What Preps are you doing this week

[Le Mouse]

Yesterday I went and had a look at the allotment site at work. I had a reply from the gardening club saying there are no marked out plots free, but that there is space to mark one out myself. I was really disappointed at that - the plot would only be mine while I was working there and my job isn't a permanent one. By the time I got the appalling ground into a state where I could grow something, I may well not have a job anymore! Also the security is rubbish. I could walk over the fence! Hey ho. Back to the drawing board.

[FEISTY]

Yesterday I went and had a look at the allotment site at work. I had a reply from the gardening club saying there are no marked out plots free, but that there is space to mark one out myself. I was really disappointed at that - the plot would only be mine while I was working there and my job isn't a permanent one. By the time I got the appalling ground into a state where I could grow something, I may well not have a job anymore! Also the security is rubbish. I could walk over the fence! Hey ho. Back to the drawing board.

This might not be true, but worth looking into: I read years ago that if you applied to the Council for an allotment, they had a duty to provide one. Good luck and hope you find something suitable soon.

[FEISTY]

After a very cursory search, I found this:

"Planning Policy Guidance 17 (PPG17) requires that local authorities make provision for all types of open space that may be of public value. It also requires local authorities to undertake robust assessments of local needs for, and audits of, existing open space, sports and recreational facilities and to establish standards for new provision. It is expected that by implementing the guidance in PPG17, local authorities should make adequate provision for allotments.

Furthermore, if an allotment authority is of the opinion that there is a demand for allotments in its area, it is required under Section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908, to provide a sufficient number of allotments and to let them to persons residing in its area who want them.

Written representations may be made to the local authority on the need for allotments by any 6 residents on the electoral register or persons liable to pay council tax, and the local authority must take those representations into account (section 23(2) of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908). The Council must assess whether there is a demand for allotments in their area. If the council decides that there is a demand for allotments; they have a statutory duty to provide a sufficient number of plots. In terms of the duty to provide under section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 there is no time limit for provision once it has been established that there is a demand."

Basically, if you get a few people together and then make a nuisance of yourselves (an keep on making a nuisance of yourselves), it'll happen sooner rather than later.

When I lived in a house with a small garden, I applied for an allotment and got one quickly. Unfortunately, my "welcome" meeting consisted of the allotment mafia making a big deal of me mentioning there was a lot of glass in the soil, which there was. My kids were quite young, so it was a concern, and it was the plan that they would spend time on the allotment too. That seemed to be a problem too and they complained that my two very well-behaved kids had wandered over to look at what other people were doing. I very quickly realised that there were very few women who didn't dare speak up and the allotment was "run" by, mainly aging, men, whose plots were jam-packed with onions, leeks and dahlias (yawn) and who used it as their "club" and didn't want any "disturbance" (women, kids, change). I handed the keys to the gates back there and then and collected my plants the next day. There are always plots available there - wonder why ! We moved to another house, a bungalow surrounded by a fairly decent sized garden. So decent that we struggle to manage it all .

[lonewolf]

I have had several allotments over the last 15 years and have found the problem is with councils and private allotments trying to be trendy, there is a reason why allotments are mostly tenanted by old, retired men, its because its hard work and you need to put a lot of work in especially in the initial stages. I'm all for "equal opportunities" but females, in general, aren't up to the hard back breaking work that is needed and soon give up, I have know this personally on sites I have been on, one on the next plot to me gave up after a couple of months and just walked away even leaving her tools behind, trouble was that plot became overgrown and started coming over the fence into mine! allotments need work on a regular basis, its not a hobby that can be picked up and dropped at whim, or left for 2 weeks whilst you go on your foreign holiday, you'll come back to a plot full of weeds.

[FEISTY]

I have had several allotments over the last 15 years and have found the problem is with councils and private allotments trying to be trendy, there is a reason why allotments are mostly tenanted by old, retired men, its because its hard work and you need to put a lot of work in especially in the initial stages. I'm all for "equal opportunities" but females, in general, aren't up to the hard back breaking work that is needed and soon give up, I have know this personally on sites I have been on, one on the next plot to me gave up after a couple of months and just walked away even leaving her tools behind, trouble was that plot became overgrown and started coming over the fence into mine! allotments need work on a regular basis, its not a hobby that can be picked up and dropped at whim, or left for 2 weeks whilst you go on your foreign holiday, you'll come back to a plot full of weeds.

Are you seriously telling me you believe women aren't up to gardening ? Back-breaking work? I am 50, 4' 11", size 8 petite, sometimes 6 and weigh about 94lbs. I do most of my own digging and hubby, 5' 11", slim but much stronger than me, cuts the grass and cuts down the wrong fruit trees . He has to be watched like a hawk and given VERY specific instructions. You're one of the allotment mafia, aren't you . My garden's a heck of a lot bigger than any allotment and we DO go on holidays. I grow things a lot more exciting than, worthy as they are in relatively small quantities, leeks !

[bigpat]

Well this week a ordered a web-tex Surviva-Pure Canteen Water Bottle. Looking forward to given it a try out when it turns up.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002JTQ5JA

[Briggs]

All preps are postponed this week because I've been called in at the last moment to adjudicate in an allotment 'dig-off' competition.

For up to date reports on the spadework tune into 172.000Mhz VHF.

[featherstick]

I have had several allotments over the last 15 years and have found the problem is with councils and private allotments trying to be trendy, there is a reason why allotments are mostly tenanted by old, retired men, its because its hard work and you need to put a lot of work in especially in the initial stages. I'm all for "equal opportunities" but females, in general, aren't up to the hard back breaking work that is needed and soon give up, I have know this personally on sites I have been on, one on the next plot to me gave up after a couple of months and just walked away even leaving her tools behind, trouble was that plot became overgrown and started coming over the fence into mine! allotments need work on a regular basis, its not a hobby that can be picked up and dropped at whim, or left for 2 weeks whilst you go on your foreign holiday, you'll come back to a plot full of weeds.

I haven't seen this at all on our allotment sites. Women tend to be more sensible about pacing themselves than men, who go at it hammer and tongs over the first couple of weekends, do their back in, and give up. And if by "trendy" you mean more diverse, reaching more people in the community, and growing a greater range of produce, I'm all for it. We have Zimbabwean, Thai, West Indian, Pakistani, Russian, Iranian, Indian, vegetarian, Buddhist, native Brit, agnostic, survivalist, retired old men and at least one case of advanced dementia on our site, and a jolly good bunch they are too.

[lonewolf]

my last allotment was run by a "trendy" private allotment society "too many chiefs and not enough Indians", too busy having management meetings down the pub than get any maintenance of the site done, consequently the entire site was under water for 6 months of the year.

[featherstick]

my last allotment was run by a "trendy" private allotment society "too many chiefs and not enough Indians", too busy having management meetings down the pub than get any maintenance of the site done, consequently the entire site was under water for 6 months of the year.

Yes, well that does sound annoying. We have a similar committee issue, and made worse by the fact that the sort of people who want to be on the committee are completely unfit to be on it. We've just had a big ouster, with people walking out of the meeting, lots of shouting and ranting, and the current chair and secretary are people who really have no interest in serving on a committee but a very great interest in a well-run allotment site, which is the right way around to have it.