Markhole Allotment Association asks that each plotholder contribute £10 each year toward management of the Hatherop Road Allotment site. These subscriptions are our chief form of income and are vital for covering the daily running costs of our site. You can pay each year using one of the quick methods below: Bank Transfer: Please use the…
It happens, we all lose things now and then. If you’ve lost your allotment keys please follow these steps:
The allotment has plenty of tasks that need monitoring, planning and managing, so we need people with a little time, interest and varied experience to keep the site running. Without this input the site would very soon cease to operate. We’re always on the lookout for plotholders with a little spare time who have ideas or energy…
This site is run by a committee, for the Markhole Allotment Association, on behalf of the London Borough of Richmond. The association pays for ongoing costs — acquisitions, capital developments, maintenance, improvements, running the site and some non-fundraising events. The Council pays for water and the cost of maintaining the perimeter fence. We encourage every…
Different vegetables have different needs, so target water where it matters most. Common veg fall into three groups. Water throughout growth Fast, continuously growing veg needing roughly 20 litres/m² per week in dry spells: Water at key growth stages Water sparingly Mainly root veg, perennials and over-wintering crops that need little attention once established:
Extracts from Gardeners’ World
You’ll need to feed your plants for good crops. It can seem confusing — NPK ratios, trace elements, organic versus chemical — but for allotment growing, a few simple rules see you through. Your soil is probably in reasonable condition, and if it wasn’t cropped last year it may give decent crops with little extra…
Many plotholders advise not planting the same annual crop in the same place each year — for plant health and productivity, give it a new spot annually, with a minimum three-year cycle before a crop returns. This is where knowing your plant families pays off. The classic rotation is: Year 1 Year 2 Year 3…
A little botany helps. Vegetables fall into botanical families that tend to share characteristics — the part you eat, cropping season, growing needs or appearance: A few families offer just one crop of interest — sweetcorn (a grass) or lettuce (a daisy). The main fruits group under Rubus (raspberry, blackberry), Ribes (currants, gooseberry), Vitis (grape — there are a few vines…
Note how your plot sits relative to the sun. Most plots run north–south along their long dimension, so rows planted across the short dimension will shade each other. A six-foot row of runner beans casts a big shadow and is best aligned north/south, so it doesn’t shade neighbouring crops for most of the day but…