Should flowers be allowed on allotments?

[katynewbie]

 

Our site has a rule that says the front of your plot must have a flower bed "minimum 3 feet deep, but no more than 6 feet" I have a half plot and have dutifully flung a few flower seeds in, but I resent every inch. I have marigolds dotted about through the plot for companion planting purposes, but really do not agree with having to give up a relatively large area to flowers. I grow to eat, and although I am aware that some flowers are edible I feel that it is an imposition to be told what I can grow, and where, on my own plot.

[tonybloke]

 I feel that it is an imposition to be told what I can grow, and where, on my own plot.

erm, isn't it the council's plot? you only rent it from them?

[katynewbie]

  Erm...ok Tony! But you know what I mean, we all see our plot as our own little bit of heaven, don't we? Lol

[WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Well, I'm not from here, and I don't have a garden, but that seems like it would be frustrating. I wonder if asking for an examination of the reasons for the rule might be a step toward changing it. Maybe a little clarification of the rule could help you plan some food that can be mixed with the required flowers. It sounds like a HOA, They always have so many rules.

[dazem11]

Well it looks like on my allotment there is a good mixture of Flower and Veg being grown, which is good as i have plans to mix flowers in with the Veg ie.Cornflower,Lupin etc.

[Digeroo]

I believe I am right that we are talking about Hastings who have the following on the allotment page of their website

9. Plant flowers to make the plot more colourful

http://www.hastings.gov.uk/allotments/default.aspx#whyanallotment

So not only are they allowed they are encouraged.

[shirlton]

We have about a quarter of both our plots are filled with flowers. I think the problem with some folks is that they don't like to see a whole plot dedicated to growing flowers when people are waiting for a plot to grow their food on.

[pigeonseed]

I believe I am right that we are talking about Hastings who have the following on the allotment page of their website
Quote
9. Plant flowers to make the plot more colourful
http://www.hastings.gov.uk/allotments/default.aspx#whyanallotment

So not only are they allowed they are encouraged.

Ha!  That's funny! Well, maybe it's to do with the percentage given over to flowers then.
Plus, as 1066 says, perhaps there is personal animosity, or some people are moaning and actually that doesn't mean he really will be evicted.

Shirlton, I do see what you mean. That might be the main answer against allowing people to grow flowers only.

But it's not as if it's a worrying trend, and many people are 'wasting' (if that's what you judge it to be) their plot on flowers, when it could be feeding a family. Most people want their plot to grow veg.

I'm guessing that in terms of wider benefits to society, growing flowers is probably almost as good as growing veg - helping people stay active, relieving stress, forming communities, keeping greenspaces for the city etc. The added bonus with veg growing is that you're encouraging people to eat veg.

[Ant]

We also have the rule of the min 3ft flowerbed on our site. I think it is good. It improves the appearance of the site and helps attract wildlife. We also have a 10x8ft flowerbed on our plot with dahlias, callas, sunflowers and sweetpeas. If someone is growing only cut-flowers and it is well maintained then that is fine in my books.

[Squash64]

Flowers are not only allowed on our site - they are encouraged!  We even have  'Flower Garden' competition and most visitors to the site comment on how nice the plots look.

Flowers attract bees, what's wrong with that?

[Columbus]

Hi all,  I think most people on our site grow flowers of some kind.
Some people grow rows of them for cutting but most of mine now stay on the plot because I take little flies home with them. 
I grow white and yellow roses along my fence for my wife. I also have lavender there and sometimes a sprig goes home. I grow nasturtiiums all over my plots as ground cover and I also harvest the seeds and pickle them. I have an earth bank on the edge of a plot that is planted with tulips and daffodils and looks beautiful in the spring. The edges of number one plot and under the paths by the greenhouse are planted with daffodils too. Under my apple and pear trees are tulips and daffodils, gladioli, and crocuses. I have had dahlias but now I`m down to one.
I have a roof garden on my shed planted with fried egg flowers and forget=me-nots on the patio with more fried eggs. I also have a container of cornflowers on the patio. I have a fence for sweet peas but I planted beans up it this year. The next plot has beautiful sweet peas and red roses. Lots of people have sunflowers too, I leave them all winter for the birds. I like to leave the poppies to grow where I can, and golden rod for the hover flies.  Yep I have flowers  Col Mostly we do as we please.

[lavenderlux]

We encourage our plot holders to grow flowers on the border with the pathway - and we even provide free annual flower seeds to anyone who wants them (this year it was cornflowers, calendulas, clarkia, cosmos).  People also plant their own choice - one couple has planted mesembryanthemums with French marigolds behind them and then blue cornflowers - looks lovely.  We also have loads of sunflowers mostly these are self sown and people just leave them.  We have a champion Dahlia grower, and another who exhibits Chrysanthemums (but both also grow vegetables and fruit) - flowers improve our site!
On my plot I have climbing roses (over arches), calendulas, cosmos, pinks and carnations, hollyhocks, cornflowers, penstemons (and lots of chosen wild flowers) - and I originally took on my plot so I could grow flowers  (but then started growing veggies as well) - at the time, 20 years ago, no one wanted allotments. 

[cornykev]

I am not a flower person, but I have some marigolds spread around and some sun flowers that the little un sowed and the odd wild poppy, but who the hell can be against someone growing flowers if its their plot, do they not want to attact bees. 
Our rules say that you have to grow veg, flowers or lawn, weed free and manured.
 

[Digeroo]

There is a great deal of wasted space on our allotments.  Just plain nothingness.  A lot of people take out their potatoes as well and plant nothing in its place.   Sometimes they cover the area with black plastic.

One plot on our site is mainly flowers with some veg dotted around it is lovely.

I do not think it is up the the people on the waiting list to dictate what others do with their allotments.  I know it is frustrating but a few years ago no one was interested in them at all. 

[Unwashed]

Apparently he's at risk of being evicted because a few people on the site feel very strongly that flowers should not be allowed. They sent round a newsletter saying that flowers were only permitted on selected plots.

Rules, Grrrrrrrrr!

Councils provide allotments under S. 25 Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908.

Allotments Act 1922 make some statutory provisions for the determination of allotment garden tenancies, and it defines an allotment garden as an allotment not exceeding forty poles in extent which is wholly or mainly cultivated by the occupier for the production of vegetable or fruit crops for consumption by himself or his family.

Allotments Act 1950 makes a few other statutory provisions for allotment gardens.

This often turns into a rule that an allotment is to be wholly or mainly cultivated by the occupier for the production of vegetable or fruit crops for consumption by himself or his family which in turn implies that a few flowers are acceptable, but that more than a few is not.

However, that's only necessary if you want the allotment garden provisions of the 1922 and 1950 Acts to apply, and there's no particular reason why you should as there's nothing stopping you incorporating those statutory provisions into the tenancy agreement.  Even the statutory protection of S.8 Allotments Act 1925 applies to allotments, and not just allotment gardens.

So yes, flowers on allotments are great, and there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be allowed to grow flowers exclusively if that's what you want to do.  Except of course that rule-mongers do love their rules!

[Magnolia]

Well I'd be stuffed.  I'm absolutely useless at growing flowers.  Tried nasturtium this year thinking I'd have masses of colour but they didn't grow more than 4 inches across and a couple of flowers.  I've planted bulbs and they've never appeared.  I've sown wildflowers and nothing, zilch, nada.  I've given up on flowers. 

Even my 2 giant sunflowers are puny.  How can a giant sunflower only be 3 foot tall?   

[grawrc]

Even my 2 giant sunflowers are puny.  How can a giant sunflower only be 3 foot tall?  

Hehe!!! I've got some of those too!! Giant Russian? Not likely!!



Amended to teach my iphone to behave!!

[manicscousers]

YES 

[Jeannine]

I suppose it comes down to what you signed for when you took the plot,I doubt they can hold you to anything other than that.

Good Luck, flowers and me somehow don't work. They die on me.

XX Jeannine

[ktlawson]

A minimum of 75% of any plot on our site is to be cultivated for fruit & veg.