What does your site provide ??

[gojiberry]

I agree that bonfires should be banned. The plot next to me doesn't compost anything and has a bonfire about every other month. I wouldn't mind so much except it can be burning for up to two weeks and often blows the smell towards the houses.
Our allotment has a got hedge around it with a low metal gate at the entrance, fortunately we do not have any problems with vandals although we do know that the local youth often have a drinking session close by as they chuck the empty vodka bottles over the hedge. No damage though.
We have no water and are not allowed sheds or greenhouses. I have managed to get away so far with a tall cold frame 3' high that I grow tomatoes in.
We can, along with other organisations, apply for money for specific items from the council. We got a new petrol mower last year to cut the grass paths.

Ian

[marmalade]

we have a loo (fitted by the council after more women joined the plot apparantly and wouldn't wee in the open )
water points
can have sheds and greenhouses but they're size limited
a great security fence and lockable gates - on half the plot so the other half is still open - d'oh

[binley100]

We are allowed fires after 6.30 and on sundays and bank hols, and to be fair we haven't noticed any one causing a nuisance with them. There are rules about what can and can't be burnt. What I would like is for a communal woodchipper as we all have hedges which obviously need cutting back and then the chippings could be composted instead .

[Maximillian]

we have a proper loo - very fancy!
only allowed small sheds which is fine, but no greenhouses
no manure deliveries and only one skip delivery per year which is a pain
securely fenced in with two locked entrances
no bonfires as we are surrounded by houses on all four sides. the main part of the perimeter fencing is actually back garden fences
small shop which is only open from 10-12 on sundays which isn't ideal but voluntarily run so fair enough

[organic]

For those who aren't allowed fires... what do you do in the case of the various pests and diseases where the treatment is to pull it up- or cut it off- and burn immediately?

I'm thinking along the lines of blighty tomatoes and spuds, mildew on gooseberries, reversion on blackcurrants and things like that.

Do you get a quick fire going just to destroy the diseased plant or is there a different approach to take that doesn't involve a fire?

[Alison]

only one skip delivery per year which is a pain

What is the skip for anyway? We don't get anything like that and I don't understand why we'd need it?

For those who aren't allowed fires... what do you do in the case of the various pests and diseases where the treatment is to pull it up- or cut it off- and burn immediately?

I'm thinking along the lines of blighty tomatoes and spuds, mildew on gooseberries, reversion on blackcurrants and things like that.

Do you get a quick fire going just to destroy the diseased plant or is there a different approach to take that doesn't involve a fire?

We are allowed fires but I prefer not too. Take anything diseased etc home and put it in the council green bin.

Somebody had a fire up there yesterday (actually it was one of the nearby houses not one of the lotties but about the same distance away) and the smell was horrible, really unpleasant.

[Two_Sheds]

For those who aren't allowed fires... what do you do in the case of the various pests and diseases ?

- Blight: diseased leaves go in carrier bag, then into black bin (but I don't grow outdoor toms any more, it's pointless)

- Pests? things like caterpillars get drowned in a bucket, then put on bird table. Aphids get squished. Whitefly get shoved in the Dalek with their infested leaves. Slugs & snails are sprinkled with salt and composted

I honestly don't get any other diseases.

Woody rubbish (bramble prunings etc) gets chopped into 2" lengths and composted.

[Alison]

Pests? things like caterpillars get drowned in a bucket, then put on bird table.

I squish caterpillars too although make sure I don't do it too close to my face as it's not nice being splashed in the eye!

[john c]

We have a security fence, purchased and erected by us, Portacabin ,bought by us, council has the keys to the gates £5 deposit.

council just put rents up to £52 for 1/8acre..they do collect rubbish and we have water.

We formed an association to enable us to get grants but other wise it all belongs to council who do nothing for us????

[binley100]

We now have people on the community payback scheme working on site at weekends. They're clearing some old plots that are coming back into use, maintaining hedges and roadways , and just other general maintenance work. they are supervised and tbh work hard.

[piskieinboots]

I squish caterpillars too although make sure I don't do it too close to my face as it's not nice being splashed in the eye!

eeeewwww - but that's a funny image

[Alison]

eeeewwww - but that's a funny image

Yeah, it's not an image I want more than the once!

[organic]

Thanks for the responses TS and Alison.

Alison - I know what you mean about smelly fires, it's no good.
I find that smelly ones are usually evidence that the person making the fire is no good at making fires. If you get the fire absolutely raging hot things burn quickly and really don't smell.

I was helping to clear a new plot on my closest site (unfortunately I still can't get a plot on there) and they got a fire going in a barrel and then tipped it out.
They ignored me saying it was a bad idea to tip a fire out... they ignored me telling them to stop feeding it until it got going again... they ignored me telling them to stop putting wet stuff on. It stank!

Eventually there was a lull around the fire so I waded in and took over. I rebuilt it while it was still just about alight and within about 5 to 10 minutes had it burning so hard and hot you couldn't stand closer than about 6 or 8 feet without getting uncomfortable. The smell vanished once I'd done that.

The stinky fire that they were seriously talking about dousing and relighting the next day had pretty much burned out by the time the clearing finished for the day leaving nothing but a lovely, fragrant "fire" smell.

It's just a matter of knowing how to burn things, but most people don't seem even vaguely interested in learning. It's a pity really because it only makes it unpleasant for everyone else when they build a rubbish one and try to force-feed it wet wood and leaves.

[Princess Unicorn]

I have only just got my allotment plot, but after meeting with the allotment officer's they have told me the site has:

Toilets
Security locked gate, the key can't be copied, you can only get more with the card that goes with the key.
About 6-7ft perimater fence, the one with spikes on top.
Same sized gate too, gate has barbed wire on the top.
Communal area for picnics and BBQs
Oh yes and water posts! Although I aim to use a water collection

I think that is it, will find out more on saturday when we go down there properly

Tara

[Crosby]

I'm new to my site but I understand it to be leased from the council and has been around since 1911.

The are two locked entrancies, a high number of stand pipes around the site a shop staffed by members and toilets. I'm told that they are planning to clear some overgrow plots to create a family / society BBQ area. You can only can one fire a year in November and they council have just said that they will no longer collect rubbish from the site unless it's paid for.

I pay £18pa for the plot and £12pa for water which seems quite good and it's a friendly group of people there as well.