How many plots is one allowed to have?
Depends on the rules at your particular site. The popularity of plots these days mean that you are lucky to have just the one!
There's no statutory limit, though the allotment authority has the power under S.28 Small Holdings and Allotments Acts 1908 to makes rules about how big the plots can be and how many can be let to who.
If your plot is bigger than 40 poles it's not an allotment garden as such and so you lose some statutory protections and limitations under the acts, but that's probably not the case if you're seperately renting several smaller plots.
I have two half plots on one site, and a less than half plot on another. No-one has commented on this so far.
Maximum on my site is 4x10 pole plots. I just got my 2nd one this week.
The couple who used to run my site had five between them, two in other peoples' names, and only cultivated a small part of one plot. There didn't seem to be any limits, but we wouldn't let it happen again.
How would you have time and energy to look after several plots??? One is already hard work! ???
I have two plots, one a 3/4 plot and the other a half plot.
Every inch is cultivated and weed free.
Most plots are not used as effectively and many are half covered in tarpaulins.
We are successfully encouraging those plotholders to give up a half.
Being chairman of our site committee may be a help to me!
There isn't a limit on our site. We have 3. Our first one we have had for 3 years. The second one we took on in March which is now fully cultivated with potatoes, squash, peas, leeks and cabbages. The third one hasn't been touched yet but my husband is planning on doing this during the autumn/winter months. We have a plot holder who was given 6 plots in March. Needless to say he hasn't touched them and we now have other people wanting to take on plots. MY husband - who's the site secretary - is going to be contacting him in the next few days to tell him that he has to give up 5 of them but cultivate the other to committee expectations. All the other plot holders think it is fair, this man has been given ample opportunity to cultivate his plots but thus far all we have heard from him is excuses, so needs must.
Julie
:)
Excellent Julie! that's exactly where I want to go. Every inch of my plot is filled and I have no space for other things to plant :( I'd die for another plot......of course I would have to consider the waiting list. But ever an opportunity came where there wasn't anyone on the waiting list then yeah I'd love to snap up another plot! It seems like each county has their own rules and ideas with allowing more than 1 plot to tenants. I shall have to a little research..... :)
I have had one plot for 5 years now and luckily the next door plot was being ignored and I got that too! The Council then said that I could have a scruffy corner patch at the end of my second allotment so I have two and a bit - all worked with the chickens taking the "bit". I was lucky as they weren't so populay back a while ago and I wouldn't get a second one now with the waiting lists etc..
i have my polytunnel on half of the original plot and with my raspberry patches and fruit cage have just about the perfect amount of space - plenty without it being very hard work.!
Old Bird
When I took on my plot in 2001 I had the choice of about 8 plots. I had one and my daughter had the one next to it. Eventually she gave up and I took it on, so I now have two (but one of them is in hubby's name)
The current advice from our allotment dept. is that people should only be given one plot because of the long waiting lists, but that doesn't apply where someone has had two plots for some years and is cultivating both of them.
These days I start newcomers off with either a quarter plot (about 25' x 25') or a half plot. If they do well and a bigger plot becomes available I will let them move.
Jealous Old bird!!!! :( good for you though :) Unfortunately I never have that spot of good luck. There was a huge over run plot left standing for 2 years, not far from mine own. I kept inquiring about it and now suddenly it has been zapped up :( it would have been ideal for chickens, fruit and a few more veggies. Never mind. My present plot isn't quit 10 poles, so perhaps I can put my name down on the waiting list :)
Quote from: Unwashed on July 22, 2010, 09:15:34
There's no statutory limit, though the allotment authority has the power under S.28 Small Holdings and Allotments Acts 1908 to makes rules about how big the plots can be and how many can be let to who.
If your plot is bigger than 40 poles it's not an allotment garden as such and so you lose some statutory protections and limitations under the acts, but that's probably not the case if you're seperately renting several smaller plots.
Thank you Unwashed! :)
Quote from: antipodes on July 22, 2010, 13:22:08
How would you have time and energy to look after several plots??? One is already hard work! ???
hahaha!!! easy!! :) My allotment is my sanctuary. I've never felt so fit as I do now. God willing, I hope I can keep up with this for many more years!I love being out in all the seasons, watching sunsets and observing seasonal changes. Amazing stuff!! :)
When I left Leeds I had 6 plots,3 on one site,3 on another. At Headingley station I could have had 20 if I wanted-maybe the 80`s were a good time? or was that a bad time? Ash road was popular but had spare plots-Headingley station had loads of uncultivated space
Quote from: antipodes on July 22, 2010, 13:22:08
How would you have time and energy to look after several plots??? One is already hard work! ???
We have one guy in his 70's, who has two full-size plots, total 40 poles plus hedges. He manages to keep them immaculate, but he's down for several hours every day, rain or shine. Not many could manage it.
I had two full plots , ie proper 17 pole ones, :P but 34 poles is a lot of land............
expect within a couple of years Apple will be selling iPlots...........
Quote from: lincsyokel2 on July 22, 2010, 18:39:25
I had two full plots , ie proper 17 pole ones, :P but 34 poles is a lot of land............
expect within a couple of years Apple will be selling iPlots...........
Now that is funny. ;D ;D ;D
I have 3 plots, each one is approx 400 square meters (i haven't a clue what this is in poles). There is no waiting list on our allotment site and there are plots still available, so i don't feel guilty having 3 plots. I keep them all tidy nearly weed free...i love it and do spend a lot of time down there
I have one plot 110x35ft. I also share mother-in-law plot 70x35, We have hens on hers and her partner manages the rest of it. People who took on more than one plot when they weren't popular are allowed to keep what they have providing they remain cultivated.
We now only allocate 1/2 plots to get waiting lists down. If the time ever comes again when there is no waiting lists, then 1/2 plot holders will be given first opportunity at a full plot. Anybody who already has a full plot will not be allowed any more unless there is no waiting list for full plots.
Quote from: kippers garden on July 24, 2010, 21:14:50
I have 3 plots, each one is approx 400 square meters (i haven't a clue what this is in poles). There is no waiting list on our allotment site and there are plots still available, so i don't feel guilty having 3 plots. I keep them all tidy nearly weed free...i love it and do spend a lot of time down there
13 poles each x 3 = 39 poles. I found 34 poles too much land to work by hand. Your getting into the realms of a small tractor
Hi all :)
I have two and a half plots.
Our site isn`t very popular and newbies come and go though we give lots of encouragement they often can`t keep up with the workload so we have spare plots and some which are look abandoned.
I have a plot mostly for fruit and permanent planting, one for rows of veg and one half for pumpkins and other squash.
Col
Quote from: lincsyokel2 on July 24, 2010, 22:01:19
Quote from: kippers garden on July 24, 2010, 21:14:50
I have 3 plots, each one is approx 400 square meters (i haven't a clue what this is in poles). There is no waiting list on our allotment site and there are plots still available, so i don't feel guilty having 3 plots. I keep them all tidy nearly weed free...i love it and do spend a lot of time down there
13 poles each x 3 = 39 poles. I found 34 poles too much land to work by hand. Your getting into the realms of a small tractor
400 square metres == 16 pole, and 16 poles x 3 == 48 poles. That's getting into the realms of a small country!
kippers garden......I'm jealous :) :) how wonderful for you, that would be a dream come true for me! I love my allotment too. I stayed out til 9.45 tonight :) I'm almost on top of my weeding but I can't wait to start digging and prepare a patch for herbs next year. All exciting stuff....my family think I'm mad and that is until I bring back a bag filled with peas, beans, carrots and courgettes!
Quote from: Unwashed on July 25, 2010, 22:29:54
Quote from: lincsyokel2 on July 24, 2010, 22:01:19
Quote from: kippers garden on July 24, 2010, 21:14:50
I have 3 plots, each one is approx 400 square meters (i haven't a clue what this is in poles). There is no waiting list on our allotment site and there are plots still available, so i don't feel guilty having 3 plots. I keep them all tidy nearly weed free...i love it and do spend a lot of time down there
13 poles each x 3 = 39 poles. I found 34 poles too much land to work by hand. Your getting into the realms of a small tractor
400 square metres == 16 pole, and 16 poles x 3 == 48 poles. That's getting into the realms of a small country!
doh, square metres, cant work in this new fangled maths............
15.81 poles = 400 sq meters
Quote from: plainleaf on July 26, 2010, 19:09:02
15.81 poles = 400 sq meters
you don't use poles or metres in the U.S. of A, do you?
Quote from: plainleaf on July 26, 2010, 19:09:02
15.81 poles = 400 sq meters
Not entirely. You have to consider the accuracy of the measurement. On a good day you might hope to get the dimensions accurate to one inch in a thousand with a good 30 yard tape measure, but the real problem is that the edges of the plot are never that well defined. Best case the plot will be edged with straight paths all round, edges cut with military precision, but typically the edge of the path will be pretty fuzzy, and the paths will only be straight-ish. So think about a 16 pole plot, approximately 9m wide, and 45m long. You can measure the length to +-10cm because it's an ill-defined edge but essentially straight over the length, but the width you can only get to +-25cm because of how it's a bit wavey. That gives you fractional errors on the width and length of 2.8% and 0.2% respectively, and that makes the fractional error on the area 3.0%. That's for a big 16 pole plot, for a smaller plot the fractional error gets worse.
What this means is that the area of the plot is not defined any more accurately than this. It's not just that it can't be measured more accurately, its area really isn't defined any more accurately than +-3%.
So if you're converting from one unit to another the scale factor only needs to be a good bit more accurate than the area. So yes, 1 pole = 25.293 sq meters, but if you're measuring allotment plots 1 pole = 25.0 sq metres is still within 1% and it's no more true to use any more significant figures because the area isn't defined any more accurately.
Or the short answser: 1 pole = 25 sq meters is fine for allotments.
I looked it up in WHITES 1856 LINCOLNSHIRE DIRECTORY:
(http://i27.tinypic.com/k0osrb.jpg)
I thought that was quite interesting. Notice they define a perch as 20 feet, (6.15 m)
wow lincsyokel2! that was so interesting...Thank you. Well done you for doing some research, fantastic! :)
I have three five rod plots - don't ask me how big that is!
The first one I got 25 years ago and then the second must have been about 10 years later and the third and final one was an overgrown plot next to the second one which was covered in weeds........so I asked the site manager at the time if I could try and 'tame' it. It is very heavy clay soil there so I have seven raised beds on it, plus a greenhouse.
It certainly keeps me busy .......but happy;D
The bit about the allocation of land after 1066 is interesting. The majority land is still owned by a relatively small number of landowners, and we are having to scratch about on tiny pieces of land and are made to feel guilty if we manage to get more than one.
Yet there are vast amounts of land hardly used.
Quote from: Digeroo on July 31, 2010, 23:13:39
The bit about the allocation of land after 1066 is interesting. The majority land is still owned by a relatively small number of landowners, and we are having to scratch about on tiny pieces of land and are made to feel guilty if we manage to get more than one.
Yet there are vast amounts of land hardly used.
Yes, when they say 'was granted 12 lordships", it means 'lords of the manor', ie lord of the manor in 12 manors.
Notice the bit "Judith, Countess of Northumberland, 17 lordships" she was about 14 years old at the point the land was divvied up.
Countess Judith (born in Normandy between 1054 and 1055, died after 1086), was a niece of William the Conqueror. She was a daughter of his sister Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale and Lambert II, Count of Lens.
In 1070, Judith married Earl Waltheof of Huntingdon and Northumbria. They had three daughters, the eldest of whom, Maud, brought the earldom of Huntingdon to her second husband, David I of Scotland.
In 1075, Waltheof joined the Revolt of the Earls against William. It was the last serious act of resistance against the Norman conquest of England. Judith betrayed Waltheof to her uncle, who had Waltheof beheaded on 31 May 1076.
She knew which side her bread was buttered on.