Allotment offer

[Eddie777]

Hi all
I have just been offerd an allotment "well a jungle" see the pictures .

https://ibb.co/WkcHn5y
https://ibb.co/Nt6ywt9
https://ibb.co/Qj0gDVR
https://ibb.co/zQdGk60

There is allso a load of rubish at the top and at least 2 skips of more rubish at the bottom
the council at south tyneside said they will supply the skip but i have too remove all the rubish they will not do it. The thing is that they whant full rent off me straight away if i take it on but it is going too take me at least a year before i can get it to where i can start using it. The shed you can see in the middle was used as a chicken shed as there are dead chickens in it. So if i dont take it on will i be put at the bottom of the list again.
Thanks for any help.
Eddie

[greenishfing]

How much time and help do you have? I have seen too many people give up because they were overwhelmed early on. If you can get stuck in with a few friends or family members in the beginning just to get it cleared it will help a lot. Then work on a bit at a time and get some vegetables in as you go to give you encouragement. I have looked at your pictures. It's hard to see what's there and how big it is.
Don't think about doing it all at once. When we got our allotments (about 15 years ago) after removing the big rubbish we kept strimming it down while we worked on a plot at a time. The first year we planted lots of potatoes among the weed roots. By the end of the year that plot was nearly weed free due to all the movement of soil, earthing up (weeding as we went) etc. We even got a not too bad crop of potatoes as well. It took over 2 years to get most of the perennial weeds out but we also grew lots of stuff while we did it. Salads, peas, beans, brassicas etc. The joy of picking your first veg will definitely give you encouragement.

[Guest]

I would be making the council aware of the dead chickens. In regards to everything else you can push for reduce rates etc and make sure you check your contract (things like 75% in cultivation at all times would not be realistic so need to make them aware) however if you decide not to take it on there is no telling what the council will do.

[Eddie777]

allotment offer

Hi thanks for the quick reply's but i have been over with a friend and had a good look at it and there is about 6 skip loads of rubbish on the allotment you cant see it for all the weeds they whant me too shift it all if they supply the skips wich i am not willing too do.
The size of it is 1058sm so i msg them in the morning turning it down. I will wait and see what happens.
Thanks
Eddie

[MyWifesBrassicas]

All that plant material will make great compost.
Hire/borrow a brush cutter and chop it all down and make a large compost pile in one corner and you'll also get a better idea of whats needed.
Also, obtain as much brown cardboard as you can, remove the selotape/staples etc and lay in on the ground, you can go as thick as you like. This will prevent light and kill off the weeds over winter and start in feb

[Eddie777]

Too Much Rubish

Hi I have a brsh cutter it's not the green stuff that's the problem all the rubish that I am expected to get rid off before i can start using the plot as an allotment just check out the pictures. It's all over the allotment the council will give me a skip but I have to shift it all and i haven't got a clue whats in most of the black bags.
https://ibb.co/DMZ0v7k
https://ibb.co/QDqBPFV
https://ibb.co/tZMHGpb
https://ibb.co/HdrtnvQ
https://ibb.co/Gx3ptmj
https://ibb.co/qm33GRL
https://ibb.co/YbYKQVy
https://ibb.co/HtMgzZC

[veggiechicken]

Hi Eddie and welcome.
There have been other plots in a similar state that have "featured" on the Forum. Some of that rubbish may be salvageable and doesn't need skipping.
The Greenhouse could be reinstated or turned into a fruit cage and there looks like a grapevine running wild!
I'd be very concerned about the dead chickens though and don't think you should be expected to remove those.
The black bags could contain rotting leaves for leaf mould or horse manure, but you won't know unless you're brave enough to look. Can you ask a friend?

I think the bottom line is - how much do you want a plot? Maybe this is the plot they offer to all newcomers hoping that, one day, someone will be desperate enough to accept it.
How long have you been on the waiting list?

[SarrissUK]

I would trawl through the stuff that is there and see what you can re-use and recycle. It's amazing what you can turn 'rubbish' into. I've salvaged a whole lot of wood on my plot that I took on in December last year, and it had waist height weeds like yours, and a shed full of rubbish.

Wood can be burnt and give you ash that is great for compost.

Frames, as VC suggests, can be used to make growing frames (that cost a fortune to buy, no less!)

My plot was full of carpet, and the council had offered to give me skips, but that turned out to be ONE skip, that was placed at the entrance of the allotment site, with my plot being the completely opposite side, so I still had to trek them in my van down to the skip.

I think part of the enjoyment of taking on a plot is to clear up and go treasure hunting, and see the turnaround. Ask for the skips to be put into writing, and request that they send someone to clear up the dead chickens, because god knows what can be found there.

Other than that, put your creative head on and think how to use the stuff that's there, and you can clear the rest quite quickly if you are given skips

[MyWifesBrassicas]

You do indeed have "rubbish" on your plot and I totally agree that there's hard work ahead, but don't fret, it's totally manageable.
All that tree material can be burried into a hugelkultur
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/artic...ts-hugelkultur

The plastic can be laid out kill growth underneath
the greenhouse looks great, lucky you.
the pallets on edge make fantastic sides for a compost heap
You have blue water pipe for cloches

you have a wealth of material that's "gold" on any allotment

I agree about the chickens, not good really especially if you plan on having chickens

[Snadger]

My Scrapheap Challenge thread makes your proposed plot look like the Garden of Eden.

Remember, remember the 5h of November.

It really depends on how fit you are, how much time you have to spare and how keen you are?

On the up side its a challenge and will allow you to put your own stamp on a blank canvas.

If you are getting free skips and the rent isn't a ridiculous cost, happy days.

[Bluenowhere]

I would agree with others, ours was overgrown and had some ‘rubbish’ yours is very overgrown but some hard work should lick it into shape.

However, I wouldn’t let what you see as rubbish put you off. As now after three years of having an allotment I now look at your rubbish and see lots of useful stuff, plastic for ground cover and the clearer plastic could potentially be be used for polytunnel cloches for early growing. Glass frames to make cold frames, a tank for collecting water in, blue pipe for the afore mentioned cloches, pallets for compost bins. Tree stumps could burn and the smaller ones shredded to make mulch. I’d say from the photos a skip worth of actual rubbish, possibly less, the rest is usable in some way.

As for the dead chickens I’d insist they send a professional to get rid of them as you have no idea why they died so they should be properly disposed of as there could be a risk of spreading disease.

[Mark_Riga]

It really depends on how fit you are, how much time you have to spare and how keen you are?

On the up side its a challenge and will allow you to put your own stamp on a blank canvas.

I think the first line here is key but it isn't a blank canvas - someone has scribbled all over it. The weeds are growing well so it would crop well given the chance.

[Stan79]

My two pence worth...

Strim the whole lot.
Clear all the rubbish to the front of the plot.
Clear all the wood to the middle.
Clear all the reusable stuff to the back...

Burn the wood around November the 5th and invite friends round for marshmallows.

Spread the ash around to level any humps and bumps.

Dig/clear four beds and get some onions and other overwintering veg in.

Keep strimming / mowing the rest of the plot and work out what you want to plant next spring.

Slowly make it yours. Each time you leave, take some of the rubbish to the skip. You don’t need to do it all in one go!

[Mr Bones]

Hi Eddie and welcome to the Vine. The plot does look daunting but if you're up to the hard work it could be made into a good garden and at that size will offer plenty of scope for things like big compost area, comfortable tea shed etc.
Our first allotment included sufficient junk to make 27 fully loaded trips to the tip plus brambles, rotten sheds etc. TBH if it was me I'd go for it. Think of it as a challenge, and take lots of photos along the way.

[Eddie777]

keeping the allotment

Hi all so i decided too take on the allotment it seemed a bit daunting at first but now i have cut down half of it it now shows potential. I have sorted out one green house ready too use and am looking to build 4 raised beds where i have cut it down . I am going through all the rubish and there is at least 3/4 of it i can resue the lad with the plot next too mine is going to show me how too make a polytunnel with all the blue water pipe and scaff tubes that are there. Will keep you all updated on how i get on with loads of photos. Thanks for all the advice.
Eddie