Topic: small step for man......

[Sarah-b]

The clear a little bit at a time advice is good advice. But what I would say is, don't get scared when the weeds start to come back. What happens is you clear it in the winter and it all looks great. Then suddenly in around early May, the weeds start growing again. And my goodness they grow at such a pace it is overwhelming. It is at this point that you could easily lose heart and think it is a battle that you can't win. This "fast-growing" weed scenario doesn't go on all summer at the same pace. You just have to try and keep on top of it.

As far as neglected plots go, it must vary from site-to-site. On our site at least half the plots are vacant and dreadfully overgrown. There is some threat of development, so we've really got to try and persuade people to take over these plots. I think in the past younger people have shown up, covered a patch, got disheartened and given up. I really think that plot holders should be given much more help and I am trying to suggest the the allotment committee that a working party is the only way forward. A groups of people prepared to do a bit of work on a plot and then get a tenant and also to act as a Swat team when someone is struggling.

Good luck with the clearance project - let us know how you get on.

Sarah.

[Roy Bham UK]

That was a very interesting read Sarah, :) with regard to the piece about the weeds re-growing; you may have read my dilemma in the pond section? :o Well I now have two large pond liners that I think will make good weed suppressants, would this hold them back completely?

The Swat Team idea sounds great too; there must be the odd time when Lottie peeps are just sitting there watching thier crops grow. :-\

I see on our local TV news channel that school children are taking an interest in crop growing, that’s good news. 8)

Roy  ;D

[ina]

Sarah-B, what you are suggesting about a work party is precisely how it works at our allotment complex and I think at most, if not all complexes in Holland.

When you rent your lottie, you sign a contract. Among many rules is the one that when you give up your lottie, you leave it clean or lose your deposit. A lottie is rented out completely clean (except for trees if there are any) and recently rotovated.
 
The members receive a list each year of when the 'work turns' are for every lottie holder. Twice a year everyone has to work a saturday morning, if you can't make it, you can change your date, if you don't show up, you pay a fine AND do a catch up turn. All communal areas and vacant allotments are kept clean and repair work gets done. Usually the work groups consist of 8-12 persons. You get to know the other allotmenteers and learn a lot about growing veggies while working together.

The first year, a new lottie holder is an aspirant member, no structures can be built or trees planted during this first year. All lotties have to be kept maintained, if it is not, the holder receives a warning letter in the middle of the summer. Has it not improved by the end of the summer, off you go. If you leave it messy, the work group will clear it and it's rented out clean to someone else.

All this can only be done if you have an active committee and I'm very grateful that there are people that have the time and are willing to donate it this way. They are not always popular but that comes with the teritory of enforcing rules.

So, you see Sarah, it can be done.

[growmore]

Why new allotment holders get gardens that are weeded up is usually because before You can serve a notice to Quit an allotment. The tenant must be in breach of rules as to non cultivating etc..
Also time is usually given before final notice for the tennant  to clean it up..
If after this it hasn't been done then the notice is served and the allotment is then transferred to a new tenant..This is how we do it on our plots,
We are fortunate as we do have a waiting list and no neglected allotments
..Jim..

[mitzzy]

hi

I was offered my allotment at end of may ,Just last week given go head to get on plot . The council have are giving me plot rent free until march when fees next get paid as it has taken them this long to clear caravan  +++ off site . Last year when we looked at site the plot i was given had weeds over my head ( i am 5ft 2 ) and had not been worked for a few years.
a few more plots on site have been given up this year and so far nobody has been allocated them , sad really as by time they rent out allotment weeds are getting well out of control .
 :(

mags

[Val]

 ;DThanks for all the news about lotties, it makes interesting reading. I did wonder about all the stuff that goes on behind the gates, I saw somewhere that one council are renting out half plots for new comers. That would be a good idea for people who can't manage a full size plot...wouldn't it?...this is from someone who's never had a lottie so don't shoot me down if its not workable. ;D

[Mrs Ava]

Wowzers Ina!  What a very efficient way to run an allotment, and how nice to be given a clear patch so you can start immediately, without having to go through all of the rubbish and weed clearance.  We now only have a half plot that is over run with weeds, and that is the other half to my half plot.  The chap who currently has that half is incredibly ill, but just can't face giving up his little plot of land yet, and nobody minds.  Sometimes there are exceptional circumstances.

[derbex]

We have a few like Emma, people who have been there for decades tending their plot and then it has got beyond them, the difficulty is that they may be able to tend them again in the future and so people don't like to throw them off, at least while there are untended plots.

I think we are unusual in that our plots are rented by the sq. m. and so are all different shapes and sizes.

We don't even have a comittee -just one or two people who seem to do things, such as mowing the paths.

Jeremy

[ina]

Yes E.J. for exceptional circumstances most people just chip in and help. Sometimes the work group gets put on the plot of a sick person (or whatever) but usually the allotmenteers nearby will keep it decent. Two years ago our across the path neighbor got sick and together with other neighbors we kept his plot clean for 18 months. No big deal really to run a quick hoe over the plot every now and then after we removed his crops.

The thing that makes it easier on our complex is that we run the whole thing, the council is not involved in any way, so no bureaucratic waiting periods. Of course the normal city ordenances apply to us too like permission for cutting down trees bigger than certain size, keeping the canals open, no bonfires etc.

[carrot-cruncher]

Took the plunge here and bought a strimmer.   The unused part is strimmed everytime the vegetation gets approx 8" high so it can't seed.   It's also a quick way of tidying up the non-used parts.  

Combined with round-up I'm starting to acquire patches of clean soil ready for planting next year.

cc