Allotment

[6XW]

Hey eveyone,

I live in rural East Anglia in a small village with a population of around 150, give or take 10. Directly next to my house is an allotments. We've owned a patch on this allotment for around 8 years now and 10-15 other residents also actively use their plots. It's £5 a year to own one of these plots which is such a small amount for what you get from it.

I was wondering what your thoughts are on how this would last in a SHTF scenario. Let's say, theoretaically, the supermarkets have been cleared and there's some civil unrest, small rioting etc. in the larger towns and cities miles out from us.

Do you think that these allotments would still provide a sustainable food source year round?
How much risk is there of food being stolen from the allotments?
How would we protect it?

Thanks,
Charlie.

[Malthouse]

I have pondered this one a few times and had allotments in various places, bottom line is that these are in no way secure and there is little you can do to protect them. If the SHTF then harvest what you can.

Granted most scrotes won't even think to look in an allotment, or even know what you steal. But enough people will, some may have even sussed out the local patches!

[preppingsu]

I know it's difficult on allotment as there are rules etc but try to make your plot as uninviting as possible. Allow the weeds to grow around the edges, adopt a polyculture approach so things are mixed in together.
You will find many people would not know what to look for and would avoid your plot and raid plots where veg is in a nice straight row.

Plant unusual perennial veg eg artichokes, again not many people would know what they were or what to do with it!

[Cromicon]

I've thought along similar lines too. In fact we have raised beds in our front garden because the back garden area is so bloomin' small! It's all very well using it at the moment but in a food shortage situation there's absolutely no protection and none we can see for the local allotments either.

Preppingsu's advice is good - make it look uninviting although as she says depending on who runs your allotments you could get asked to tidy it up or give up your plot! It seems disguise is the best form of defence.

One thing we have been considering is a form of guerilla gardening where you plant veg, fruit trees and fruit bushes amongst other plants and bushes in the local area. There are many disadvantages to this too though, you can't exactly rock up to the nearest grass verge in broad daylight and start planting rows of cabbages... nor could you necessarily harvest easily but it's another avenue anyway.

[6XW]

Thanks for the advice, preppingsu. I'm defiantly going to try and let the weeds grow out as well as scatter the plants. Already have some plants growing, (e.g. curly cail) that most people assume are weeds. The people renting these plots do indeed keep it very uniform, especially the ones who locally sell the produce. Growing things like potatoes, carrots and beans is not going to help them either.

Family is used to trying some weird veg that I grow, so that's a bonus. Also, I have 3-4 apple trees that provide quite the bounty of apples during harvest, they're scattered within the bushy weeds at the back of it since it's next to a field some of the bush has overgrown and now I think I'll keep it rough as a disguise.

Thanks all

[ForgeCorvus]

Look into non-standard variaties as well.
Whos gonna nick purple carrots, yellow tomatos or those weird fractal cauliflowers ?

[preppingsu]

Yellow tomatoes are lovely.
Purple carrots - my kids would freak!

[junmist]

oh I like the purple carrots, if you use them to make soup does it come out purple as well

[ForgeCorvus]

oh I like the purple carrots, if you use them to make soup does it come out purple as well

Not a clue, not managed to grow them yet

But, I might be able to rattle a couple of quid out the piggy-bank
http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/carrot ... d2288.html

[Steveo82]

oh I like the purple carrots, if you use them to make soup does it come out purple as well

yeah it does and if you eat to many quess what they do to your pee