I took a wrong turn and ended up by some allotments. So I parked and had a nose. There were several very well done plots one with some raised beds with different compartments and triangular sections at the corners which I was rather taken with.
But there was a huge amount of uncultivated land, yet I know that there are vast waiting lists on all the sites in Swindon because I was trying to find one for a friend.
Same on hours. Supposed to be a waiting list but half are like jungles, i think uncultivated letters get sent out in October.
i went to all three allotment sites over the course of this year (think i visited 4/5 times in total before deciding to go for one) and noticed on each lots of uncultivated plots covered in weeds or just general jungles.
When i went to apply for one myself i found there were excessive waiting lists on all sites bar one where 3 plots were available so i took one, yet there are at least 10 plots unloved on my site :(.
I'm afraid it's the same on a lot of sites. As Secretary, I'm the one who has to write the non-cultivation letters. It's not easy to get land cultivated, either by persuading the existing tenant to get their finger out, or throwing them off if they won't. The process can take a year or more. We now have regular plot inspections and I walk the site every time I go there (ie. most days). But we still have several rather unloved plots. And a waiting list.
Its the same on our site. It riles me every time I see the jungles. I think a few people who dont want to bother anymore just keep them on till October cos they have paid for the year. If there wasn't a waiting list it wouldn't bother me as much. Rant over
We do plot inspections every month, two members of the committee go around and mark every plot on out points system (mainly for our plot of the month award) any plots not being looked after and scoring 2 or under get a gentle reminder form the site manager, next month if no improvement they are sent a letter giving them 14 days to get the plot sorted, failing that the next letter is you have 14 days to remove your stuff, works well for us.
We have 2 plots in a pretty bad way with annual weeds but we are splitting them into 4 small starter plots and anyone who wants to come onto the site will have to do a min of 6 month- a year before they are offered a half plot, this might stop the waste of plots and time !
congratulations on your new plot Le-y! At least there will be another loved plot on your site now :)
Whats the prize For allotment of the month flowersof shona?
I think we've all got unworked plots on our sites, and it does wind you up when people don't turn up for months on end, unless theres compost or wood chippings been dropped off, then they are down there like a shot. >:( ;D ;D ;D
QuoteWhats the prize For allotment of the month flowersof shona?
They get a certificate, its mainly to encourage the new members to do well :)
Well I received my annual bill for a half plot yesterday, £15 including water. Price is not the problem. They have said that they have 356 people on the waiting list for about eight allotment sites in our town.
I have a great difficulty with this as I have recently seen two young guys start working an overgrown plot (so they are allocating them)and around me there are at least 4 overgrown half plots that have been like it for nearly two years. Nearby there are another 4 that have been cleared by the youth group but no one else has worked them.
I currently work full time and took on my plot in preperation for retirement I was thinking of taking on another half plot but I don't think I will get the chance this year. However, I do have the feeling that this high "want" of an allotment we have recently seen will die off again.
Shame really I don't suppose anyone else has seen the "digging fairy" whilst sitting down having a drink of tea and sweat poring off them. I have been told by a allotment neighbour that one group came down and had hoped that the council would have prepared "their" plot and when they were told they would have to dig it they picked the Autumn fruit and said that thought they would turn it down
On second thoughts I might ask to take over one of the overgrown plots and see what they sAY
Regards Bill
I know how frustrating it can be for people to see overgrown plots on sites when they are desperate to have a plot.
We are Council owned/self-managed so we have to go through a procedure set out by the Council for evicting tenants. This can take months and the weeds keep growing.....
The plot next to ours is the same every year. They start with all good intentions planting stuff into their myriad of raised beds. Then, once that is done they do not return until the letters of non cultivation get sent out in October. Then they come down and strim.
Really annoys me when there are so many people who want a plot and these people just want one 'for the fashion'.
Rant over...
Unfortunately, the vast majority of people are so out of touch with growing food that they don't have the skills and grossly under-estimate the amount of time & effort involved.
As one prospective plot-holder asked me recently, "Do you come every week?" (She didn't take on a plot!) And we've got newcomers - lovely people, bags of enthusiasm - that I'm having to teach how to dig, because they've never done it before.
It's no wonder they drop out. Perhaps we ought to be doing more to help & teach & encourage?
That could be a good idea, I know some sites run short courses 'on site' which can be made compulsory for those on the waiting list who have no previous experience.
You only have to look a the number of 'where do I start' threads that we see on here to see the potential demand. Perhaps one plot could be used for this purpose as a teaching area, so basic and more advanced skills can be passed down like they used to be ???............Just a thought.... ;D
Well I'd be prepared to do that on the "school's Plot" :-X
On our plots we have a couple that need a fair bit of work but - surprisingly - one of them is rented to council gardeners two fellas who are paid to cut the grass and do the flowers round the town. They are up there every week cutting the main path and yet theirs is the untidiest of all.
They started last year and were given the plot for free for a year as it had not been cultivated before (it was just grass) first year was not very good second year they started really well - the plot was tidy and everything looked very neat late spring - then they just forgot it!!! Very little has been picked - the weeds are HUGE and blowing seeds over other plots. They said that they would wait until they got a tidy up letter and then they would do it!!!
There is a site inspection tomorrow and as usual the untidy plots have caught wind of it and have done just enough to keep their plots!
Unfortunately - as Bill Door has pointed out - price is not a problem. He said about £15 for his half plot. That to me IS part of the problem. The rents need to increase to a level whereby people will value what they have. Discounts could be given for OAP's people on benefits etc.
O B
We've just embarked on Starter Plots. Very early days yet, with just 3 of the 6 plots let. Each "plot" is a pair of raised beds, each roughly 12 feet by 4 feet, plus a small cold frame & a communal compost heap. (The infrastructure was inherited from the previous tenant.) They are renting initially for just one season, from October to October.
But part of the deal is that we are on hand to help & advise as necessary. We've had an initial working party where we cleared debris from the plot and started cutting back the grass & weed. Last weekend, they had their own working party to continue this and start clearing their beds. We were around to give them a hand - that's when I ended up teaching how to dig - although they were in charge as we were involved in a Tidy-Up working party over the entire site.
Our immediate aim is to get enough dug & prepared to plant garlic & onions to over-winter. Then they can get the rest ready for spring.
Watch this space....
Quote from: Old bird on October 06, 2009, 10:57:26
Unfortunately - as Bill Door has pointed out - price is not a problem. He said about £15 for his half plot. That to me IS part of the problem. The rents need to increase to a level whereby people will value what they have. Discounts could be given for OAP's people on benefits etc.
Increasing rents to prevent uncultivated plots does not work.
A plot near me is in a very bad state, but earlier in the year the tenant spent a fortune with plants from garden centers, much more than ever I could afford, but after the spurt, they just stopped coming (again).
Many people have part time jobs, with not much income, or like me, self employed and with the recession things are not going well, but we don't get any benefits or discounts (I have relatives who are on benefits who have a lot more money than me).
Increasing rents will push many off maintained plots long before the uncultivated plots are vacated.
It's very often the people with jobs who find they can't cope with a plot, unfortunately. No need to penalise the ones with time and no money. Uncultivated plots need to be handled on a case by case basis. The unfortunate thing is that it takes a couple of years, or even more, to get rid of them.
Trevor - what you are doing with the starter plots sounds interesting. I was thinking about how lucy I was to have a mum who a) had a garden and b) was a keen gardener. And I realise I must have learnt lots from her. Which gets me to my point - how do you learn if you don't have experience? I realise there are laods of TV programmes, books and now the internet, but its not the same as actually getting stuck in and digging, sowing seeds etc. So your starter scheme sounds practical to me. Good luck!
Sorry I did not make it clear that the £15 is not a problem for me. To a new tenant it could be a bargain breaker especially if they are unemployed or on a basic pension.
We have a problem in that the council employee in charge does not seem to have a clue about gardening. Her map reading is not good either as she allocated the wrong plot to a new person. That caused a bit of a problem but the plot holder and the new gardener got it resolved.
I like the idea of a gardening class for new tenants. I also wonder whether half plots are too big for many people. I know that it is nice to get one's own seeds but i wonder whether an introductory gift of a small number of seeds. Like 10 or 20 of each of the different types of cabbage seed (summer, autumn, winter, spring and brussels). Some carrots, beans, leeks and lettuce (there are others but they may depend on the allotment.
Yes there is a cost but look at the benefits, plots are cultivated and everyone enjoys their little haven on the allotments. We will never get rid of the whinges but we have to try to get most covered.
Good luck all and enjoy your gardening.
Bill
QuoteIt's no wonder they drop out. Perhaps we ought to be doing more to help & teach & encourage?
I couldn't agree more. The first thing we have got to do though is kill the ridiculous TV gardening programs with their even more ridiculous presenters, and replace them with some Real gardeners. Allotment growing is not about strength or working hard or looking cool, it's all about skill, knowledge and an understanding about the environment being worked.
Quote from: 1066 on October 06, 2009, 18:49:35
Trevor - what you are doing with the starter plots sounds interesting. I was thinking about how lucy I was to have a mum who a) had a garden and b) was a keen gardener. And I realise I must have learnt lots from her. Which gets me to my point - how do you learn if you don't have experience? I realise there are laods of TV programmes, books and now the internet, but its not the same as actually getting stuck in and digging, sowing seeds etc. So your starter scheme sounds practical to me. Good luck!
When I started two years ago, I had old guys telling me I was doing thing wrong (I was not wrong, just different), and althouh lots of other plot holders were friendly and helpful, I found the people I got on with best were also new guys, just felt more comfortable.
Having a group of starter plots close together is a great idea to help new guys get settled, and enjoy it more.
Quote from: Eristic on October 06, 2009, 22:29:20
Allotment growing is not about strength or working hard or looking cool, it's all about skill, knowledge and an understanding about the environment being worked.
... and a whole lot more!!!
I think a lot depends on the "teacher" and how people show / tell others to do things. I still maintain I was lucky, it taught me lots of basics but having your own garden or plot is a different matter and you find your own way
Quoteyou find your own way
I think people like to find their own ways. There are a lot of different techniques on our plot and most of them seem to work ok.
I did give someone a lesson in digging, I just could not bare to see them struggle so much. I could see an injury coming on. Though having tried in the wrong pair of boots, I am convinced that a good strong pair of working boots are essential. Lidl are great but not much good if you have small feet.
Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on October 06, 2009, 17:07:02
It's very often the people with jobs who find they can't cope with a plot, unfortunately. No need to penalise the ones with time and no money. Uncultivated plots need to be handled on a case by case basis. The unfortunate thing is that it takes a couple of years, or even more, to get rid of them.
That's not the case on our plot - the tidiest most prioductive plots are owned by people working full-time, they simply use their time efficiently. I think some of the pronlem is down to those who give no thought to the effort required - you have to put in some - who think they can throw some seeds in in april and come back a few months later and everything will be ready. There are four working the plot near me, in 18months they've managed to "work" about 10% of the plot and that's being charitable
I am quite taken with the idea of teaching people.
I would have hated that myself, I just wanted to do it my way. But, like 1066 I grew up out in the garden with my mum, so I knew enough to manage.
I think it would be better if people were supported, to enable them to succeed. Leaving people to sink or swim seems a shame, and it's not working, if there are so many unloved plots and yet still waiting lists.
But then I personally don't want to spend time supporting other people! I like to be on my own on my grumpy plot!
Do as I say, not as I do... ::)
If you take on a plot then surely you must have an idea or at least a book to refer to. (or A4A of course, I asked many questions in my first year ;D) I also found the elder plotters were only to happy to give advice.
Our site has recently released more land for plots and the newbies are going great guns, but there are a goodly few on the main site who appear once in a blue moon.One chap has had a couple of warning letters. He has filled his 5 rod with so much junk it is an eyesore and has only visited 3 or 4 times this year. Apparently the council don't have to remove his rubbish if he goes so a few of us have said we will clear it if he is given the old heave-ho. (Pyromaniac moment comming soon ;D) He has another plot elsewhere anyway ::).
See my site confuses me, apparently there are no vacant plots and there is a waiting list (now, there wasn't when i applied) yet the two plots next door to me are completely unworked and appear to have been left unworked for some time - and definately they haven't been touched since i first went to look at the allotments in july.
Now, (i am getting to the point honest) when i applied i expected a waitin list but there wasnt one so i was given my plot straight away starting on august 1st. I notified the council lady that i was heavily pregnant (being due sept 11th) and was issued bed rest therefore wouldnt be able to work the plot for at least 6 weeks.
However September 14th arrived and i received a letter stating that i hadnt worked my plot at all and if i didnt A) get back to them and confirm I wanted the plot still and B) do some work on the plot by September 25th then they would take back the plot and give it to someone else!!
thats pretty swift work in my book and yet surely they cant have issued the same/similar notice to the plot holders adjacent to mine else some work would surely have been done? and it really is quite evident that none has!
needless to say i actually received an apology as i had already notified them of my situation etc.