How much time does it take to grow your own vegetables?

I feel that we all have a right to dig. The shear pleasure of digging and growing our own food is part of humanity’s common make up. Each of us should have our own small area to dig.

However, for centuries there has been an ongoing struggle between those that have and control the land and those that have nothing. There are those of us who do not know the difference between:

·      What I want

·      What I need

What your need, according to UK allotment standards is:

11-pole plot per family. This area is considered adequate for a family to provide enough area of land for the growing of vegetables and fruit.

A pole, by the way, is an old English measurement being:

From the tip of the Oxen’s noise to the end of the plough handle. That is about; 181 feet/60 meters

Standard allotment size is 1/16th of an acre. Taking 1 acre, and dividing each side into 4 parts, you would end up with 16 allotments, and which makes some sense.

Taking all that aside and assuming that you have an area of land to work, the next thing is, and this is really the big one: Time.

A well- planned allotment can produce a lot of food. However, you must realize that this does not happen by itself. You must make it happen; this means putting in the hours.

Some say 3 to 5 hours a week should be enough; others can only give it a few hours at weekend.

For myself, I like the easy route. I use raised beds and make compost. Once I had set up my beds (which took a lot of work) little and often became my key.

How about 10-12 hours per year! If you want to learn about this method then follow the link below. It is worth it just for the ‘read’

 Grow your own:10 to 12 hours a year!