What would make you walk away?

[singleseeder]

Scrap metal thieves are wrecking allotments as gangs ransack plots | Mail Online

A few years ago, several greenhouses were dismantled on our site and tools have been stolen too.

[Currysniffa]

Nothing like this has happened on any of the plots I'm on ( and touch wood it never does ) but a allotment site about 3 miles away from mine (locally known as the chicken run allotments) had all the sheds broken into last yea,r lawn mowers, rotavators and alike were all taken, I'm told the thieves mostly got in through the back of the sheds.

I don't leave anything at allotments over the winter.

[alex-adam]

Possibly even worse than theft for profit is the mindless destruction experienced on our Community Urban Farming and Growing Project. All our fruit trees were cut down or uprooted.

M.E.C. Urban Farming Project, Saltersgill Community Allotment | Facebook

[Aberdeenplotter]

On our site, we've had 4 sheds destroyed by fire in recent years. Council refuses to provide perimeter fencing so not surprising really. Also not surprising that we are charged the highest rents in Scotland for the privilege

[SarzWix]

When my greenhouse was punched through and my tomato plants wrecked last year, I did the rounds of the village and spoke to every bunch of teenagers I came across, telling them I understood their boredom and lack of stuff to do round here, but that if I caught any of them on my plot, I'd make dog chews out of their innards. Never had any bother after that, and I now have a bit of banter with them all when I meet them in the streets. (Might have helped that I confessed some of my teenage sins )

'Out of town' troublemakers are another thing altogether, and not something that we have a problem with (touch wood) but that sort of thing would just make me set up camp in my shed, along with the dog...

[Nicos]

We walked away from our first site...3 allotment sized plots we had recreated from dreadfully heavy clay. Raised beds, fencing,pond etc. Took us about 9 years to get it 'up to scratch'- and we loved it - and our neighbours.
Three summers of badly behaved Gypsies caused us to give it all up.
They played football with the cabbages, yanked out plants , stole hens, jumped on coldframes,pinched toms and other veg, smashed the water pipes and taps...and the final straw was they pooed all over the plots and paths.
I used to go regularly on my own - or with my toddlers - until my female neighbour had a bad experience with a group of them.

That's what caused us to walk away from our first site.

[Thelma Sanders]

We went through a spell last year of sheds being forced open and all the mowers, strimmers etc being stolen. It must be heartbreaking to find your stuff gone. The site doesn't look as tidy now, with equipment not being replaced, understandably
The police came and what equipment was left has been stamped and notices put up to say that.

Apart from rolls of netting and spade/fork etc I don't keep anything in my shed and do not even padlock it shut.
I've suffered no damage that way, as several sheds were smashed open just to see what was inside

[VirginVegGrower]

I think being next to a graveyard helps

I'd set my dogs on them. If I'm up at the Lottie on my own I always take the dog. We are not allowed sheds, but the allotment my mother had came with a concrete sectional shed and the perimeter had that high spiky metal fencing plus ten foot high spiky hedging of hawthorn and holly.

[hamamelis]

My shed's not been broken into *yet*, but it's only a matter of time- all of the local sites have had at least a few break-ins recently, my housemate had all her stuff nicked from her plot last year, despite the 6' fences.

On advice from other tenants, I only leave nets and a few rusty tools there; my good spade lives in my car boot, and the strimmer lives at home. It's a pain bringing them down every time, but less of a pain than replacing them would be.

To my mind, the main security on the site is the fact that several of the people whose houses back onto the site have plots there. We have big spiky fences, locking gates, brambles all around the perimeter, and several break-ins a year (my shed's not been targeted yet, as I said, but it's a big site, and others have been).

[salome2001]

our site is small, only 10 or so plots. We have no fences as the perimeter of the site is a road used by all the houses surrounding it as rear access (interesting question as to whether it is public council land or property of the allotment association, we don't know the answer to that one.
Most of the people with plots (including myself) live in the streets surrounding it, so we do tend to "neighbourhood watch". Sadly, didn't stop someone getting their shed crowbarred open last year and his rotovator and strimmer nicked (the only plot holder who doesn't live close by)
My lottie neightbour and myself are musing over getting an Eglu house for chickens, not wanting it to get nicked we are probably going to put on motion-sensor security lights and cementing in a chain lock.
Sad, hey.

[WendyC]

On a similar theme I wondered if anyone had moved plot within their site. I know a plot is coming up very close to mine. My main reasons for for considering a move are:
1. closer to the water tank
2. one of my neighbours has put up a tall tool shed ( just within permitted size)so my soft fruit is now in shade especially the strawberries.
3. the path behind me is so narrow it is almost impossible to mow it or work from it
4. the other plot is on the main path so access is slightly easier.
However having spent the last 7/8 years working the soil manuring etc is it worth the possible benefits? The soil in the other plot is not bad but has not been looked after in the same way that I have. Also I wouldn't want to leave the crops I have growing (broccoli / onions/ shallots) I also have established fruit bushes which would need moving. I guess if I could keep both on in the short term I could move in stages, having completed the move by the end of the year.
Rent are up for renewal 1st April so I need think about what to do. I'm on the committee (and probably going to be chair ) so there should be some perks!

[Dynamo]

We have a high perimiter fence all around our lotties but kids can still get over it. Most people with sheds just leave them open seeing as the ones with locks will only get them smashed off anyway at some point. I don't have a shed yet and I just leave the few tools that I have (spade, fork, rake, hoe, trowel and hand fork) lying around and nobody bothers with them, apart from a large fork that went walkabout last year. I bought myself a new one, and then a couple of weeks ago, the old one appeared again, so now I have two large forks. Very strange.

[allotment grower]

we have been hit twice last year the cost is fence repairs - locking all your tools up or taking them home then forgeting to bring something. its a pain...

it is a growing trend unfortunatly metal is in demand and scroungers are on the beg and borrow even steal it wont be the last... just stick in there and get it reported and try to get local community officer to check the area...




fred keeping an eye out over the winter break...