Welcome to VicarageAllotment.com
Your community hub for all things allotment in Ystrad Mynach. We're here to share ideas, knowledge, and grow together. Join us in cultivating a thriving and supportive gardening community here at the Vicarage Allotment.
r
Our mission
VicarageAllotment.com is dedicated to fostering a vibrant and supportive community for allotment holders at the Vicarage Allotment, Ystrad Mynach. We aim to be a central resource for sharing gardening knowledge, inspiring new projects, and connecting neighbours with a shared passion for growing.
Growing together
From humble beginnings, our allotment community has blossomed through shared knowledge and a collective love for the land. We believe that by working together, we can achieve more, learn more, and build stronger bonds within Ystrad Mynach. We're excited to see our community grow.
Get Your Supplies - Price Lists
Enjoy Nature
Community Board
Upcoming events
Stay informed about work parties, workshops, and social gatherings on the allotment.
Tools for loan
See what tools are available to borrow from the community shed.
Produce swap notices
Connect with other gardeners to trade surplus crops and share your harvest.
Wanted/offered items
Post requests or offers for seeds, plants, and other gardening supplies.
Community Projects
Allotment showcases
Browse inspiring photos of our members' flourishing plots and creative designs.
Harvest highlights
See the bountiful yields from our collective efforts throughout the seasons.
Community events captured
Relive the fun and camaraderie of our social gatherings and work days.
Flora and fauna
Discover the diverse plant and wildlife that call our allotment home.
The plant swap area, is a place for you to leave, or take plants that have been left there. Just be sure to return the pots and trays, when you have finished planting.
The Allotment Photo Gallery
Discover our allotment, some of the plots, ongoing projects and see what's growing this season
PLOT
We pride ourselves on our adaptability and commitment to excellence in every aspect of our community. Explore what we have to offer and how you can contribute to our collective success. Find out about your fellow plot holders, read about their allotment journey.
STORIES
Your Plot, Your Story
Our Story - David Lloyd Thomas
I've been on Vicarage Allotment for over 25 years, starting with half a plot and then taking another half a long time later. I have always loved gardening. My first memories are growing cress and carrot tops in a saucer but I guess the big trigger was my mother gave me a small patch of the garden and let me grow whatever I wanted. I grew lettuces, spring onions and some puny carrots. My grandfather was a good gardener whose back garden was all fruit and veg, except the concrete path and the long bed of dahlias down the side. And my grandmother on the other side liked flowers and kept a cottage garden (with no veg or fruit). So it all rubbed off I guess, and after moving around a lot in my early adulthood getting an allotment was a must when I returned to my home patch.
What David is growing
I grow a wide variety of fruit and veg. I like to try new things. Fruit grows really well in the Valleys and I now have lots of different soft fruits, plus plums and apples. I'm interested in the unusual so my apple trees are rare varieties from old South Wales stock, one from Maesteg the other from Merthyr. My latest venture is grapes. I planted four vines in the autumn so am hoping they do well too. The best thing on my plot is probably my poly tunnel. I use it all year round and it's remarkable what a difference keeping plants out of the wind and rain makes even when it's cold. My winter onions are now a foot and half tall and I have flowers on my strawberries. It was a costly thing to buy but I never think about that now.
What David loves most about being part of the 'Allotment Community'
One of the things I like most about having an allotment is learning from others. I'm a nosey gardener. I want to know what other people are growing and how they are doing it. I enjoy a wander around Vicarage Allotment just for the fun of seeing what's going on. Now I'm on the allotment committee I'm all the more interested to know what people's ideas are so we can make it a great place for all our members. The great thing about gardening is there is always something new to learn or try. I have seen a lot of people come and go on the allotments but along the way I have met some first class gardeners. I've learnt how to graft, how to grow many things from cuttings or save seed for next year, and most important of all, that the answer to any problem is usually "in the soil". I've also learnt there is no such thing as junk. It's remarkable what can be made from next to nothing helped by cable ties and some experimenting. I made both my fruit cages that way. And I think my collection of galvanised steel rods for beans and my coal bunker compost bin will outlast me they are so well made (ex Penallta colliery apparently). It's good for the environment and it's good for the pocket.
Happy Gardening.
Our story - Nick & Lisa
15 Years Two Sheds, Three Greenhouses Later!
Hi! If you don’t already know us, let us introduce ourselves—we’re Nick and Lisa from Plot No. 1 and 19 A & B. We’ve been part of the Vicarage Allotments for around 15 years (how time flies when you’re weeding!).
We first took on Plot 1 when our children were still in primary school. Gardening has always been a passion of ours, and with Nick being a chef—and both of us loving good food—it felt only natural to start growing our own.
How it all started… In the early days, we learned the ropes from the seasoned allotmenteers around us (thank you!). We kept things fairly simple—onions, kidney beans, potatoes, tomatoes—and made the most of the redcurrant and blackcurrant bushes we inherited.
Growing bigger (in more ways than one!) Over time, both our passion and our plot size have grown. First came Plot 19A… and then last year, 19B joined the family! With more space has come more opportunity—and more experiments.
We now have:
· A dedicated tomato greenhouse
· A “Hot House” (home to peppers, chillies, and cucumbers)
· A seedling greenhouse
We’ve also branched out into winter root crops—successfully growing celeriac and swede for the first time last year. And what was once a stony border between 19A and 19B has become a beautiful dahlia bed, producing stunning flowers for cutting. Even better, the tubers survived the winter, so we’re hoping for a repeat performance this year!
The Big Goal!
Our ultimate aim? A Christmas dinner where every single vegetable on the plate has been grown right here on the plot. Because honestly, there’s nothing better than eating food you’ve grown yourself—we absolutely love it.
What's Growing This Year
We’re hopeful for a small crop of cooking apples from the trees we’ve planted in recent years—varieties you won’t find in the shops, which is one of the joys of growing your own.
Our fruit lineup includes: Plums, pears, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, rhubarb, and strawberries—destined for chutneys, jams, and maybe even a homemade hot sauce.
And of course, the staples: Potatoes, beans (both kidney and French), leeks, onions, garlic, beetroot, carrots, sweetcorn, cabbages, cauliflower (still a work in progress!), purple sprouting broccoli, sprouts, parsnips, swede, celeriac, and peas.
Working with nature -We’re big fans of companion planting and encouraging pollinators. You’ll spot plenty of marigolds popping up among the cabbages this year—apparently cabbage white butterflies aren’t keen on the smell (fingers crossed they agree!).
The reality of allotment life - Of course, it’s not all plain sailing. Between pests, diseases, and the occasional gardening mishap, we’ve had our fair share of challenges. As Nick often says, “You don’t really know how to grow something until you’ve failed at it first!”
Tomato blight has been a recurring nemesis, so this year we’re trying to outsmart it by starting plants early in January. Will it work? Watch this space!
We’re also attempting to master succession planting to avoid the dreaded “glut”… although judging by the 60 celeriac seedlings currently in residence, we might still be learning!
Our Story - Tanya & Steve
We began our allotment journey on a starter plot in 2025, but after finding a love for growing our own food, we progressed on to a half plot. We began by digging the plot over, and dug in some planting container beds. This means that we will be able to use crop rotation methods in the future. We also planted some apple and pear trees. As well as, growing potatoes, courgettes, runner beans, spinach, onions, brussel sprouts, onions, spinach, garlic and pumpkins.
From modest beginnings, we've grown our plot through our dedication to growing and with the help of our allotment community.
The Vicarage Allotment at Ystrad Mynach, is a friendly and social place to be - the comradery amongst growers is second to none. Community members have shared seeds, plants and their own grown produce with us. The allotment itself, offers significant health, social and environmental benefits, including improved mental health and well-being, physical exercise and access to fresh organic food.
We both have very demanding jobs, so the allotment has been a sanctuary, a place to escape, to unwind and leave the everyday stresses of life behind.
It is a place we love to go to together, and a place I feel safe and comfortable going to on my own.
Our Story - Simon & Ian
We’ve always enjoyed gardening, which first flowered (as with so many) by starting a small lock-down garden outside our flat during covid. It offered a small amount of sanity, and allowed us to see colour, encourage growth and witness life. This gave us the bug for growing, and when we moved back into the valleys a few years ago we were incredibly keen to expand this through an allotment plot. We were incredibly fortunate that our closest plot was in the beautiful Vicarage Allotment - a very short walk from our home - and put our names down as a very interested party. Last year, in the bleak week between Christmas and New Years, we finally got the call – a starter plot was available! This is what we’d been waiting for, and we jumped at the chance to snap up the plot.
The plot needed clearing, and we set to work on it as soon as the ground began to thaw. Weeds were cleared (SO many weeds! I’ve been introduced to bindweed and needless to say - not a fan), the ground prepared, and difficult decisions about which plants to grow on our starter plot were taken – Simon wanted to grow absolutely everything in a 7m x 3m space, but we had to be selective. This growing season we’re opting for runner beans (the gardener’s favourite), broccoli, savoy cabbages, beetroot, and cucumbers – the sort of things we end up buying en masse and are of a lesser quality from shops. Even just with five types of produce, it’s been a steep learning curve.
Luckily, the community at Vicarage Allotment could not have been more welcoming, helpful, and friendly as we’ve started out. Whether it’s offering to lend us the right tool for the right job, advice on the best way to structure canes for our beans or giving us spare potatoes to expand our plot to having six types of produce. The entire plot is wonderful and offers a little haven from the stresses of everyday life. As it’s our very first season on an allotment, this year is all about learning the intricacies of managing a plot, keeping on top of any weeds that sprout up and, maybe, growing some food we can enjoy.
If you’re thinking about taking up a plot, we would definitely encourage you to go for it!
Our Story -Tracey & Sue
Sue and I started as novices in 2020, helping a friend on her allotment and transforming it from a derelict patch, overrun with brambles and weeds, to a fully functioning plot.
Needless to say, we got the growing bug and put our name down on the waiting list for a plot of our own. We were lucky enough to be offered a full plot of our own, in November 2021,
We have gradually made changes to improve the layout, cutting down on the amount of grass areas and paths, which has also helped to maximise the growing space.
Typically, we grow potatoes, onions, peas, sweetcorn, beans courgettes, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumber, beetroot, broccoli, Leeks, courgettes, strawberries, raspberries, herbs and flowers. It doesn't take long to fill the space!
I have entered a garden show in my home village of Rushwick, Worcester, over the past couple of years and won several first places with our produce.
We love seeing everything grow and eating the fruits of all our efforts.
Contact us
Vicarage Allotment Site
Cedar Way, Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, CF82 7DR
United Kingdom
vicarageallotment@gmail.com
If you are interested in joining our growing community at the vicarage allotment, please contact one of the committee members, or send us an email.
Create Your Own Website With Webador