Topic: Take on a plot... then.......

[Jeannine]

I think if veggie gardens were on their own homes there would not be this problem so much.It is easy to walk into your back garden several times a day and pull a few weeds etc but takes more effort to drive, walk, bike to a plot where your tools are locked etc and do a weed job. I wonder if folks simply don't realise the difference and can't quite make the extra effort.

My next door neighbour on a very small plot has hardly been since she signed up this year, her strawberries have rotted in the beds, her few things she planted have not made it due to too early planting, insufficient preparation etc, she has been three times and pulled weeds but I would bet my bottom dollar she does not renew, which is great for me as I am hoping to get the plot. I have given her seeds and plants which she put in then didn't tend. She has already told me it is too much due to a job etc, yet she had a very large garden at home filled with flowers , shrubs and lawns..she didn't want veggies in that.

XX Jeannine

[Duke Ellington]

If I had to give up my allotment I would turn my back garden into a vegetable garden an make it look as decorative as possible. I would however  miss the conversations, laughs, vegetable sharing And all the lovely people I have met at the allotment  :)

Duke

[shirlton]

You are right Duke. Its the folks I would miss too.

[keejaay]

We took on our plot  at the end of April this year , very badly overgrown [ 130 feet long x 16 ft wide ]  within 4 weeks of hard graft inbetween shifts both my wife and i had not only cleared the ground but planted it as well .
Now there are only 12 plots on our sites and i was given by the sec a list of rules to conform too,  to my utter suprise i then found out 3 plots were turned into large chicken runs and the rest either could not be bothered or just done very little inc the sec and chairman . at our yearly meet when asked if i had any questions - i raised the fact the allotments were not being used correctly and if people were not up to doing it they should be given to people who could work the ground , the answer i got was you youngsters have the time and energy to do it [ i am nearly 50 ] the others are either OAP or on Benifts - i walked out of the meeting -- then today i had just finished giving my plot a final turnover before winter one of them was giving me advice on what i was doing wrong so i told him when yours looks as good as mine then give advice until then bugger off --- like you say allotments are to be enjoyed and used not left overgrown to spoil it for everyone

[Unwashed]

We took on our plot  at the end of April this year , very badly overgrown [ 130 feet long x 16 ft wide ]one of them was giving me advice on what i was doing wrong so i told him when yours looks as good as mine then give advice until then bugger off --- like you say allotments are to be enjoyed and used not left overgrown to spoil it for everyone

Do you suppose, after you told him to "bugger off", the allotmenteer who took the time to talk to you went home having enjoyed his day?  No one has ever spoken to me like that in nearly twenty years of allotmenteering, and if they had I'd have gone home very upset.

[Sparkly]

I have just started up a 'buddy' system for our new plot holders. We are planning to meet monthly for advice, discussions and just a general chat! We have just signed 3 new plotholders and they all seem keen to take part. I would say the success rate on our site is probably well less than 50%. Alot of new people don't have any experience and have really underestimated the time and effort involved. Also the lack of knowledge makes it difficult due to the short time frame to get essential jobs done. Time will tell whether the new scheme helps!

[pumkinlover]

Hmm...........interesting idea Sparkly. A very good one :)

[keejaay]

Do you suppose, after you told him to "bugger off", the allotmenteer who took the time to talk to you went home having enjoyed his day?  No one has ever spoken to me like that in nearly twenty years of allotmenteering, and if they had I'd have gone home very upset.

I did not intend to upset the guy -but after doing a 10 hour shift in work starting at 5am going home having a bite to eat then tending to the plot for 3 hours just to make sure it looks tidy and my bean trenches dug ready for manure i did feel annoyed when he came over after being sat on his chair admiring his chickens for an hour whilst the rest of his plot is overgrown - thats the problem some people take on these plots then do nothing whilst people like myself and my wife will have a go even though we are novice's , if we are not sure what to do we seek help from experienced gardners or go on the web and find sites like this one which has given us vast amounts of info

[Squash64]

I have just started up a 'buddy' system for our new plot holders. We are planning to meet monthly for advice, discussions and just a general chat! We have just signed 3 new plotholders and they all seem keen to take part. I would say the success rate on our site is probably well less than 50%. Alot of new people don't have any experience and have really underestimated the time and effort involved. Also the lack of knowledge makes it difficult due to the short time frame to get essential jobs done. Time will tell whether the new scheme helps!

This sounds interesting Sparkly, would you tell us a bit more about what you plan to do please?

[digmore]

Hi antsinmipants,

We had a chat about this problem years ago, before allotments became trendy, but the situation never changes only the eviction get more frequent. Most people coming on to a plot are newbies, with little or no knowledge of whats required. Perhaps, a leaflet showing how its done and what is required.

One suggestion, was to put the rents up. But I think that there are as many lazy rich folk as there are poor folk and it would destroy the basic principle of what an allotments purpose is under the Allotment Act.

But, as I topiced earlier, Poor Husbandry, keep it simple and stick to basics:- if you cant eat it, clear it.

Digmore.

[betula]

I am on a brand new allotment that only started this year and already we have neglected plots.

We pay £100 per year so not cheap in relation to council plots so does money make a difference??

[Sparkly]

I have just started up a 'buddy' system for our new plot holders. We are planning to meet monthly for advice, discussions and just a general chat! We have just signed 3 new plotholders and they all seem keen to take part. I would say the success rate on our site is probably well less than 50%. Alot of new people don't have any experience and have really underestimated the time and effort involved. Also the lack of knowledge makes it difficult due to the short time frame to get essential jobs done. Time will tell whether the new scheme helps!

This sounds interesting Sparkly, would you tell us a bit more about what you plan to do please?

The idea is to have a monthly meeting at a weekend (we are doing the 2nd Sunday in the month). For the first meeting I produced a short (2 sided) leaflet with some basic information: ideas for planting, upcoming events and reminders, links to our website and facebook page and for this one I put an article about how to start clearing a plot at this time of year. We met in the communal site hut and had a chat about how things were going, did a Q&A type session and discussed plans for the next few weeks. We then went around some of the peoples plots and they had the chance to ask questions (at this stage it was "what is this (weed)?". I also showed a tenant how to dig properly so that sort of thing. Everyone introduced themselves and I provided some cakes. The idea is for the sessions to be quite open. We will meet up, have a chat and answer questions; pointing people in the right directions in terms of essential jobs that need to be completed. Maybe in the future I may invite some guest speakers on specific topics. There are alot of knowledgeable people on the site so I am hoping to get a few volunteers to do demonstrations or a 10 minute talk about specific ideas/skills/techniques.

[elvis2003]

sparkly can we have a link for your facebook page,for those of us who use it please x
heres ours
 http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/40958328425/

[Sparkly]

Sorry Elvis it is members only!  ;)

[elvis2003]

thanks for your reply sparkly,but why so exclusive??

[Sparkly]

Because it is a chance to talk about things specific to the ground and have a tight-knit little group. There are lots of groups on FB for veg growing/allotments and it is really for letting members chat and get to know each other who may visit the plot at different times.