best kept allotment

[Unwashed]

Does your site have a best allotment competition?  My council are talking about judging one when they do their inspection.  A good idea?

[Unwashed]

[Sparkly]

We have one, again judged by the council, but this is over all the grounds within the borough (10ish sites). best allotment, best flowerbed, best onion bed and most improved plot. I think they also give out some "highly commended" and list the top 5 (i think) plots.

[ceres]

We have an annual competition although it's not very well regarded and is quite low profile.  We do first, second and third for full plot, half plot, newcomer and overall best plot.  It could be a good thing if it was better run.  

[siandc]

The council do our local borough. Our comitee put forward a selection and the council bods judge. Apparently they're really harsh and one site usually win... they have a few plotholders who pretty much aim to win the competition and that's it.  ::)
Apparently out site rarely/ never win anything because we're generally there to grow food!  ;D

[kt.]

We have one but nobody knows when it is happening.  The council do it adhoc then anounce the results. I told them not to enter mine as I don't want to win every year...... ;D ;D     As long as it produces harvests for me I ain't bothered about the competition.

[saddad]

Ours is part of the "Derby in Bloom", part of the England in Bloom... we were just discussing it at the Comm. meeting tonight. Caused a real stink half a dozen years ago when one site won virtually all the prizes, and provided the judges...  :-X

[lavenderlux]

We have 'best allotment' competitions for the allotment sites in our town.  On each site in the town there's 'best plot' of first, second and third, and over all the sites in the town there's a competition for the best 'newcomer'  and  the best 'organic' of first, second and third and there's the 'best kept site' in the town.
It does seem to be the same people who win every year and for very many years one site always won the 'best kept site' but in the past five years two other sites have been much improved and now the 'best kept site' award seems to go alternatively to them - as by 'self help' their sites are very well kept.

[gardentg44]

Who as got the best kept allotment then??

Can we have some pics please.

may join myself ;D ;D

[saddad]

That's the "Britain in Bloom" standard format Lavenderlux... there's also a "best Scarecrow" section now...
Kitchen Garden Mag also run a parallel scheme, in which DebP got best runner up for her Shed and a Highly commended Cert..., we are going to enter our site in that too..  :)

[BAK]

We have best plot, 2nd and 3rd ... best newcomer ... and new this year best mixed plot (decorative / fruit & veg).

In recent years it has been judged by the plot holders themselves - everybody gets a voting slip. However, less than 25% have bothered to vote in the last two years and so we are giving that up this year. The guy who has won it most years since I have been there has retired (at least for the moment) and he will be one of two judges this year.

[shirlton]

Birmingham city council do have a competition. You do have to enter your plot.I would much prefer for them to walk around and look at all the plots randomly throughout the year and mark them all accordingly. The way it's run at the moment the folks that enter only grow the things that will get them the high marks.

[BarriedaleNick]

Ours is part of Lewisham in Bloom and they send someone round to gaze over our vegtable empire.  last time they gave it to someone who grows mostly flowers which pi55ed off all the hardcare fruit and veg growers no end.
Mind you if you have seen my shed thread you'll see that aesthetic qualities are not high on the agenda on our site

[Robert_Brenchley]

Birmingham city council do have a competition. You do have to enter your plot.I would much prefer for them to walk around and look at all the plots randomly throughout the year and mark them all accordingly. The way it's run at the moment the folks that enter only grow the things that will get them the high marks.

Someone on my site won 'best newcomer' last year. It's manageable if you're motivated, but I'm not!

[1066]

I think it depends on what you want to achieve. A bit of reward and recognition can go along way, but as others have pointed out it can cause a few probs, same people wining, judges bias etc. If its a bit of fun then I'm all for it.
Our council runs a competition across the borough for best site, no-one actually seems to enter but of the 4/5 sites you are pretty much guaranteed to win something every other year  ::)

[sawfish]

We have it but I'd never enter. I dont like the boring criteria. 'Best kept' allotments dont appeal to me, I like mine a bit random and quirky.

[coznbob]

Didn't even know our council ran a competition 1066!

Still, I have no danger of winning it.... ::)

[1066]

I know what you mean Coznbob! I think its part of the Hastings in Bloom and somehow it just seems to happen  ???

[Mr Smith]

I think we have one judged by the council but it could just be a rumour, the only time I see them near our allotments is to turn the water on, :)

[Tee Gee]

Last year our plots won best plot (under our council control) having been the winner of the most improved plot the year before.

This year I have been asked to enter my plot for 'best individual plot' but I don't feel like it  :-\

What I am concerned with is this ( apologies if you think this is an ego trip)

If you win you get your picture in the local 'rag' which is fine but then the problems sometimes come with this fame.

To explain; We have no problems of vandalism or theft from our plots but some plots it would seem have in the past.

What appears to happen is the 'lowlife' see the plots pictured in the paper and see some easy pickings :'(

So it is my contention (sad tho it be) is;    'do not enter'.........meaning you can't win.........meaning your plots are not pictured in the paper................meaning your privacy is still intact!

Sad isn't it ?  >:(

[Kea]

Our Town Council has included in their 'town in bloom' competition for the region but I don't think any allotmenteer entered last year. I heard some people were thinking about entering this year. I'm definitely not a contender!!!