Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: IndieGran on August 29, 2008, 22:19:52
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We took an allotment on 15th May this year. It had no redeeming features whatsoever - nothing growing but extremely virulent weeds, no shed, nothing but 220 sq metres of thistles, nettles, docks, couch, brambles etc. We set to work with great vigour - didn't want to use weedkiller initially, so we pulled/dug up what we could then covered about a quarter of the site with manure. That didn't work - weeds coming through as bad as ever. (This is not to mention all the hours spent clearing rubble, glass etc etc and taking it to the tip.)
After a couple of months we turned to weedkiller in despair, using the powerful stuff that takes 2-4 weeks to work. It didn't very well! So we used it again last weekend, as well as hacking some stuff back. Can't tell you how many hours we have spent there doing our best.
I spent a morning at A&E this week with an eye injury sustained whilst trying to pull up some rusting barbed wire that must have been buried in the undergrowth for years.
The day after that we received a letter from the Council advising us that we are in breach of the conditions of our tenancy agreement concerning 75% cultivation.
We have 14 days from the date of the letter - 22nd August - which we received on the 27th August as it was sent by 2nd class post and a Bank Holiday intervened - to remedy the situation or face eviction. The holder of the plot two down from us who got his allotment at the same time and in a similar condition has received the same notice.
So in effect we've been given 3 months to remedy the neglect of many years, but weren't told at the outset that this was the case!
Does anyone have any advice please?
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I am not a lottie holder but that sounds rather harsh to me. Given that they appear to be short sighted, I can only suggest you burn the offending stuff off the top and 'plant' a load of plastic greenery and flowers for the time being. ;D
Seriously though, I hope someone has a sensible solution.
G x
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oh dear indiegran,im so sorry that you recieved this letter after all your hard work,must feel like a right old kick in the teeth! have you spoken to anyone about this,i mean your site secretary or the council themselves? did they give you a contact number with the letter,maybe you could give them a ring to explain you only recently took over the plot? i can see why they have the percentage rule thingie,but surely that should only apply to those that have had the plot for over a year,or so?
i hope ive been a bit of help,im sure someone more knowledgable will be along shortly
good luck with your plot
rach
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Welcome to the site, IndieGran - I hope we can give you some support and guidance - you seem to have been treated really shabbily.
It seems to be a rite of passage for all allotment holders to go through - clear a messy site before being able to use it, three months is no time at all, because itr is only after at least a couple of years perseverance that the weeds seem to slow down and are easier to dig.
I think you are being treated most unfairly, a strong letter to the council setting out how much time you've spent clearing the site, preferably with photos before and during the clearing with dates would help. It is not reasonable to expect you to have cleared that much is so short a time.
Have you thought about covering the areas you have cleared to stop the weeds growing back? Or is that considered "not cultivated"?
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i assume that your plot has a waiting list?do they give you any clearing assistance?
talk to the old hands they should be able to give you say a letter to say that your doing your best to improve an unworked plot,have you taken before and after pics
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A lesson to anyone taking on a derelict plot,take a photo with a date code.
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seems very unfair to me, i've had my plot now for about 3 mths and it was also very overgrown i got roughly about a third of it cleared with beds in it, our council will give us about a year to get it sorted and we don't pay any ground rent in the first year as it's in a bad state.
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Well at first glance it seems rather harsh to me as well but somehow I do not think the poster is giving us the real facts. Suddenly possession of an allotment has become cool, hip, chic etc and there is a gold rush. However, the reality of having an allotment is that there is a huge amount of manual labour required to get control.
The entire prime growing season has passed by without any crops planted or any decent area of sod turned. The Landlords have deemed the incumbent unable to cultivate the plot to the required standard so that only leaves two choices;
Stop winging, get stuck in and prove them wrong. Or.
Give in gracefully and take up cooking.
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First of all I cant see the sense in letting a plot at such a late date after all most plot holders get their digging done in the winter,
secondly Indiegran when you had dug a patch did you plant anything in the cleared area
Exactly how much time did you spend on the plot, after a couple of months you should have broken the back of the main of it, I tend to agree with Eristic to many people watch the likes of joe swift and his five minute makeover and think oh that easy and then when faced with reality cant cope.
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Any sensible authority, no matter what their waiting lists, should not apply any cultivation limits in the first year. There are too many factors that may prevent a plot being brought back into a cultivated state - not least of which is the weather.
I'd write to them and point out that as they only let the plot on the 15th May, well past the recognized preparation period for the season, that they are short sited and stupid.
Also report the authority to the NSALG http://www.nsalg.org.uk/ and write a second letter to your local councilor complaining about the treatment.
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Seems unfair to me. Our Council rotavates before a plot is taken on which does help, and also clears all old glass, metal etc. but it doesn't take long to go back to nature if not dug regularly. Mine is a bit overgrown at present but at least am getting crops and we do not have the allotment police yet. So many people get an allotment and give up, I don't think they realise how time consuming, back breaking it can be. Anyhow good luck and hope you find a good solution. Perhaps do a little a time and get one bed looking really good to show you are trying. I do have help from my OH with a motor mower and rotavator and he is strong so can sort it out in a few hours, whereas with shears and a spade I do a little bit every day. Quite a few allotments are neglected on our site and I think the Council are trying to sort it out and evict people who never come, which is a good thing but I hope it doesn't get too competetive or I may be in the same situation as you. I like it a bit wild as encourages birds etc.
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If the council wanted you to have 75% of your lotty cultivated then in my book it is their responsibility to have the allotment suitable for use and it your case it was not, I would going back to them and wanting a rebate on my rent :)
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If you do not have any photos of what it was like when you took over, could you post some of what it is like now. I will sit on the fence on this one for now and reserve my opinion until after viewing what has been done in the past 3 months.
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May is a really hard time to get a plot, when the weeds are getting into their main growing season. I find it's one step forward and two steps back, so it sounds as if your council is being very unreasonable.
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Our allotments in Bristol have the same rule. I work full time so have been spending every spare minute clearing the plot, using weedkiller and hacking/burning the weeds. My back is permanently aching!
Once the 2 skips-worth of rubbish has been collected my plan is to cover the lot with black weed-control plastic (I got 3 rolls on Ebay for a tenner) and uncover and dig/weed smaller areas at a time. Most councils consider this to be 'cultivation'. Maybe once the plastic is down you could mark out areas with tent pegs and string, which might make it look more organised.
Agree its a good idea to take photos as you go along, if anything else it helps keep up the motivation.
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Taken On: 03:04:2008:09:23
(http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm265/Buster1954/Allotment
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Taken On: 11:04:2008 15:08
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Taken On: 04:05:2008 13:48
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Taken On: 22:05:2008 19:39
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Taken On: 11:06:2008 15:51
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Taken On: 12:07:2008: 15:30
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Taken On: 16:08:2008 16:46
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Thats how long it took me
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Wow Buster, that is impressive!
Sounds like Indiegrans is in rather worse state to start off with, but how did you get the grass up and what did you do with it afterwards? It looks like you have got it from rough ground to very fine soil with some magic potion. Mine is full of half-buried carpets and plastic bottles, and the incinerator is going constantly to burn tree cuttings and bindweed.
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After I shifted the rubbish I got on my knees and took the top of with the spade for about 3 meters then dug it and removed every root I came to and dumped it all down the bottom of my plot that had a bit of a dip know it full and will level it of next year,one of the allotment neighbors lent me the rotavator after I dug it all
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Nice one Buster. Did you rotovate? Whereabouts are you it looks familiar?
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I only rotovated once it had all been dug over.South Yorks in between Barnsley-Rotherham-and Doncaster ;)
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:o ;D
Crikey Me Buster! An object lesson in how to do it! Well done you!
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Stop it katynewbie I'm starting to look like your cat
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I'm from Wombwell in Barnsley
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I'm from Wombwell in Barnsley
Are you on Summer Lane
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Brilliant job Buster. Well done.
Every site needs half a dozen Buster's :)
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Brilliant, can you sort mine out!!!!
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Brilliant job Buster,however different people have different time,tools ,help etc.
I think as long as the council can see work in progress they should be reasonable.
I would send a letter listing all the work that you have done and ask to discuss the matter. :)
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No John street behind the tile shop, i know a few on summer lane though
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Brilliant job Buster, it shows its not how long it takes but how much you apply your self to the task, you must be a human JCB
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It looks great Buster ;D
I have never used weed membrane that I see you have planted through so could you please tell me what it is and what do you do with it at the end of the growing season in regards to manuring the ground? Do you lift it, manure then replace it? What do you do if the next crops have different spacings? Do you make more holes?
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This is my first year at allotmenteering the membrane is a woven fabric which you can buy in diff specifications(this is guaranteed for 5 years cost £83 for a 2mx100m roll from the allotment society) and needs pegging down.only downside is it frays when you cut it(you don't cut a hole you cut a x) and is a bit fiddly to plant through so am gonna try a hot knife when I get around to buying one.my idea was to cover half and leave half uncovered thus as the growing season started I only had one half to weed.What I intend on doing is rolling it back as everything is harvested from say October then dig it over and manure it and leave it till Jan/Feb then rotovate,I am going to use the same holes but as I have found out this year that some plants are rather large so am gonna skip a hole or 2 dep on what I plant,as you can see I haven't used all the allotment as this year is a learning curve for me as I am growing on none manured land and want to experience the pitfalls(cabbage root fly.caterpillars,slugs ,snails and pigeons upto now) but have had some good results,one of my allotment neighbors has his whole allotment covered in fabric(except potatoes thats who gave me the info)as he puts his seeds in single pots then plants the plants through the fabric(beetroot,carrots,peas,beans,turnip,sweetcorn,no thinning out to do no weeding
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Buster,
Well done I thought mine was bad when I took it on last back end but like you we got stuck in, I think it is called hard work, :)
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Buster - all I can say is WOW, WOW and double WOW! :o 8) :o Fantastic progress. Looks a decent size plot too.
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Thank you for your reply Buster :) I shall now look to buy some as my weeds tend to grow faster than any veg :(
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No-one said it was easy. But even with just 2 days a week at it, you can make a difference.
September to March...and a wet winter too.
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Deeply impressed by the progress you've achieved Buster (and Ken :))
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No-one said it was easy. But even with just 2 days a week at it, you can make a difference.
September to March...and a wet winter too.
wow :o is that heavy clay? it looks like you could make pots with that. i assumed you rotovated, what a lovely crumbly growing medium. i have clay but not that heavy but full of stones >:(
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getting back to the original post-tho congrats are in order for that hard work buster! ;D
our council have stopped rotovating the plots people have taken on-not sure whether thats a bad thing tho-they just rotovated all the rubbish in,did it so badly i'm not sure they didnt make it worse-i've done mine slow but sure and make sure i dig with my back to the part that is yet to be done-
there have been a few 'newbies'who have taken the fashion up of having a lottie,and left it after realising its b***** hard work-including one lady who had a 'no-dig 'policy-after informing us all about her wonderful regime and the benefits thereof,she has dissapeared,as her 'no dig'scheme resulted in 'no veg'either....
work=food.....
but i think the op should outline to their council just what they have achieved....while their eye is still in bandages too!-hope it gets better soon!
and i hope you retain your plot!
kitty
xx
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This was ours in March, complete with horsetail everywhere:
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o152/avm777/2008-03-19-Allotment-003.jpg)
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o152/avm777/27032008019web.jpg)
and in July:
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o152/avm777/Allotment/web2008-07-13-Allotment-013.jpg)
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o152/avm777/Allotment/web2008-07-13-Allotment-015.jpg)
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o152/avm777/Allotment/web2008-07-29-Allotment-024.jpg)
I have to say that we had to spend almost 2 whole days a week up there to get this far, and i think we have only about 60% cultivated. We didn't have barbed wire etc to deal with. I couldn't put that amount of work in to it all year...
They sound very harsh to me. Do they have a very long waiting list? Would other allotment holders be willing to support you?
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Good going tyke. Specially as it was water logged.
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I've only just seen this thread so sorry for jumping in a bit late. I think the council are being fairly harsh. I took my plot on in June, and have so far managed to dig over about 3/4 of the plot and mark out beds etc. I have a few things growing, but not massive amounts yet (need to do a bit of autumn planting out) and I still have 1/4 plot untouched (just marked where the beds will go), although it's covered and the weeds are under control.
I achieved all of this with massive of amounts of hard work - down there every night after work and also most weekends. I was also lucky to have help from my brother and OH to put up a fence and shed for me. If I'd had responsibilities at home that had stopped me going down there all evening every evening then I would never have got as far as I have. Not everyone is able to spend every non-working minute tending their plot, and I think it's unreasonable of the council to expect you to have 75% cultivated just a few months after taking on an overgrown plot.
I say get down to their offices, ring them, get some support from your committee (if you have one), and if you have any, show them photos of your progress. Good luck, I hope they start to see sense.
xx
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The chances are that the Council have simply walked around the site marking any plots that aren't substantially cultivated as neglected. When I accompanied our inspection committee I often had to point out that gardens had only recently been taken and shouldn't be reported. My bet is that a simple letter pointing out that you are recovering an overgrown plot will get you 'off the hook'.