did try to do everything at once.

But I think the emphasis should be on the small back garden particularly as in many parts of the country there is a waiting list on most allotments.

[Johnboy]

The sad thing with newcomers to gardening is they always start in the spring and are faced with the bit where it says 'the ground you prepared last Autumn!' This is something that really must be looked at because half of us no longer do autumn digging. Ground preparation is all important and the use of weed killers must be mentioned however distasteful it may be to some. We need to get people familiar to gardening and gardening terms and reference always made to this forum should anybody not understand what is meant because there are enough of us 'olduns' only too willing to help.
The new gardener needs a 'things to do diary' on a monthly basis which if printed on the middle pages of the magazine can be pulled out to form a small work of reference. This must be couched in very simple terms but not quite the Idiots Book of Computing!
My grandfather showed me how to garden but it took Lawrence Hills to inspire me some years later, in the years before the HDRA was formed.
He was a wonderful teacher and a source of inspiration to all who were privileged to know him. His books may be regarded by some as very dated but the basic information contained therein will never change.
JB.

[Colin Miles]

Many newcomers can only be weekend gardeners. Is an allotment a viable option for them? If so, how should they go about it?

As others have mentioned, the pure economics of growing your own in terms of expenditure on seeds, equipment, etc., plus the time spent, don't really add up. But against that there potentially considerable health benefits in terms of fitness and general well-being - compare this to the cost of gym membership for instance. And obviously fresh food is not only better for you and tastes better.

But very basic advice overall is what is desperately needed. And also that it's ok NOT to be totally 'Organic' - non-Organic food won't kill you! If I were running the web site I would have a whole section devoted to different types of beginners!

[Shallot Man]

Maybe a page purely for newcomers, staring from scratch, IE over-run plot that hasn't been touched since the Norman Conquest.

[peter]

I spend hardly any time at my plot during the working week, but, when the weather is ok and the clay is workable, then most of the weekend and about half my annual leave are spent there.

[Stephen]

I have only been at this lark for a short time (5 years)
OK: in no particular order.

Sources of encouragement are:
- from the plotholders around you.
- from something doing well reasonably quickly.

If people approached me for advice I would suggest:
- spuds. They are reliable, decently trouble free and mean that you dig the ground several times. This helps you develop a routine and as you will inevitably need to dig out a lot of weeds (see the other thread), you will need to dig the land. If short of space just grow earlies (because really new potatoes are a real treat)
- mint. To go with the spuds of course, always grows well. You soon learn that some things grow too vigourously, which is useful too.
- mixed salad leaves. Of the pick off a few leaves every few days type (such good value compared to stuff imported from abroad)
- Raspberries. Autumn fruiting/primocanes. They are so easy to look after, reliable and a real treat to eat, have an excellent fruiting season. Put them in in the winter and you have fruit in months.

I would advise having a gardening buddy. It may not be the person you live with, it may be your neighbour on the plot.
I would warn them that it takes time: the gardening programmes are a real curse from this point of view; after five years I feel I am getting somewhere but I still need to do things which will take time (work on the rhubarb, moving some of the gooseberries, take out the tired roses and put in a few more asparagus - there is a long term project!). Rome was not built in a day and gardening is a long term project.

I have a concern about half-plots. My first plot was a half size and I felt after a year that I needed more space. In some ways I was very lucky in that my half (I had no choice) had rhubarb, several gooseberries and a couple of (tired) blackcurrants, so much of the available space was taken up. I was really lucky that the other half became available and I had a sympathetic rep who allocated it to me. At different times of the year I feel it is too large but most of the time I am thinking of where I can squeeze something in.

It takes ages to clear the weeds (actually it takes forever, you never clear them) and you need to realise that reality is never like the portrayal on the telly!

I hope this doesn't sound dispirited because I love it (most of the time) but if anyone approaches it think that a weekend will be enough to reshape it into a mass of productive growth.

[Geoff]

There is a group near here that seeks to focus peoples' attention on locally produced food as part of an environmental agenda. To further this they have organised a "Garden Food Day" where they show through a "Bring, Swap, Buy" stall and a display what can be produced in gardens in the area. There will also be a demonstration of container growing entitled "No garden - No problem!". There will be people on hand to offer grow your own advice. In the afternoon there will be an "Edible Garden Trail" where people growing their own vegetables will open their gardens. The objective is to show people what is possible and encourage them to have a go.

http://www.benthamlocalfood.org.uk/

[glallotments]

I think often new plot-holders have this idealistic attitude about what it would be like to grow your own food. When realism hits home then it can become a bit of a shock. Once a plot is tidy - it doesn't actually stay that way without commitment and effort.

One reason for quickly giving up a new plot is that the new plot holder doesn't appreciate the time that they need to commit. To be successful you have to consider taking on a plot as a hobby - in other words you have to actually enjoy the activity and not just the outcome.

Smaller plots may be the answer for some newcomers but our council now will only allow new tenants to have half a plot which for some more enthusiastic gardeners isn't enough.

Many new plot holders feel that the only way to set out a plot is to spend a considerable amount of time building semi raised beds. It would be good to dispel this myth and lay out the alternatives with pros and cons. For instance the planks placed around growing areas will not last forever and if the beds are too small can cause maintenance problems.

For some even a half plot is too much so as already mentioned a focus on what can be achieved in containers is the answer. You can grow your own in a small yard or balcony right outside your own door so you don't have to add a journey to an allotment to your time allocation. You can just spend a few minutes when you can watering and maintaining containers.

[Nature's Babe]

Enjoying the activity and not just the outcome makes sense Gallotments, when we enjoy something we tend to approach it positively.
Thinking about this further, maybe also suggest the more easy veg to grow first, and quick easy things like cut and come again salad and radishes, produce quick rewards. Also it is important to grow what you like to eat and if space is limited it helps the budget to grow what is more expensive to buy, rather than loads of spuds which can be purchased relatively cheaply. Depending on the new gardeners budget, it might make sense to buy plants to get a quick result, but planting seeds are cheaper if you have the time.