Allotments

lora

All of you who took on lotties in 2009---do you still work on them? I do but quite a few near mine do not bother anymore-including people who were able to gain a second allotment last year. Does not seem fair to all of you on long long waiting lists.:mad:

zarazara

Yes, my "allotment" is in my field. We are expanding it to 4 times the original plot size for next year, so we are still definately working on it.

candyblue

Yes still work on my half plot and I am also a co worker now on another half but we too have people that dont look like they can be bothered now. One of them on the other half of our plot, makes me angry as I would have so loved the whole of it and now the other half just has dandelions on it, but if we say to the people if they ever come down, (once in a blue moon) they just say oh we love it we arent giving it up

Patchwork_Quilt

Our Parish Council are trying very hard to persuade people that have neglected their allotments over the last few years to move off. We have a waiting list of 150 people and I was talking to a woman who had been told it would be ten years before she got one.

Although I feel rather disloyal saying this, as the plot holders are friends, I also think that the allowance should be one allotment per household. True, my friend and his wife are the most generous and supportive of people and have had allotments all through the period where no-one else was interested, but to have one each at this point seems a shame when there is such a demand.

serena

I am now on my 20th year of allotmenteering, so have seen quite a few newbies come and go...

I think the easy bit is starting out, but it's the continuing little by little week after week care that's going to make it successful that some people just don't 'get'.

I have a plot either side of mine that are both half cultivated. I still have weeds on mine too, so not entirely guiltless, but they are just left.

Earlier in the year, when the committee did their annual inspection, they said that they were going to tell the plotholders who were not cultivating all of their plot that they would have to give up half, but it doesn't look to me that they are actually going to enforce this. Pity, as we have a waiting list.

gillian62

Here in Lincoln, it seems that most plots are offered as 1/2 plots. I was offered one in May and have been busy working on it since. Maybe I could use a whole plot now, but at least giving 1/2 plots at a time ensures that people don't have too much of a plot and not use any of it, ensuring that waiting lists can be kept down. I do think that the situation of people with unused multiple plots does need looking at, but these are often people that have had them for a number of years.

katholicos

Patchwork_Quilt wrote: »

Our Parish Council are trying very hard to persuade people that have neglected their allotments over the last few years to move off. We have a waiting list of 150 people and I was talking to a woman who had been told it would be ten years before she got one.

Although I feel rather disloyal saying this, as the plot holders are friends, I also think that the allowance should be one allotment per household. True, my friend and his wife are the most generous and supportive of people and have had allotments all through the period where no-one else was interested, but to have one each at this point seems a shame when there is such a demand.

For myself I am not interested in an allotment because of poor health i know i could not consistantly tend it...instead i grow veg and fruit in the small back garden i have. I grow in raised beds and maintenance for me is a max of 10 mins a day. If i am feeling too unwell then i don't do anything in the garden for a few days maybe. However, i was having this sam discussion recently and I said that I thought that there is something very wrong with allowing people more than one plot when it seems that so many people, especially families on low incomes, are put on waiting lists for years on end. How can that be fair?

angelavdavis

Many of our plots are half plots now.

I was allocated a plot after 2 years waiting (I think I just missed the rush). We only got our plot at the end of May, but have already harvested courgettes, summer squashes, beetroots and strawberries from it. It also had one tayberry plant that produced a crop for us.

We have so far cleared and planted two soft fruit beds, 4 large veg beds and 1 cutflower bed. We have also planted some fruit trees for wire training and 3 standard (small) fruit trees.

In our area they really cracked down - changing the terms and conditions for the allotment plots to force people off. There are terms that say that 25% of the plot must be cultivated within 6 months, 50% within a year and 75% within 2 years. I think this is far enough as it seems that historically, people have taken larger plots but only cultivated small areas. Our own plot hasn't been fully cultivated for over 7 years.

When we went to the site to choose our plot, there were three plots available - our one, a half plot that had been planted with potatoes by a neighbouring plot holder (bound to be a row there!) and a huge plot that was prone to half flooding in winter. We decided to plump for our plot and are happy with it.

The hardline on allotments has really worked at our site - it is a really busy buzzy site with a good vibe.

forgotmyname

Got my allotment the day after i 1st enquired, Went in on Sat to put my name down expecting a long
wait. They showed me around the site. They try and give half plots as well. Hoping they get used better.

Went home and had a think about it, Decided a full plot was what i really want and would be prepared to wait.

Back the next day, Showed me a couple of neglected plots which they were waiting to see if the owners were
giving up. Then showed me one that had not been used for some time. IT's MINE...

Weed city or what, Roots the size of my head. I presume blackberry bushes or brambles?

Hard work but enjoying it.

Chimera

I'm still awaiting any allotments in my area. There is a large list of people in our village, but none of the land owners are prepared to give up any space/rent it out... we have so much land (much more than residential area) around.. it's sad!! Hopefully a kind soul will let us have a space soon though