Topic: Really basic stuff... like REALLY basic!!!

[cornykev]

Hi Steve, you just have to keep badgering and pestering these people so they get tired of hearing from you and hope they give in to you. There are site rules that state you have to tend a certain percentage of your plot they can't just pay their rent and just not tend it, speak to the site Secretary or committee and find out what the score is.  ;D ;D ;D

[iain j]

the council run lotties have said they have a waiting list but I won't have to wait to long. Yet a work m8 says there are a couple that need work on them  ::) I will be having a look tommorrow then going back to the town hall

[daileg]

Hi,

I am new here (first post). I'm in the UK (Wales actually) and am thinking to get an allotment (*). Daft not to really - we have them right behind our house ... like RIGHT behind our house and accessible through our garden!

Trouble is, I don't know where to start!!! :-\

It's March now - can I start one up now? Or rather, is it worth starting one up now ... or maybe better to wait until some other season? I'd like to start soon-ish to ease myself in with some good weather to work in.

Also, I am not blessed with green fingers so am something of a novice there too (but I guess we all start somewhere). So I'd need something fairly simple at first (also, something with a quick return and not something that won't be ready until, say, November - that would be quite de-motivating for a total newbie!).

Some details on the allotments behind us...

Nasty, nasty, thick clay soil that can break industrial rotivators!!!

On a very exposed hill that gets a fair bit of rain down it during wet weather and a nasty wind that blows down it when it's blowy.

It's a successful field though and there are some great allotments there growing fantastic stuff. Here are some photos taken recently in the snow.





That's our garden fence at the top of our garden in the second one with the allotments directly behind.

So what I am thinking is...

Turn the top of the plot over roughly, cover with a porous membrane (to prevent the weeds and nettles, etc., polluting from below) and place raised beds (maybe a foot high) on top (some frame filled with good topsoil) and plant in that. I don't know if this would be deep enough! I know this may seem a bit nonsey to you hard core growers but I can assure you that I am unlikely to persevere if I have to spend two back breaking months making good the concrete clay that's there before I can even drop a seed in there! :-\

Lots of questions - sorry!

To recap...

1. Is now a good time to start an allotment?

2. What quick yield, easy stuff can be planted now?

3. Would 1' raised beds of topsoil work?

Thanks for any suggestions/advice.


Steve

(*) We already DO have an allotment actually - the top of our garden. The allotment people were quite happy for us to use the plot right behind our existing garden to extend it and allowed us to fence it and lay it to lawn. frankly, it was in their best interests because the plot had gone to rack and ruin and was a mess and THEY were having to keep it clear so we saved them a job.

Well where do i start have read this thread and noticed two things there is a loop hole in the contract on council aggreements that if they are not working a plot permission to work a plot  can be given to a nominated person to attend to the plot . however this means you will have to get friendly with current plotholder who isn't working the plot you want mmm not easy so the next thing is from what i can see you have a nack of a PC take relevent evidence photos ext and support this with a letter to the council if that doesn't work . most sites have an inspection twice yearly first in spring and second in towards the end of summer all that is normally required it to make clean hence strim it down and this is how a lot of people get away with it .
however its hard to get some one off a plot it can take up to three years in my experience to get rid of someone not tending most times a gentle conversation advising the current holder it might be considered to be a little much for them to continue and this is when if on good terms with the current chairperson committee offer to dig for this person and by helping with half might not work but sometimes its enough to shame someone to give it up .

[fireflydigger]

I'm confused - even if the plots aren't really being worked, and you proved that, wouldn't that just mean the people at the top of the waiting list would/should get first dibs?

Have you thought what might happen if someone gets officious and decides to take back yours and your neighbour's allotments-turned-into-bits-of-garden on the basis that there's now such a big waiting list? It might be safer not to draw attention to yourself and hope they never remember where two of their sought-after lotties have gone!

[Twoflower]

Have you been onto the site? Have you talked to anybody working on the allotments?
 I would try this, as it is what i did last year. I got talking to someone on my site and they knew of someone who wanted to give up their plot at the end of the year. I got in contact with this person and helped them on their plot. At the end of the year he gave up his plot and because i was the registed helper, and on that allotments' list i got the plot.
I don't know if this is just my site but it seem to be the way some of the older allotment keeps like to give up their plots. It is good for them as they know their plots will still be loved and it good for you as you have our own gardening expert!

[Jokerman]

where in sunny wales? I'm Rhondda    ;D ;D ;D

[SteveH]

I know quite a few of the lotties there - my young daughter plays over there, helps 'em out sometimes and I wander over as well sometimes and get chatting. Some are neighbours. Most are on good terms with the Secretary (I know him too) therefore bypassing the council somewhat so that's my next course of action. I know the one lady there is kinda winding her three plots down (hubby died recently, she's not as young as she was) so I may have a word with her, maybe gradually take over one of them ... or work one of them with her. She's also an amazing lottie and her plots are fabulous ... or were ... so she could be a great teacher too. We'll see.

To fireflydigger...

Yes - if I blow the whistle on the unused plots, it could backfire and those further up the list will move in before me. However, whilst there may be 53 others with a 'registered interest', it doesn't mean they'll take it if offered - they may have abandoned the idea, whatever. But as I say, I'm gonna kind work from the inside rather than try and break through the brick wall that is the council - that's how we got our plot/garden extension ... by going to the organ grinders and not the monkey!

Also, there is little or no danger of us losing our plot for a variety of reasons. It's all fully paid up, it is beautifully maintained and it is in such a remote part of the whole site that no-one would want it especially as it has a bloody great Hawthorn tree right in the middle!!! It would return to being an overgrown plot of vicious brambles, would once again become a dumping spot for the lotties and the council would have to clear it every year as they did before at not inconsiderable cost - they are chuffed as punch that we maintain it for them and are unlikely to take it from us!!

No - next step is to bypass the council, get to the lotties and the secretary and speak to them. It's how we got our garden plot....

We pestered the council for ages but they weren't having any of it - talk about head ... banging ... brick wall!!! Our neighbour had tried for years before us too with no success. Then, as we found out more about how it all worked, we went straight to the secretary who came to the plot to meet us. We explained what we wanted to do and they said "Sure - why not? You can rent the plot as an allotment and do what you want with it. Submit your plans to us."

So we did and two days later, they wrote and said "Start as soon as you want"! And that was that!

More news anon!

Thanks for all the suggestions and assistance :D


Steve

[SteveH]

where in sunny wales? I'm Rhondda    ;D ;D ;D

Kaaaaaadiff like innit boyo! ;)