Allotments 4 All

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/8467689.stm

So the National Trust are going to divide 1 acre into 50 allotments,
however, they will be maintained by a national trust employee, as they are for "people who want to grow their own, but don't have the time...")
you pay £8/week for a box of veg from "your allotment"

this means the NT are being paid £20,800 for the one acre over a year

wonder what people will get each week for their £8 and how much the NT will make out of it???
I can see all sorts of problems... people who do/don't want chemicals; people who complain when the potatoes get blight...

what do you think of this?

Crazy.

What about the fesh air and exercise and the sheer good feeling you get when you finally harvest all your own work. >:(

Must be for the `Too posh to dig` brigade.

The NT have pledged 1000 plots, maybe they are doing this so they can sell veg-boxes and call them allotments as a way of getting out of the pledge.

Where is the fun in that?  You might as well go to tesco's.  For me its the fun of seeing what I chose to grow grow be harvested and enjoyed anything else is just naff.

Completely off the wall!! In fact I would love the chance to chat with someone who would actually go for this. I guess I simply don't get it ???

XX Jeannine

I don't get it either. 1/50 acre comes to just under 81 square metres, In other words, an 'allotment' is less than ten metres square. What sort of plot is that? Does anyone have an allotment that small?

I might recommend that we try that on our site. Even if we had half a dozens takers, it would double our income and solve our financial problems!!

Do you think these folk who "don't have the time" to grow their own also employ others to eat it for them if they are too busy with businessey matters - counting bonuses, or whatever - to manage it themselves.

Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on January 20, 2010, 18:45:52
I don't get it either. 1/50 acre comes to just under 81 square metres, In other words, an 'allotment' is less than ten metres square. What sort of plot is that? Does anyone have an allotment that small?

Robert, that would be a big allotment in Newbury now.  Seriously, you'd be lucky to get half that.

And might I just say that I hate the National Trust.  A pox on the dog-hating, car-park-charging lot of them. >:(

twaddle, sounds like a veg box delivery system to me!

Yes, defo sounds like a personalised veggie box thing, I guess for those people to say it comes from their plot, without ever getting their hands dirty. Not my idea of growing your own!

Robert B.. I do have to say the lotties we are promised for next month are remarkably tiny, can't remember exactly but I thinik my largest greenhouse would only have a walkway round it!! Better than nothing I guess XX Jeannine

this sounds crazy to all of us doesnt it! i wonder if the NT are taking on staff ,id love to  be paid to grow veggies!

Hi Y'All

Elvis, you'd be very hard put to get a job with the NT- it is 80% staffed by volunteers - and no bets on who would be doing all the graft for the no-dig brigade if this hare-brained scheme went ahead.

Why not just give the allotments to volunteers  who would willingly donate a few choice veg to a NT 'farmers market' stall in return for their hard work.  Otherwise, bonkers, totally bonkers!!

Reards, Caro

that would make much more sense caro,i agree! out of interest,i had a look at their website,and there are 9 jobs currently advertised in liverpool alone,sadly none of them horticultural!

does sound totally bonkers and i cannot see the point of people signing up for that except for at dinner parties they can say "i have an NT allotment" what a total waste of space  ???

I like the idea.

If people are willing to pay £8 for a box of freshly grown veg, then great.

I hope that the money will go towards looking after the NT's vast numbers of valuable historical properties, which is why I suspect it has been done.

I hope that they do not go back on their pledge to create 1000 allotments. 

Oh darling, you must see the divine veg box I get from the National Trust now.  Yes, so much better than growing your own or supporting a local grower. Yah, must go and collect Jacinta from her Cello lesson. Tata.

Quote from: emmy1978 on January 29, 2010, 11:24:05
Oh darling, you must see the divine veg box I get from the National Trust now.  Yes, so much better than growing your own or supporting a local grower. Yah, must go and collect Jacinta from her Cello lesson. Tata.

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