Overgrown Why???????????

[Peter]

You all have the wrong end of the stick.

It is a combination of things.

Lack of Interest
Historically allotment usage was in decline, so councils were glad to let plots, not too worried about how well they were cultivated.
My council disposed of two large sites and moved remaining tenants to nearby(ish) sites.

New take on.
As allotments have become more fashionable or popular (depends on your view of the world) all the easier plots have been taken. What's left is the awkward plots.

Naivety
All too many of the new plotholders I see have no idea of the level of work needed, they see Monty Don on the telly do about ten minutes work a week and think they can do the same and have a "Berryfields" clean garden. Also all too many are not prepared to use weedkiller as an initial clearance, combined with lack of awareness how much time and effort are needed for the manual alternative

Lack of commitment
Various scenarios here, but this is the condensed high speed one. "After turning over an area the size of a couple of growbags, they come back the next week, see the regrowth, dig over the first bit again, return a week later see more regrowth and give up."

What does that mean.
Well, it was bad to start with, now it has a paying tenant on a years lease, who has said he/she is going to clear it and has made a visible start, but has now started to loose interest. With encouragement the actual giving up can be spun out for some considerable time. With a more severe attitude the new tenant could get a failure to cultivate letter withing a month or two......
In addition the dear old council has not yet adjusted its world view and does not want to scare tenants off, its plots are all "taken" so all is well with the world.

The answer is.
Watch out, your landlord is waking up, all those awkward people now wanting allotments and prepared to go to the bother of putting their name on a list and complaining when they find there are no vacancies.

Mine is now looking to maximum initial let size of 1/4 plots (2.5 rod) and being strict with all tenants about the cultivation rules, after having paid to have blackthorn cleared from a couple of plots, they are even looking to buy something to dig over other troublesome plots.

Remeber, no council makes any money on allotments, if they did then businesses would be competeing to set up and run allotments.

[Hans Mum]

on our site the chairman lets his favourites swap plots so the good ones that have always been well kept never get given to newbies, when the 2 plots at the side of mine were vacated because the chap moved house they were in fantastic condition with shed/greenhouse/poly tunnel/pond etc and they were taken over by members of the 'inner sanctum'

[Paul Wagland]

Reducing plot size certainly gives allotments to more people, which can only be a good thing so overall I'm in favour of it... to a point. A quarter plot is pretty tiny in my view but it might suit some people. I guess having a choice of plot size would be an answer, but as plots are often so scarce you just grab what's on offer with both hands.

In my view there is no alternative to councils providing more land. It's a statutory duty, and it's part of what we pay tax for.

I would also like to see more direct involvement from the council or allotment steward in the early stages of each tenancy. Plots should be cleared and turned over before they are given out, allowing the tenant to spend £30 on plastic DPM and have their plot immediately under long-term control.

[Two_Sheds]

Peter: I don't see how your point of view is different to anyone else's here. We've said that new tenants think its an easy job, after watching Jamie, and give up when it gets tough. Quarter plots are too small. Halves is more realistic.

[ConstantGardener]

Actually I think there's something else in the mix too. I think it takes a while for people tor realise that for whatever reason they aren't coping with their plot. I know my next-door-neighbour was a really keen allotmenteer when I first got there, about 5 years ago now. Then she got ill for a while, lost her job, when she got back to work her new job demanded more hours so she couldn't get to the allotment as much...

The upshot was that over the last 5 years her plot has gone downhill fast. I think though that she was simply in love with it a little bit and couldn't bear to part with it. It's taken a long, slow road for her to come to terms with that and sadly give it up. I've got a new neighbour moving in next week - unfortunately she'll be taking on a plot that is now waist-high in weeds and looks terrible.

It's not always neglect/negative attitudes that cause the situation.

[Lavenderblue]

our allotment site was all but abandoned - and had been for years. We still don't know why there was just one person tending a couple of allotments or why there were abandoned in the first place. We didn't even know they were there until we saw a tiny advert in the local freepaper. You can see from my blog the shocking state of the site. Brambles were everywhere, weeds were waist high, paths were virtually impassable and had to be either burnt or strimmed down and dug out. Its a tough, tough job getting it done, backbreaking if I am honest but the sense of achievement is immense. Storm and I planted our first fruit bushes yesterday. We drank a toast to them There have been times when we both wanted to just walk away but I can't see us doing that now. Its our allotment, we have shed blood sweat and tears to get into some sort of decent site and I dare say will sacrifice a bit more before the year is out. I can't see us giving it up now without a fight or desperate change of circumstances.

[bramble]

Hi Lavenderblue, don't give up or you will always regret it. You have probably done the hardest bits now and planting something no matter what it is is such an achievement. Keep at it and if the ground is not ready plant in containers. So long as you are growing is all that matters at the moment. Good luck with the coming season.

[Peter]

How true.

Actually I think there's something else in the mix too. I think it takes a while for people tor realise that for whatever reason they aren't coping with their plot.

I forgot that reason. <blush>

With some of the older plotholders on my site it was a problem, most clung on doing less and less each year, but loath to admit defeat.
One couple were wiser, converted part of the back garden to fruit, transplanted the best from the plot and gave it up in good order before it got too much for them.

It is an age related problem, my mother suffered from it, admitting something that used to be within a persons capability is no longer so, means facing up to an unwelcome reality and hwo many of us cheerfully do that?

[pigletwillie]

We only try to let full plots but do have a few halfs on the site. We are pretty much full now and have cleared, ploughed and rotovated all plots prior to let.

There are however a few plots that are not cultivated. As we are now full we can justifiably start to chase the tenants of them to either cultivate or be evicted. When you have a 160 plot site with 40 vacant plots I assure you that you do everything to show the council that you are a viable site with growing membership and DO NOT evict anybody whatever the state of their plots. Its no suprise then that most of the committee have multiple plots in an attempt to keep numbers up. In Evington, building land is worth in excess of £1 million an acre and we ensured the council did not start to scratch about our site with a view to almalgamate us with another site, thus freeing it up to develop.

Now we are full, a few pigeons can come home to roost and those who want to sit on an allotment will be disapointed. Hopefully this will ensure that the plots are not allowed to fall into dereliction as has happened in the past.

[bluemoon]

I can sort of understand that people don't want to give up a much loved plot and also the reasoning when someone falls ill and thinks; I'll just have a season off, I'll feel better next spring. Unfortunately one uncultivated season means that next year's work load has doubled and things rapidly get out of hand. Another problem is that, more than many hobbies, allotments become a way of life and their loss to a person means far more than just giving up a hobby. I'd equate it more with retirement, which is quite a big, life changing event for most.