Allotments- unfair system!

[SHAZSULL]

I had my name down for my allotment and got given 2 plots in Feb. this year, now I know why I was given 2 plots cos no one wants any plots where mine is it’s so run down no one ever their when I go down, it has 90 plots on the site and think just about 8 are in use other than that its free for all.
I dug out 4 beds weeded and planted my veg = potatoes, carrots, onions, peas, and salad crops plus cabbage, caulis and sewed. Took me 6 months of hard work getting it tidy and ready for planting out my first year veg was very excited and couldn’t wait till I could start harvesting my first crop.
What a flop it was every veg was robbed I got nothing but a few left over bits, I just couldn’t believe my eyes, came home and felt defeated and wonder if it is worth bothering with.
I have emailed the council who own the plot and left many messages on the phone but no reply as yet.
I have still got my garden plot doing beautifully and had a really lovely turn out of veg.

very un happy allotment plot owner

how awful id be so upset,some people have no morals !

[PAULW]

Our manager has just sent out 12 letters offering plots to people on the waiting list which then was 54, he had no replies to these letters so he sent out another letter which said seeing as you have not replied to the first letter it is taken that you no longer require a plot and your name will be removed from the list, if at some future date you would like a plot your name will be added to the bottom of the list, 11 no replies one woman e mailed the secretary
Woman- I never got the first letter it must have been sent to the wrong address its not right that I should be removed when I never got the first letter.
Secretary gets in touch with Manager who says tell her to come and look at a plot.
Secretary e mails back saying to woman come and look at a plot
Woman replies I DONT WANT A PLOT NOW

Its not the people with multiple plots that are the problem it is the time wasters that stop really interested people getting to the empty allotments.

[Two_Sheds]

Its not the people with multiple plots that are the problem it is the time wasters that stop really interested people getting to the empty allotments.

I'd agree with that!
The plot next to me has been unused for over 8 years.
Just as Duggie describes so brilliantly above, the tenant made a token effort at inspection time: he had no interest in gardening, he just refused to give up his plot because "he paid for it, he could do what he wanted".
What an arrogant selfish attitude.

We finally kicked him off 3 years ago. Since then the plot has had 3 more useless tenants, who do a bit in June, then b0gger off.

I've just had to rip out my blackcurrant bushes because they are hopelessly infested with couch grass and bindweed that creeps in from that plot next door. (One good reason not to plant too close to your boundaries).

[NoWayPedro]

Yes, allotments are currently fashionable, but for every three people who are currently offered a plot one of them pays just half a dozen visits there and is then never seen again.

Just seen this thread and found some comments very interesting. Is this statistic true or has it just made it up?

[BrideXIII]

Just phoned up about mine again, i have now moved from 3rd to 8th on the list, yep that's right, I have gone DOWN the list , asked why, they don't know and the proper person is not in today

I shall be phoning later this week to rip someone a new one.

[zazen999]

Good grief Bride...they're taking the proverbial.

[BrideXIII]

Good grief Bride...they're taking the proverbial.

just a bit, the situation is dire for one of our other sites its way over subscribed ( 7 to 8 years, dead mens shoes), it may be some long term waiters have been shifted across, 8 th is not so bad i only applied in october, need to phone back to see how things stand with inspections etc.

[zazen999]

Just seen this thread and found some comments very interesting. Is this statistic true or has it just made it up?

Well, 3 of us got plots at the same time, we planted immediately - the guy next door rotavated several times, and got rid of the weeds in year 1 and now has fruit bushes packed in - and the ones on the other side turned up a few times, got bored, the plot completely weeded over and they have let another bloke have the plot - they pay the rent and supply the seeds whilst he does all the actual work. He's on the list himself so as soon as he gets his own plot, he'll be off.

[Eyren]

I don't have any sympathy for the lazy oiks who don't even try, but on the other hand the last two years haven't been good ones for being an allotment newbie, especially if you work full time. It's strictly weekends only for us from about Sept to March (no daylight outside working hours), and we're far more at the mercy of the weather. Keeping the grass down when it rains every weekend is no joke! I take a week off work every March, just to get my lottie under control for the new season - and I pray for dry weather.

BTW, I don't used raised beds as such, but I do have fixed beds with paths (some covered with bark, thanks to a serendipitous visit to the site just after a delivery of shredded leylandii!). It may seem like a waste of space but the beds only need digging once - now I have lovely thick loam that's a joy to work with

[Dottie]

I've had my allotment for 18 months now (having waited 2 years), and converted a very over grown and weedy plot into a raised bed paradise. I have a pond surrounded by logs for frogs and other such things, arches for berries to grow up, a shed and compost bins.

My plot is kept weed free, as weeding a bed at a time is very managable and because I have paths, I have all year access. The plot next to me is traditional and is tended to as much as mine, however it seems that couch grass and other weeds have the upper hand, even though weedkillers are used several times a year. Whereas my plot has no need for weedkillers and I have no need to join in with the traditional plots holders complaints over the summer of having to cope with all the weeds. I find my prepared weed and stone free raised bed system (which is now no-dig) a very enjoyable and manageable experience.

I do have to contend with vandals, last year they used my pumpkin as a football on the road, pulled out young B.Sprouts plants (looked valued as they were covered in fleece), snapped arches, knocked over compost bins etc. Vandals don't care if it's a traditional plot or not, they just want to have a bit of fun on the way home from the pub.

There is not a lot the council can really do about it, the allotments are next to a park that kids use to hangout in late at night, the Police are aware and the kids get moved on from one place to the next. Obviously I'd rather not have a vandal problem, but I just view them as another pest to deal with on the plot, rather than getting too disheartened. I won't be growing large pumpkins again this year, as even before it happened I did think it was like a beacon and very tempting, as I'm quite close to the road. This year I have adapted and bought a variety of winter squash, "one meal sized fruits", so hopefully not so tempting to others. I adapt to other types of pests on the plot, choosing different varieties or deciding not to grow them at all if companion planting and such like, is not able to keep the pests at bay.

I may try for a 2nd plot once I feel I've done everything I can on my first plot. But I do feel there are a few selfish plot holders, who have several plots and admit they find it difficult to cope with all their plots, but don't want to give even 1 up. The fact that plots are very cheap means that new or established holders would rather pay the small amount each year, rather than give up a plot.

[sarflo]

We got our half plot 5 years ago when there was little interest and have put in a few raised beds as we are on thick clay (parsnips and carrots don't like!!) Last year we wanted another plot for mainly fruit and were given a quarter plot that hadn't been touched for four years-the plotholders also had 2 other plots. Anyway the former plotholders were so p......d off that it had been taken away that they chopped down an apple tree on our 1/4 and a cherry on the other 1/4-even put an axe through the stumps to stop them from growing back-I couldn't believe it-we would have paid them for the tree if they'd asked!! Anyway ha ha it didn't work-little stump is producing shoots!! But what a sad reflection on some selfish people. Glad the rest of the plotholders are lovely people!

[pottin shedz rockin]

i have had a plot for 9 months now after being on the waiting list for over two years, it was very overgrown and i think other plotholders had used my plot as a dumpimg ground. i have now got into really good shape and am making a real go of it. the plot next to me is in an even worse state than mine was originally and have asked the council if i can also take this plot on , only to be told no and that there is 120 people on the waiting list . according to other plot holders this has been empty for four years now. the council keeps offering it to people on the list but they keep turning it down because of its condition. so why wont they just let me have it?
some plot holders have got up to six plots on my site . all the produce they grow goes straight to the farmers market or is sold at the roadside which i think is against the rules.
by the way i think people are reluctant to give up plots in case developers want the land and hope they will receive compensation as this is what has happenend on a nearby site and plot holders are being paid ten grand per plot . so they are of the belief pay 30 quid a year and one day it might turn into ten grand. for me and many others this is not what getting an allotment is about.

[bluemoon]

Just seen this thread and found some comments very interesting. Is this statistic true or has it just made it up?

The statistic is nothing official, just my own observations of my own site (I'm a committee member so probably pay more attention) I have to say though that recently it's a problem that seems to be happening less and less. There is still the thing with long-term tenants turning up for an afternoon just after the use-it-or-lose-it letter arrives and then disappearing again once their plot is secure..... until next time. And personally I feel this is the main problem currently to be found. Perhaps we should have a 'three strikes and you're out' policy, or something similar. A worry with this is that a plot holder who has previously kept a perfect plot, but who is suddenly in temporary difficulties, either through their own or close family member's illness, for example, would suffer. Unfortunately any attempt to give these people some sort of appeals process would probably be taken advantage of by those who are not in genuine difficulty. A local private allotments initially rents plots on a six monthly basis, if you haven't made a good start within those first six months you lose the plot with no refund of rent already paid. And that might prevent turnover from becoming stagnant too. There are lots of things we can try, but at the moment this is a new problem for committees and most are just starting to think of solutions. Many councils also have perhaps just one or two people working in the allotments office and in the past this was sufficient, now they plainly need more staff to cope with inspections, allocations and waiting lists, but the funding just isn't in place yet. The word 'dynamic' just is not one which would be used to describe most allotment set-ups because recent history hasn't required it. Things are changing though, but I accept they're changing far too slowly for most people on an interminable waiting list.

[flowerofshona]

And i was gobsmacked when i got the e mail back from said person on the waiting list :lol
As Paul says our site manager has to contact more people from the list as when someone moves, changes their mind ect they dont tell nyone so the waiting list looks awful !
Having done the collated list of people waiting in the Bournemouth area which stood at 284 ! the council are making a move to provide another site in the area.
The main problem with people having multi plots is the fact that whole plots have been split into half and quater plots so that more plots are available, thats great when you are starting out but you soon find these plots are to small to grow all year round to feed a family ! We now have 3 plots BUT they add up to 1 full plot ! If we can not care for them we will give them up for others to use.
2 -3 years ago before the new 'Trend' started plots where being given away ! Just because many people want allotments does not mean the plots rented out will be used well and as has been said many throw some seeds in and think that is it until they pick the veg later !! they forget the weeding, re sowing, composting, digging and hard work involved !
A true lottie lover works their plot 12 month a year not just 5-6 months.

[allotmentlady]

Where do I start? We have a waiting list of 240, with only 110 plots in chorley, none are vacant yet. Our allotment officer is , allegedlly, going to come down heavy this year on those who are not working their plots. We have people who have a large lottie but only grow 7 raspberry canes, weeds and nettles. There are about 12 plots that have not been worked in 18 months, a real mess. We have about 30 new allotments being sorted out at the back of the site, this is thanks to a campaign I started 4 years ago and the council are looking at other sites to create allotments. On our site, you sort your lottie out, clear it out, no help from the council.
I think councils should help out, especially if THEY allow allotments to get out of control by not properly inspecting them.
I sometimes wish I was still secretary of our local society as they are not doing anything that I can see to help allotment holders. If you could see the latest sign, saying that they are providing security lol. yeah right, is that why the site got burgled?