FOUND OUT WHY GARDENS NOT GETTING TAKEN

[organicandy]

 >:(Hi all and a very happy new year to you, i posted a thread titled spare half garden last week because i was wondering why gardens werent being taken on my allotment site, well ive found out, Truth is that all the gardens are allocated to people who have paid their rent for the years season but packed in their gardens without telling anyone thus leaving them to get overgrown to a state where anyone wouldnt want to take them on anyhow. i would have thought that it is the secretarys job to sort out these pretend part timers and turf them off to make room for us real gardeners got to add that the only way to get a garden on my allotments is to ask the secretary for one but no ones seen him for 8 months so its a bit of a catch 22 situation, out of only 16 plots there are now only 10 plots cultivated, the gardens are in featherstone by the way in west yorkshire so if theres anyone interested in a garden then drop me a line on here and ill look into it for you

[organicandy]

[saddad]

We have a "kit" inspection run by DebP to "weed out" non-cultivators but it does need an active committee to get these things sorted Andy

[organicandy]

Hi Saddad, i wish we had something like that too,maybee its time for a new sectretary, its just such a shame to let the gardens go to ruin when theres so many folk wanting allotment gardens, i think ill get the campaign going in time for this coming season.

[ceres]

We inspect every 6 weeks and kick off people not cultivating. 

[grawrc]

We have monthly plot inspections in the growing season. Anyone with an unkempt plot is contacted informally in the first instance to see if there's a problem before being served notice of termination.

[lavenderlux]

We also have a regular 'walk round' to note any plots not being cultivated but as already mentioned, you do need an active field secretary and active and supportive committee members to assist to be able to do this.  If we note a plot not being cultivated our first step is to contact the person, as it can sometimes be that there is a problem such as illness and we would try to sort out a solution in a friendly way - if its a long standing plot holder then we can sometime arrange a bit of temporary help for them from nearby plot holders who know them.  If a person finds they are no longer able to cultivate their plot, contacting them in a friendly way is much nicer and also easier for them to give up if they feel they cannot continue.  

[gardentg44]

order me one ;D ;D

[organicandy]

Hi gardenn44,if your serious m8 im pretty sure i can get you one with not too much spade work, drop me some contact info and ill get back to you asap.

[shirlton]

We are sent letters warning us to either start doing something on the plot or vacate. We have 20 on our waiting list now. 2 years ago we had around 40 spare plots. Me thinks the current situation will encourage some folks to have go at growing their own.

[Inky]

Where I am (Norwich) I was put onto a 18 month waiting list. I have now been offered a plot after only about a 6 month wait, but thats only cause they have decided to turn over a spare patch of land by one of the existing sites making up another bunch of plots. The stupid thing is that when I went to take a look there are a number of existing plots which are just like meadows, or worse just being used as a dumping ground for household rubbish. I dont understand why these plots arnt being given over to those who are waiting if the waiting lists are this long?

[Borlotti]

If it is a Council run allotment, apparently they have to give written notice that the plot is going to given up notification to the old plot holder (although I think he had died).  My plot was given to me by the Council and after I had planted a few things they said I couldn't have it, as the notice, legal whatever had not gone through.  Then I had to go up to the allotments and choose another site, but the site they let me choose was the one I had, and they told me I could have it.  Confused of Enfield. They then said I had half a plot, which was what I wanted but when the paper work come through I had the whole plot.  Five years later, and three fruit trees later, they said I only had half a plot but as I had cultivated it let me keep it. I think they confused themselves and certainly confused me.  I did apply for the job of allotment secretary at the Council as it sounded a very interesting job, but I never had a reply, either too old or they had not got the staff to deal with it.  Changing the subject we are not allowed sheds on our allotments, but have lockers and a Council building with running water and toilets.  We have playing fields near our allotments and if people see sheds they think they may be things to steal in them and break into them or burn them.  I think we are probably better without them as we have not had too much trouble apart from children that jump the fence and try and light fires and generally run about over crops, but luckily so far not too much stolen.  We now have chickens on the site, but they are locked up at night, but maybe that is another temptation for dishonest people.  I think that now that allotments are more popular people will not be allowed to just keep an allotment and not work it and only go up once a year to pick fruit.  I suppose once you have one it is hard to give it up and for less than £1 a week to go up for a walk and a bit of peace and quiet, especially in London, why give it up unless forced to do so.

[Deb P]

Whatever system you start, it takes time to implement. There is also the minefield of deciding what criteria you will use to judge the plots! ::)

[pigeonseed]

Whatever system you start, it takes time to implement. There is also the minefield of deciding what criteria you will use to judge the plots! ::)

Yes you could easily ask for them to be strict and regret it!  ;)

Someone told me their last site had a 'grow or go' rule - if you were growing and keeping at least part of your plot in order then you were ok. That sounded fairly gentle on the gardeners and not too stressful to implement for the committee.

But another plot holder said he had had a plot on a site where they were so strict you weren't allowed to grow more than a certain percentage of flowers, you had to grow veg overwinter as well, or you would get a warning.

i think something that strict would spoil the fun for me.

[Trevor_D]

Now that most sites are full, with waiting lists as well, it should be much easier to "inspect & warn".

Two years ago, at least a third of our site was derelict; now every plot is taken (and often sub-divided into half-plots) and it's not just the committee who are beginning to become annoyed at non-cultivation, but the other plot-holders. They know who the guilty ones are and want them out, or at least down at the plot doing something! I've already sent quite a few letters; one or two have decided to down-size or call it a day, but most have got on & done something. And good for them!

But Deb P is right - any system takes time to implement. And we do need to be a little laid back: apart from the restrictions laid down by the law and our lease, we're fairly open-ended, in that members can plant fruit trees, build a pond, have a sitting area, keep chickens, not just grow veg.

[Robert_Brenchley]

It takes several years for perennial weds to get established to the point where a plot's going to be really hard to sort out. One year's neglect leads to a vast growth of annuals which are easily dealt with. So if they're really bad there's more to it than people just not saying that they're giving up.

[Eristic]

you weren't allowed to grow more than a certain percentage of flowers

Define flowers!

There all more or less flowers. Many flowers are edible or even a valuable food source such as Canna, Dahlia, Mirabilis, Oenothera etc. Evicting anyone for growing these plants could lead to legal action.

At least my Borough simply expects the plot to be cultivated. You can have a lawn but it must be mown regularly.