Help Please - have notice to show that my allotment is being culitvated or else!

[BusyBee]

Hi there,
I was lucky enough to get an allotment late last year and cleared it ready for the winter. But with the snow etc I haven't been up there much since christmas. I've now received a letter saying that I have 28 days to "cultivate" my plot or I will lose it  :'(.
I want to show that I am serious but I am a complete novice and would really appreciate some tips on what I can do this weekend to "make a mark". I'd like to actually plant something so that they can see that I am genuinely committed to making a success of it.
I'd like to put up a little shed aswell - any tips on a good supplier also gratefully received.
Many thanks

[BusyBee]

[grotbag]

Hi and welcome to this site.Noticed that b&q have a small shed for £95 ,as for making a show do some  fresh digging for them to see..

[manicscousers]

Hiya, welcome to a4a  ;D
have you got anything to cover some ground with, dig a few beds over and get some onions and shallots in, mark out some paths and cover them, just to show willing  ;D
also, talk to people and let them know you are making plans about what to plant, enthusiasm makes a difference

[tonybloke]

If, as you claim, you cleared it last year, there shouldn't be much to do? ;D
why not get someone near you to give some advice?
look here http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Indexes/index.htm
or here http://downtheplot.com/index.php
both good sites for beginners!! ;D ;D ;D

[glosterwomble]

Confusing!! I thought you were Tee Gee who is an expert member on here! Welcome to the site, you may get confused for the original Tee Gee.

Hope you manage to sort your problem, you'll get loads of help from people on here. I'd speak to whoever is in charge and make sure they know that you are serious, come the summer your plot will look fab!

[BusyBee]

Many thanks for the tips - I cut everything back and covered the ground last year so I'll go up and do some digging, plant some onions and shallots and lay out some paths, as suggested.

Thanks for the shed tip.

A bit shy about the talking bit - but I'll have a go.  :-\

I had no idea there was an accomplished gardener with the same name - Just my luck! I simply chose it because it's my initials - I'll choose something else.

Thanks again - off to check out the links recommended ;D

[Vortex]

Must be another stupid non-gardening councilor who knows nothing about when and what work is possible.

A few of my neighbors on one of my plots, the one on heavy clay, have had similar notices, which in my opinion is quite frankly ridiculous.
At least on the site where my other plot is inspections don't take place until April - a far more reasonable time to determine if a plot in going to be, or is being cultivated.

[Slug_killer]

I haven't been down to my plot since Oct last year - there ain't nothing to do on it.

As the weather improves next month I will go down and dig it over then, but not before.

How someone can send out such notices at this time of year begs belief.

May/June time, when the growing season is well under way, and if the plot isn't looked after, the weeds are taking over, then a notice to cultivate would not be unreasonable, but not now.

I should speak to the sender/allotment chairman and ask then what they expect to see happoning now.

[northener]

Don't panic do it bit by bit. If you try doing too much it becomes hard work. Dig enough for planting some onion sets, you'll see where you've been. You want to be buying some Potatoe seeds for puuting in March. Get a good book and chill with it when your aching from digging.

[Tee Gee]

Must be another stupid non-gardening councilor who knows nothing about when and what work is possible.

My thought exactly!

The bloke next to me has just been evicted but wait for it......................they sent him the wrong 'standard letter'

He should have got a warning letter but they sent the 'eviction letter' instead.

What annoys me most is; he was making a good go of it as a novice unlike many others who have taken the plot over the years and gave up after one or two years.

So I guess I might be growing next to a wilderness again due to these bureaucrats sitting on their fat asses rather than getting out  and seeing the situation for themselves.

If they got out and spoke to the people involved it might help

If they had done that to the lad next to me they would have found that he had spent some time in hospital and convalescing last summer.

As an aside;

I'm confused  ??? ???

What  does this mean?

Confusing!! I thought you were Tee Gee who is an expert member on here! Welcome to the site, you may get confused for the original Tee Gee.

[Deb P]

Someone else has just joined with the name teegee...it's confusing us all! :-\

It think you will find you are being referred to as the 'expert' Tee Gee, the other forum member has referred to themselves as a newbie, so we should be able to tell you apart! ;D

[carlseawolf]

hi Busy Bees,
This is a big problem on allotment sites at the moment because there is big waiting lists but no plot available , this problem came up many months ago on another veg growing forum i chat on and he got no warning and his plot got ploughed without his knolledge.
  This person had a plot on a scunthorpe allotment and was given no official warning before the plot was ploughed and taken off him , the story went to the news paper and we gave the council in charge hell by commenting on the story and emailing every councillor and newspaper/ TV person who would take notice and we could not save his original plot but he was put on the top of the waiting list for a new one as well as 6 other people it also happened to at the same time.
He now has a new plot and has learnt his lesson to keep a blog as proof of what your doing so there is no doubt you are in the right.

[hopalong]

Yes, carlseawolf is right. I read somewhere recently that there are at least 100,000 people waiting for allotments now.  Our site has closed its waiting list until January 2010 and the committee, who are quite a reasonable bunch, are getting much tougher on people who don't seem to bother because it's unfair on those who have been waiting ages for a plot.

Trouble is, it's been such a bad winter that working the soil has been difficult or impossible for much of the time - and trampling all over wet ground could compact and damage the soil. Newcomers need to be given a chance.

[Busy Bee]

hi BusyBee and welcome. This is going to get even more confusing with Tee Gee and teegee alongside Busy Bee and BusyBee lol.

I have only just managed to start my plot too because of the weather etc over the winter. I have done more tidying up, discusssed boundaries with my neighbour, met lots of lovely helpful people and dug one bed. By talking to people about what i'm going to do and how much time i'll be able to spend there has at least let people know i am keen.

Sorry to go off topic for a min. Deb P i got KG today just to read your shed article lol. Well done you. Now can your OH come make one for me lol  :) :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Under the previous committee at my site, anyone they took a dislike to was likely to be reported for non-cultivation, which the people responsible didn't cultivate themselves. If you've already done a reasonable amount of work, send some pics to your local Councillor with a complaint.

[glosterwomble]

I'm confused  ??? ???

What  does this mean?

Confusing!! I thought you were Tee Gee who is an expert member on here! Welcome to the site, you may get confused for the original Tee Gee.

I'm sorry, I have probably confused everyone now with this!!

When I replied to this thread BusyBee was called TeeGee hence me saying it would get confusing. Once I posted my comment TeeGee (no gap between the name unlike Tee Gee) changed their name to BusyBee so my comment now doesn't make sense!! Hope that makes sense and to clears it up!!  ;D

[flossy]

  It's OK glosterwomble,   got it in one !   ;D

   floss xxx

[Sparkly]

I think sending a letter at this time of year is pretty out of order, particularly if you have covered the plot up before winter. Many people on our site will be coming down over the next few weeks for the first time since Oct or Nov. We have been working our plot over the winter, but working in the really cold weather is not always appropriate for some people. Nor is digging totally frozen ground! I would talk to someone on the committee and ask what they expect in terms of 'progress'. Do not go in all guns blazing. If you approach in a concerned manner there is hope they will be reasonable. They cannot expect miracles. I would expect newcomers who took a plot on at the end of last season to have made progress preparing the ground by march or april. This doesn't mean the whole plot, but do keep areas you are not going to cultivate this season covered up. Turn over a couple of beds and remove any perenial weeds. Put some fruit in or onions/garlic. Go down with a positive attitude and get yourself known with the regulars.

Sorry to hear you are going through this. Don't give up!

[flossy]

  Seems a bit previous for harrasing letters !!!

  Sparky , echo your sentiments  --  theres too much of 'jobs worth ' on some allotment sites
  from people who need to get ' a job - or a life '  maybe it's the council or a site committee,

  You pay rent, you have a plot, you are doing what most people do over this long winter'
   and thats ' let it lie '  you can't do much else !   

   floss xxx    ;)

[70fingers]

Personally I think it is unreasonable to give an ultimatum so soon after taking on a plot. Whilst I understand that there are waiting lists for plots these days, not much can be done on a plot over winter. Allotment committees and council officers alike often seem a bit too keen to jump on people - come on guys give us newbies a bit of slack :)

Not all of us have as much time as retired people to spend on our plots, and in my experience the average age of an allotment committee is 67. I don't want to appear ageist and the work of an allotment committee is invaluable but I do think sometimes they need to see things from the perspective of people trying to hold down jobs and/or look after young families.

Some people prefer (organic methods) to let nature take its natural course rather than apply copious quantities of "Roundup" etc. Maybe people are just waiting for plants/weeds etc to die down and the weather to improve a little before they commence - it is only Feb!

I would contact the committee/council, explain your intentions, do some plot preparation i.e. cover with weed control fabric, start some digging and have a general tidyup. Tackle it bit by bit and enjoy - it's meant to be fun afterall.

But we can all whinge from the sidelines, maybe more of us need to get more involved in the decision making. And if it is a council plot perhaps remind them that their grass verges and roundabouts don't exactly look attractive at this time of the season...!  

Expecting some flak for this post - off to hide in the shed :-)