How much work should I expect on a new allotment?

Hi everyone,
I've recently been allocated a small allotment :daisy:
When I signed up, I chose the half-plot (about 60 m2) over the full plot(120) on advice of other gardener's, since I am new to it. I only have experience growing vegetables & fruit on my very small balcony, so digging and composting were not involved.

I am now wondering how much work I should expect to have to do?
I have dug it over partly last week and planted whatever I had, but that seems to be it for now.
I must admit, that I had expected this to be more work already!
I do realize that the season is coming to an end here (Netherlands).

Could you advice on how much time I might be spending in spring and summer?
One of the reasons is, that I have planned so many veg/fruit-plants for the plot that I will probably be running out of space before the summer, so I am wondering if I should have applied for a full plot. I am probable far too ambitous

 

Let's get more specific, please.
Some vegetable plants have a life cycle that ends in the middle of summer and the space it once occupied is available once again. It is probably best to grow something OTHER than what you planted early in the growing season.

Mulch or landscape fabric around your plants can reduce your need for intense labour.
You can use a hoe or cultivator between the rows and keep your garden clean and weedfree with only a few minutes work as long as the tedious work of weeding around delicate plants is eliminated.

Planting cucumbers or peas on a trellis takes a little extra labor to establish the trellis, but will save labor and space when weeding and harvesting.

Perhaps you can visit neighboring garden plots to get a better idea of the space that a mature vegetable plant requires.

You might find raised beds, cold frames or French-Intensive method a way to improve efficiency as well.

Have you tried growing collard greens? They are in the cole family such as cabbage, but are more cold-hardy.
Parsley and certain root crops can also feed you later in the year.

 

Hi Gardenguy, thanks for your response.

What I meant when I said 'planted whatever I had' was that I had kale- and chard - miniplants (sown earlier on balcony) which I planted out, now that I have some space.
It's not that I don't know what I want to grow or what is feasable to grow, I'm just wondering if the amount of work required to keep the plot healthy and productive in spring and summer is as much as I expect/have been warned about. I have done some research into growing, what, when, how, but I find it difficult to get some no-nonsense advice about time required (minimum - of course you can take as long as you like) as well as how labour-intensive this would be.
If general agreement seems to indicate I can easily manage, I may be inclinced to apply for a full plot instead of the half one I have now.

 

Thanks for explaining further...
My experience is that there is the initial flurry of activity at planting time.
Adding soil amendments, tilling, planting, re-installing trellises. You may want two or three days off from work and other commitments at that time.
Then there is daily watering unless you have regular rains. My climate is much hotter and sunnier than yours.
Before insects multiply, all you are doing is hoeing weeds and watering. As seedlings develop roots, you can reduce watering to every other day unless it is very hot.
Hoeing weeds does not take much time, but neither can you skip out of town for a week and not have a lot of work waiting for you when you get back.
Between rows it is easy. But the weeds like to grow near the plants where you have been more generous with water. That will require hand plucking, but an hour or two twice a week is enough for most home gardens.

As vegetables are ready to harvest, you must go out every day to pick them. Doesn't take long, but except for the odd weekend holiday, you really need to set foot in your garden every single day.
As insects multiply, you probably need to add an extra hour to your garden time every other day to remove and destroy them. If you have guinea fowl, they will help you. Ducks and geese can save you a lot of time with weeding, but you must wait until your vegetable plants are well established. Never allow chickens in your garden, except for corn (maize).
Squash, cucumbers and tomatoes seem to require the most attention. You need not be quite so attentive with beans and corn.
Hope this addresses your concerns a little better.

 

Thanks very much for your extensive reply. I think I'll stick with my half plot for now, as you are pointing out, keeping the insects away and weeding will probably be much more work than I can realistically foresee.
I am considering buying some barriers/gauze to keep butterflies and birds off the fruits and vegetables.
Let's see how my first proper harvest will turn out :daisy:

 

Maybe I am missing something, but how can you ensure pollination of your crops AND keep unwanted insects out?

Put a beehive under the gauze perhaps?
What if you cover your vegetables with gauze but only at night?

I am sure you will come to a solution. Please do post your methods and results!

 

I don't need butterflies for pollitation: they mostly attack the leaf vegetables.
as for the birds i intend to put the gauze up over the fruit only just before it ripens, so the insects can get to it first

 

Yes, lettuce, spinach, cole crops do not need pollination if we buy seed.
If you exclude all insects from that category of vegetable, you prevent moths and butterflies from laying eggs that will hatch into greedy caterpillers.

Maize, cucumber, squash, tomato, beans and peas must remain open to pollinators, but at least you have excluded damaging insects from many types of crop if you cover leafy vegetables.

Cucumber beetles, squash borers, Mexican bean beetles and corn earworms remain a challenge for me.

 

well, more than a year on.... it has been a very good first harvest!

I did eventually add another half plot to the first in spring, and it did exactly what I expected: give me lots more possibilities for growing , and gave LOTS more weeds
Also the birds have turned out very fond of whatever I'm growing, so more nets will be gowing up next season; we had hardly any peas, as they were all taken by the pigeons before I even realized they were there,

Even so, I'm not complaining: considering the amount of work i did not do (but porobably should have), the vegetables were fantastic: I will remember a midsummer tomato sauce as the best ever, and my husband has enjoyed vegetables he would earlier not consider eating.

So, on to a new year with (of course) even more plans

 

Keep up the good work & the good life.

Peace,
poor_old_dad