Topic: Sneaky allotment holders

[teresa]

There is an overgrown plot near mine so being nosey I went and had a look. Some one had cut down their own hollyhocks and dumped them on this unused lottie.
The seed pods were ripe so I helped myself seeds for free. But it is a cheek to dump your rubbish on to some ones lottie even if they havent worked it. I know I am just as cheeky for pinching them cannot wait to plant them ;D Teresa

[legless]

that is out of order - i'd hate that to happen to me (i haven't been able to dig mine yet so its still a mess!)

[gavin]

Neighbours are worse!  Regular dumpings of garden waste - and we now have a thriving patch of Japanese Knotweed - spreading fast, courtesy of a dumper.  

And a smashed cat shed, tipped over the fence.

And some kind pigeon fancier seems to think we want bin bags full of pigeon s..t - every couple of months a dozen bags appear over the fence.

All best - Gavin

[teresa]

Hi Gavin has your local tip become a reclicling centre and limiting the amount of waste you can take there. Ours has it has high ramps you have to walk up and you can see through. Being afraid of heights did not help I had three bags of green waste and when at the top broke out in a sweat no B.... help they stood with their yellow coats on directing trafic. before everything was at ground leavel suited me fine. Now I have a lottie I can burn down there but not everybody has a lottie and fly tipping is getting out of control. Our local park has notices all around the boundarys but on the way to the lottie you see cars dumped and rubbish. Think the council should have skips in prime aeras for people to dump rubbish. But pidgon poo any good for the lottie?
Jap Knot weed we need a hard winter of frost to kill it out as for the cat shed well thats beats all. Teresa

[ina]

Hi all, this is my first time on this board, learned about it on the beeb lottie board (thanks Oz). Mind if I join in on the grumbles about sneaky allotmenteers?

In our allotment complex there is a small area where only stuff from the lotties may be dumped that is suitable to go through the chipper such as dry branches etc. All other stuff that cannot or should not be composted needs to be taken away, no burning allowed. You should see what people throw there and on the parking lot........... bed frames, refidgerators, blighted potato plants, rootballs from trees, rotted planks, etc. etc. The thing that gets me is that we don't own a car and always haul our junk out on our bicycles while people with cars throw bad stuff there.  Here in Holland you can take junk to the tip for free as an individual but for businesses (the lottie organisation is clasified as such) it costs money which has to come from the members pockets and the transport costs too. Not fair.

So that out of the way, shall we talk about vandalism? I'll save you my tales hahaha. Still find glass in the soil from the greenhouse last year. Still, the joys of having a wonderful allotment outweighs the few negative aspects.

[LynneA]

We are apparantly supposed to have a skip delivered four times a year.  This is my third calendar year there and I've only seen four in that time.  

Our Site Secretary is supposed to log the request with the Council, and we suspect he doesn't bother.  It now turns out that someone put asbestos in the last one and a stroppy notice has gone up.

Our council dump only allows council tax payers on, and no vans whatsoever.   So we get allsorts dumping stuff in the car park and over the fence.  I recently found Honey Fungus infested logs dumped by the perimeter fence.

By the way Gavin - it is illegal to allow Japanese Knotweed to be propogated or to dispose of it offsite.  Do an internet search on the subject and advise your neighbour that they could find the DEFRA heavy mob popping round for a visit.  Round my way, it's spreading along the railway embankments.

[gavin]

Hi LynneA  -  you know, I know, lots of people know ------ but not apparently Leeds City Council, who drove a tractor-powered cultivator through the patch 2 years ago!

In my innocence, I thought pointing this out might encourage them to do something about it.  Silly me.

All best - Gavin

[LynneA]

It's something we came blame on the culture of the eighties once again.  Councils no longer have their own works teams, so have to contract out for any jobs like this.  What they get is the modern equivalent of the "Orilly Men" builders from Fawlty Towers - a cheap job done by people with no idea in such a way as they have to be paid to come back and do it again a couple of months down the line.

Tha National Trust have found a long winded but effective method for getting rid of knotweed - they lop the stalks and burn them when dry, and inject glysophate right into the middle of the remaining stalk.  It takes time, skill and patience but it should work.

I'll be very interested to see if any householder takes the railways or council to court over this...

[gavin]

Hi LynneA - I don't suppose you know how the glyphosphate is "injected", do you?  

Is it as sophisticated as it sounds?  Or Heath Robinson pouring the dosage down the hollow stem?

All best - Gavin

[LynneA]

Haven't seen any pictures - got the info from a website search on the subject of JapKnot.

Maybe it's another novel use for a Turkey Baster!

[Suze_O]

Our local Council have suddenly gone very 'green' in conjunction with worm farm.

Every Monday they collect all green waste, we are supplied with bio degradeable bags which rot down in 6 months.  They will also take straw, sawdust, woodwaste, but not Japanese knotweed, altho I don't think there is a major prob round here.  

They have also increased the paper saver/telephone directory round to every Friday instead of once a month.  So although we all moan about council tax (boo!) at least environmentally they are doing something.  

Prob with our local tip/recycling centre, you cannot take a van - although camper van (cos it's got windows) is classified as a car .......

Local governments - doncha just luv em