As an allotment plot holder I’m always looking for any handy hacks I can put to use. Allotments are often eclectic places, filled with repurposed items and interesting inventions all designed to help our crops to grow and keep anything from getting to our produce before we do!
I’m always searching for handy hacks for your allotment plot that can be put to good use. Even better if they are free or made using repurposed objects I can find around my house or in a skip somewhere. Over the years I’ve used a fair few handy hacks for your allotment plot and here are some of my favourites that I thought I would share with you!
BLUE WATER PIPING
Blue water piping can be bought fairly inexpensively and used over and over again for things like structures or irrigation. I cut my water piping to size and slot over bamboo canes in a bed to provide a brilliant and durable structure for keeping netting in place.
The piping is easy to buy and can be used over and over again as it just doesn’t wear out easily. If you use similar sized beds on your allotment, the structure can be moved about as you change the position of crops that need protection.
CRUSHED SHELLS
Crushed shells made a great barrier against slugs and snails. They also have an added benefit of being completely natural which means they won’t add any nasty chemicals to your soil. If you leave the shells around your plants for long enough, they will add goodness to the soil. Or you could put the into your compost when you are done with them.
Of course, it’s very important that your egg shells are completely dry before using them. There should be no egg residue on the shells, otherwise they may in fact attract slugs and snails to your crops as well as wasps, which is quite the opposite of what you are trying to achieve!
BUCKETS AS PLANTERS
Another handy hack for your allotment plot, is to reuse containers wherever possible. You don’t need to be buying plastic pots to grow crops in or start seeds in. You can easily reuse almost any container you have.
The trick is to make sure it has drainage holes. If it doesn’t, add some! Yogurt pots, milk cartons and coffee cups are all great for starting seeds.
WINE BOTTLE WATERING
Going on holiday can be a bit stressful if you are having to leave pots or water hungry plants behind! If you can’t find someone else to water while you’re away, you’ll have to think of another way to get water to your crops.
Using a bottle such as a wine bottle filled with water and pushed into the soil can help to slowly release water into the soil, stopping plants from drying out. I like to do this at my allotment plot in the corner of each of my beds. That way they have a water source while I’m away that their roots can stretch to.
I’ll be sharing more watering hacks over the next couple of weeks so check back to find out more!
PEAS IN GUTTERING
There’s a fantastic allotment garden hack I learned a few years ago which was all about peas. You see, peas hate their roots to be disturbed. We also tend to plant them in rows. Here’s a great little hack to tackle both those things, plant them into guttering! Once they are grown, you can just tip them out into the trench along your structure.
I have the added issue of mice eating my pea seeds before they have had a chance to germinate and so I find it much easier to protect them in guttering that I can move onto a higher surface and cover with chicken wire.
SCOURING PADS AS SLUG PROTECTION
Another handy hack for your allotment plot is to use scouring pads as slug protection. The idea is to provide a barrier around smaller crops that they can’t cross. they don’t like the rough surface and will avoid it at all costs giving your plants a chance to grow strong enough to protect themselves.
The thing to think about when you do this, is to make sure the scouring pad is completely level with the soil. If it’s raised on one side, slugs may use it as a nice place to sleep for the night, thus creating the perfect slug B&B to stay in.
I hope these hand hacks for your allotment plot help to inspire you this growing season. Allotment plots are full of interesting and inventive ideas. Take a look around your own site and see if anyone there has any exciting ideas for protecting crops or making their hardening life a little easier. If you find any, share them below in the comments!
