Topic: What is cultivated?

[silly billy]

After reading the post "allotment or garden" can someone advise me as to whether a bed covered with black polythene is regarded as cultivated or not. I rotavated  :o :o the beds but as we are a working family with limited time I decided to cover the bed and have the intention of pulling back the polythene as and when i need the bed. Is this a cultivated bed or not?

[djbrenton]

At this time of year I would say yes. In a few months, cultivated really means planted.

[markfield rover]

A fellow plotter had the same prob just for a month or two , so made a few holes  and put in some plant labels.

[ceres]

I do plot inspections on our site and on an established plot if a large area of plastic was there from one inspection to the next and there was little evidence of activity, you'd probably get a letter.  If you'd just taken a wild plot over you'd have around a year to get it under control.  You should check what the rules say for your site and have a chat with some of the committee.

[albacore1854]

tricky isn't it.

To me it means all available ground dug, and under cultivation, i.e growing things.

A lot get round it on our plots by doing 5 rods properly, and 5 rods of fruit wth grass.

then the newbies seem to go for raised beds, wide paths, loads of B&Q park.

I stil can't believe that one of the plots is having pea shingle put on all the paths.

And no, to me polythene doesn't count, it says I don't have time to do this, but I've blagged the waiting list.If all the polythene boys and girls on our plots were told to cultivate, we'd soon get rid of the waiting list.

[posie]

tricky isn't it.
And no, to me polythene doesn't count, it says I don't have time to do this, but I've blagged the waiting list.If all the polythene boys and girls on our plots were told to cultivate, we'd soon get rid of the waiting list.

I do feel this is a little unfair alba.  Not everyone can just continually work on their allotment, there are other things in life going on as well.  I don't see that there's anything wrong in covering over areas of the plot with polythene to keep the weeds under control whilst you work on another section.  If I hadn't have done that then no doubt the weeds would have taken over and I've have lost the battle, felt disheartened and chucked it in, causing more administration headaches and costs to the committee and council.  As it is, I covered what I couldn't work, took it slowly and am now busy planting 6 months later.  I fail to see how that counts as "blagging the waiting list".  I'd love to spend all my hours on the lottie, but unfortunately I also attend uni during the week, do my coursework, work night shifts and look after two children on my own, so it's just not possible.  As long as there is evidence of work going on at the plot, then that to me is cultivation.

[djbrenton]

When I was Secretary I took the view that it was unreasonable to expect a neglected plot to come fully back into cultivation the first year. Admittedly our plots are 600sq yds but I used to tell newbies to dig 1/3, cover 1/3 and leave 1/3 the first year. The part which was covered would be so much easier the following year to get cultivated that the last 1/3 would be a snip. As long as progress was being made we left well alone and now have all the plots back in reasonable use.

[Ant]

we have a 10 rod plot that we took on late last year, half of it is cultivated, half is covered in plastic.

Of the half that is cultivated, half of that is spuds, and on the other half it will be where the greenhouse is going and the remaining quarter is 4 raised beds - oh no, I am lazy and the devil! Well no, those are for veggies we want to nanny a bit or grow for showing  :)

Our plot had been abandoned for 4 years prior to us taking it on, it would have been rather difficult to get the whole lot under cultivation.

We could have rotovated the lot, but it is better to dig out all the bindweed rather than chop it into many bits.

We have committee members on either side of us, they are delighted with the progress and despite the act we feel a bit guilty its half covered they are insistent that its fine and most people take 2 or 3 seasons to get a bad plot how they want.

[Melbourne12]

After reading the post "allotment or garden" can someone advise me as to whether a bed covered with black polythene is regarded as cultivated or not. I rotavated  :o :o the beds but as we are a working family with limited time I decided to cover the bed and have the intention of pulling back the polythene as and when i need the bed. Is this a cultivated bed or not?

In response to this and to the post that you deleted, I think you should also be sensitive to both the needs of other people, and be aware of the purpose of allotments.  They are intended for people to grow fruit and veg, plus a few flowers and sometimes keep a few chickens.  To grow food, in other words.

They're not primarily an educational facility for children, nor a recreation, nor a work of art, although they can be all three of those as well as their main purpose.

We have several beds covered in black plastic right now, awaiting the plants that we're raising indoors.  No-one would say that our plot was uncultivated.  But if the black plastic was still there in the growing season, that would be wrong.  It's dog-in-the-manger to rent land at a subsidised price and not use it for its intended purpose.

[kt.]

I stil can't believe that one of the plots is having pea shingle put on all the paths.

And who will be left to remove the pea shingle should the sides of the path falter and it all ends up in the ground to be cultivated?   It will only look nice & neat until the first muddy boots and muddy wheelbarrow have trawled up and down it. ;D ;D

As for black plastic - I usually cultivate 100% of my plot throughout the year.  I have covered about 15 - 20% of my plot for this year, 2008, as I will be working away loads.  Prior to me going, the rest of the plot will have winter veg sown,  and some early summer stuff.  Mother-in-laws partner will keep the weeds down a bit in my abscence.  Though this is a one off year, I have still been in to speak with the local council and mentioned this to the committee.  They are happy about it and pleased I had the courtesy to keep them informed.  I just have to put my intentions in writing for their records. 

[albacore1854]

You know that, and I know that.

The issue is that the council will hike the rent to cover the cost of sorting out the mess that has been caused when allotments lose their fashionable status.

carpet tiles, pea shingle we have it all.

[caroline7758]

Sometimes I'm glad nobody ever comes to inspect ours! (Or maybe once a year) ;D