Should I buy this allotment garden?

I'm thinking of buying a garden lot, and there are some pros and cons. Maybe you can help me decide!

Pros:
- it's close to my home, and the road is really nice
- price is good (although not super cheap)
- the seller and neighbours seem nice
- doesn't look like a lot of work (at least for the first few months, if I'm happy with what's there already)
- comparing to actually buying a land: this is within a fenced community garden - feels safer than a remote area, I won't find land this close to home, and it can be a step before that
- it's still a garden which I can have all to myself (no invasions of hoomans who aren't helpful but can be destructive - at least that would be against the rules)
- the little wooden cabin (built buy a previous owner) looks super cool, but could be a scene for a thriller movie

Cons:
- it's rather small (but a standard size for allotment garden)
- almost half of it isn't fenced (I would have to do it because of dog, and probably pay someone to do it)
- people don't really "own" these gardens (they only buy/sell the right to use them)
- not sure if I will have enough time (but I want to have time for that)
- my gardening ideas may look too weird to fellow allotment gardeners (I'm extreme bricoleur, everything eventually starts to look like a wild jungle, and only I know what is where and why... or I don't)
-the little wooden cabin will soon fall apart.

It sounds like a good opportunity. I can tell you that it's very satisfying to have your own plot of land.

A dog can be put on a leash on a long clothesline between two tall posts, to run back and forth, with a place in the shade to sleep.

It would be nice to see some photos.

Go for it.

Having some garden is better than having no garden at all.

Just read the fine print.  

It's amazing how much food you can grow in a small space.  Percy Thrower's books talk about intensive gardening - how you plant the next crop between the existing rows about a month before harvesting the one that's there now.  

I also feel that is a great opportunity, especially since it is close to where you live and it also sounds like the garden is in good shape.

I'd at least try it for a season, to get a feel for it. If it works, great - if not, I'd sell it and walk away.

I suspect the real question is, “What does this garden means to you?”  The fact that you posted this thread speaks volumes.  Go for it.

Flora Eerschay wrote:Cons:
[...]
- not sure if I will have enough time (but I want to have time for that)
- my gardening ideas may look too weird to fellow allotment gardeners (I'm extreme bricoleur, everything eventually starts to look like a wild jungle, and only I know what is where and why... or I don't)
-the little wooden cabin will soon fall apart.

Once you have a garden space, it's likely you'll find out what to do with it. When one doesn't have one, they don't consider them. On the flip-side, once you have one, you begin to take ownership of the "idea of a garden" and will find yourself working on it, even just a little at a time.

"A little at a time" is a fine way to start almost any process. So I agree with the suggestions of others that you should go for it.

As an aside note, I have a penpal in Czechia and one of our conversations was about these allotment gardens. I learned that some of them have been maintained by the same family or even group of families for generations. You might be starting a tradition with this allotment garden. That might be motivation for you as well.

Sweet that you're all so positive about this, thank you! I will let you know if I decide to get this one. I'll first make sure if there aren't any completely abandoned, which may not be advertised, and should be cheaper and even more exciting than this one.

I've seen allotment gardeners really struggle with some of the rules in place at their spots.  Things like weed seeds,  defined paths, nothing over a certain height along certain fencelines.  I'm not sure if you mentioned having read over the bylaws or agreements for this particular property?   If it doesn't match your gardening style or needs it might be a big headache.   Then again, if there is any sort of wait list or it's easy to find a new buyer,  you don't have as much to lose and can walk away if it's not a good fit.  It sounds cool though,  I wish we had allotments here for more options for people

Definitely read through the bylaws to see if there's anything you can't live with.  If you get a chance to meet your neighbors, and/or visit a club meeting, that can help you get a feel for how tidy you'll need to keep it (and if you're a fit with your neighbors/club).

The advantage of taking over a well-maintained garden is that you start with good structures and fewer weeds.  The advantage of taking over an abandoned garden is that anything you do is an improvement and your neighbors will be grateful.

When we got our garden, the plot just north was completely overgrown, and I fought wave after wave of incoming weeds.  A new guy took over, razed everything to the ground, and it's now immaculate.  ...making *my* garden the local eyesore, and he glares at me about the weeds coming back the other direction.  (He's nice!  But it's quite an expectations change.)

On the plus side, it's close to where you live.  My garden is not, and it's really a challenge to give it the attention it needs.  On the minus side, a dry secure cottage makes everything better, and it sounds like that specific plot doesn't have it.  If it's really close enough to run home in bad weather, I guess you can live with it, but eventually you'll spend quite a bit of money to improve it.  I'd look at other plots in the club that might have a better cottage but be more overgrown.