I Don't Have One Yet But.....

[nick the grief]

Well done Shortie.

If they spray it with roundup, you can sow seed straight away (according to the makers) as it's supposed to neutralise on contact with the soil. I'd give it a week or so just to be sure. That will give you time to get planning what you want on there.

[Shortie]

Cheers Nick, just what I was hoping to hear. If I get thi s plot I'll have time anyway to get more seedlings started anyway, as well as buying in ground cover for the area I won't yet be using. At risk of sounding horrible, I really hope the other guy decides not to take on the plot as I'm really hankering after it now.

Like a true saddo I've even started a word doc that I have saved to my desktop of things I need for the lottie, like camping gas and kettle/saucepan, mugs, oh, must think about tools too

[nick the grief]

Mustn't forget chairs Shortie, there is nothing like sitting with a cup of tea watching some other poor bugger sweating & slaving

This is a view of the shadow of a tree on me tatters if you pardon the phrase Tken whls sitting in me homemade chair

[Squirrel]

Nick do you just grow earlies or do you grow enough pots to keep you for the whole year?

Pity we didn't get to see the home made chair - can well remember sitting on a wooden parrafine box overseas watching the world go buy! You can't get them anymore, wonderful things along with wooden apple crates!

[nick the grief]

I grow enough for the year hopefully. That was half of the maincrop then I've got 4 rows of earlies & 6 pots in the greenhouse about a foot tall & some more to plant for a bit later on.

Last year I grew 4 rows of maincrop & we've just run out so I've upped it to 6 rows I think.

The chair is made from old pallets & scrap timber with a bit of carpet for extra comfort and is great!

[Shortie]

I called the secretary yesterday and the plot did get taken

I've asked him to keep my name and he says he should have one come free before the year is out and if not, he knows od some plots being given up when the rent is due in Januray.

I was really getting geared up for that as well... Ho hum

Thing is, there's no point me looking around as the next nearest allotment is a 10-min drive away (at a quiet time of day), and on an A road that can get really jammed with traffic at the wrong time of day so I don't really see it as an option to check out that one....

Oh well, I'll just have to try and learn that vertue, patience

[Squirrel]

Patience - yes now that is something that is so difficult to learn! The older I get the less patience I have with fools and 'know-it-alls'!

Good luck with your wait and do hope that an allotment comes free for you soon!

[nick the grief]

Patience is a virtue; Virtue is a grace; Grace is a little girl who wouldn't wash her face

One of my grandma's old rhymes

[Shortie]

My little boy's name's not Grace!

[Shortie]

Resurrection

Okay.... sorry to resurect this, I have more questions....

I've found a closer lottie that I think has spaces. I'm going to go and see the secretary on Saturday or Sunday morning (gutted I didn't phone last week as I missed a veg show/comp/open day Saturday just gone....)

So my question is this.... it's a plot that is leased from the council to the allotment people (sorry, don't knwo the word for 'opposite to council run' ). Is there anything I need to be aware that makes it different to a council run plot?

No idea yet the ground rent, but they have a Trading Hut and Club House too!!

[nick the grief]

Hi Shortie,

Thats like our site only we lease it from a charitable trust. I think it's probably an ex council site that have gone for self governance so rather than collect the £20's for the council they pay a single payment of say £200 & then the rents are there's.

The same questions will still apply though. Just ask what "services" they provided to newbies ( rotavating etc) the council may still do that for them.

If their Secretaries half as good as LJ & I you'll be OK

[Shortie]

Cheers Nick

Being self-governed, does it mean it's safer from being converted to houses (a favourite past time of any spare land around us), nd do they usually plough any spare money after rent back into facilities?

[nick the grief]

Self governed won't stop the change of use if it's an unused site, but if the council are deliberatley not letting plots thats another matter. If there's a clubhouse & shop on site I would say its a fairly well established set up & should be OK.

& yes the self governed bit measnthey have the excess monies to spend as they feel fit. The main fabric is still the responsibility of the council though I think (Fences etc) but the day to day running is carried out by the committee (& they are cheaper than a council liason officer usually)

[Shortie]

Cheers Nick
One worry is that it's hidden away and I commented it must reduce vandals as it's not near a main road (but has houses backing on to it). Her reply to that was to laugh and say 'you think so?'. Hopefully that sounded worse that it actually is!

[nick the grief]

some of the sites near us suffer vandalism, & most of the guys get round that by not leaving any thng of value in the shed & not locking them, it seems to work.

Our old secretary used a different approach, he was an inveterate hoarder & if you opened his shed door all sorts fell on you !!!!