Topic: Allocation of allotments

[RSJK]

There seems to be one or two letters recently on the number of allotments some people have, while some people have none.  I feel sorry for these people who are finding it hard to get an allotment, even more so when I travel around the Midlands every day and see a good many allotment sites with vacant allotments not being used.
 Myself I have 7 allotments now , I started just over two years ago on the site I am on with just the one it was about three foot high in grass and the soil was full of couch grass, it took me about three months to dig it being very carefull to get all the couch out, once this was done I took another one on it also was in the same state as the first one.  I was told that these allotments had not been dug for well over ten years hence the state they were in, no one at all was intrested in taking them on.  I done another three after the second one, again no body else wanted them.  The last two I cleared were well over eight foot high in brambles, but I just got laid into them and cleared them, again not anyone intrested in doing them. There is still another three allotments on the site which are well overgrown I have had people come up to me  telling me that they want an allotment, but could they have one of mine as they are nice and clean and they do not fancy doing the others as it is to much hard work, well all though l feel sorry for them there is no way I am going to give one of mine up after all the hard work I have put into them. Some people (not all) think that allotments dig themselves, and only want one when someone else as put all the hard work into them.
                                          :-\

[Robert_Brenchley]

If you've done that much work you deserve them! The people that annoy me are the ones who have a string of plots and don't cultivate them properly. When ther's a waiting list I think it would be fair to refuse to let any extra plots to established plotholders, but if people don't want them unless someone else does the work first, then the person who'w willing to clear the plot should have it. they should have taken the work on themselves; you can do it fairly painlessly with black plastic.

[Roy Bham UK]

Wow that's about ½ an acre of land isn't it Richard? Do you have a very large family and muscles to match? Good luck to you :o

[kitty]

blimey!
it'd be interesting to see fotos richard!
what are you growing on your 7 plots?
and what do you do with all your produce?

[djbrenton]

Now we're full we are having to consider this question more carefully. It's very difficult to reach a fair yet realistic rule. Do you give an overgrown allotment to a newbie ( knowing there's only a 10% chance they'll ever clear it ) or let a proven gardener move onto it? Or should you give it to a succession of people who find it too much to clear? Whilst we've a waiting list, most do want to move onto a cleared allotment. Of those who have taken a derelict, the majority had underestimated the work involved or overestimated the amount of time they could commit.
It does make me laugh when people say if we should clear a plot for them. Who exactly do they think gets paid to clear allotments for other people. As an Association, evrything that gets done is voluntary, and having cleared an allotment for myself, I haven't much sympathy with people who expect it to be done for them. I'm currently on 3 plots ( 1800 sq yds ), all fully gardened, and value most the plots I cleared from scratch.

[Diana]

I'm with you Richard - if there's a waiting list, then those on the list should get first refusal. If they can't be bothered to clear it I think they should be moved to the end of the list.

DJ - could there be a compromise? 2 years rent free on an uncleared site to an existing plotholder if they are willing to give up one of their 'clean' ones (multi-plot holders)? That would give them a year to clear it + a year of growing - more growing time if they can clear it quicker.

That way the mess won't spread from seeding weeds + the new plotholder could be kept a close eye on - perhaps with an agreement that if someone is prepared to give up a clean plot they can ony have it on a 3-6 month rolling contract, renewal guaranteed if it's keep clean, but no renewal if not.

Just a thought

[djbrenton]

Even better is to find more Ken & Erics. Two guys who took over a really bad plot about 6 months ago have now got it in A! shape but have asked if they can move to a more central plot which has just been given up. It's in even worse state than their existing plot but they done't mind. Two cleared for the price of one!

[wardy]

djb   I agree what you say about clearing plots.  There's no-one employed by councils to do the work - well if there is you're very lucky.  You can't expect the lotty committee guys to do it all as it's just too much.  We only have three and they aren't exactly youngsters.  A community group have taken over two plots near mine and they were really, really bad but the lotty guys organised a working party to muck in to help clear it.  Lots of plotholders pitched in to help and it got done quickly and the council did lend us a trailer and they did take the stuff to the skip for us. 

I think it would be difficult to say newbies can't take over neglected plots as most plots being taken over are by newbies (myself included) and I've spent months clearing rubbish off mine and cutting the 20 ' high hedge  :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

I know the feeling! When I took mine on I had a job which gave me a lot of free time in the day. Just as well too. I had big bonfires daily for three months, and ended up with a pile of unburnable junk six feet high and twenty feet across. Six years later I'm still battling the weeds. No way could you ask the committee to do it, and if it was down to the Council, they'd only use weedkiller. No way do I want it on my plot.

[wardy]

Flippin eck RB - sounds like you've had your work cut out.  I thought ours was bad til I'd seen Heidi's.  Six years!  Aw my gawd.   :o

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'll try to find the old pics of mine. It's still a long way from where I want it, but it's quite unrecognisable from what it was.