New allotment contract

Living_proof

I am posting this here as I know there are a lot of lottie keepers on board and I wonder whether any of you have had a contract sent to you like the one I have? In it it states the usual like no fires, no sheds etc without permission, ditto poultry and bees but also bizarrely it states we are not to grow rhubarb (!!!) or strawberries or anything else which doesn't crop the same year, e.g. asparagus. I am frothing at the mouth having carefully potted on and nurtured all my strawberry runners from my own garden only to be informed they are VERBOTEN. Has my council taken collective leave of its sense? Grey Queen - where are you?

TiredTrophy

Firstly, contact the National Association of Allotment holders and Leisure Gardeners who have been a great help to me in the past and also ask whoever sent the new contract why.
If your allotment site is statutory site then you may plant perennial plants including trees unless there is good reason to prohibit eg on an archeological site.However, the plot must be predominantly for annual fruit and vegetables and be kept dug and well manured!!:money:
But....you only have a one year contract, so you could , in any year, be given notice to move plot, taking everything with you. Contrary to popular belief, te provision of an allotment does not mean the same piece of land!
If you have a plot on a piece of land which will later become, say, a cemetery, then the council will not want anything that will take lots of work to remove such as trees , rhubarb and horseradish. They are also likely to ban glasshouses and cloches. Maybe your plot has only a ten year lease? Will it be come a supermarket or bypass?
Then, for sites that are privately owned, or self managed, the owner or committee can apply any rules they wish.

In the case of your strawberries, why not grow them in gutters on trestle tables, in hanging baskets from tripods, or grow them as a one season crop...plant them from your pots in spring and lift them at the end of the season? With plenty of water you should get a decent and disease free crop.
I hope this helps you.

Living_proof

Thank you TT, I will be in touch with the Nat. Assn. and see what they say. These are local authority allotments and have been for at least 50 years and I don't want to invest any more (have already spent £60 on weed suppressing fabric) or put in a shed, etc. if there are plans for development on the horizon. One of my neighbours has just had a new £400 shed built on site, so heaven knows what they are thinking.

TiredTrophy

I suspect they are dodgy ground with this contract then. Please get expert help and you will need the support of the other allotment holders. Do you have an association at the site?
I suggest this thread be moved to "greenfingers thread".

Living_proof

Thanks TT. There seem to be more OS board members who have allotments than those on the Greenfingered site which is why I posted here. There seems to be no consultation or communication on this site and as I am the new kid on the block I have been keeping a low profile, but I'll certainly look into it further before signing as an allotment without rhubarb is a contradiction in terms! I will have to write to Jeremy Corbyn - I hear he has an allotment holder himself!

GreyQueen

Hi Living Proof, just winching my dropped jaw back up again, I'm so astonished. Goodness knows the rationale behind strawberry bans etc. Strawbs are shallow-rooted and can be pulled out easily if you don't want them.

Our lottie rules are aimed at protecting the soil from contaminants (such as not burning non-oranganic materials) and also from preventing the site becoming littered with things like tyres, carpets and uPVC windows. It's all about preventing people bringing heavy stuff onto the site which will be a problem for subsequent tenants/ the council. And any proposed changes to the allotment agreement here go out for public consultation first.

I'd echo the others about going the the National Association, perhaps also get your local councillor involved, try to find out the reasoning behind it? Seems most bizarre to me...........:(

Living_proof

Thanks GQ, I was beginning to think this may be the new standard for allotment management. It may be an indication of impending development in the area, either that or some jobsworth in the legal department flexing his muscles. If I don't get anywhere through conventional channels I am sure the Press would be interested. Funny, there's no mention of cannibis being banned!