Neglected Plots

[alldigging]

Take photos and ask questions.

If allotments aren't used properly then councils will steal the land

[Alison]

After taking on a new plot a few weeks ago, which is neglected and full of cooch grass.
I looked around the site and noticed a lot of neglected plots.
I wonder why people don't spend a bit of time pushing a hoe about maybe once a week.
A lot have much larger plots than they can manage but refuse to give them up or even half the plot size.
One person on the committee has two full sized plots but grows on about 1/4 of one of them. Others have plots covered in foam backed carpet rotting into the ground, which looks like it has been there for years.
I think the problem is the committee has too many slackers on board, so they would be labelled hipercrites to try and get other people to manage their plots better.

How well are the plots on your site maintained.

Tread carefully, you're very new and if you wade into things stating how bad you think things are the you're likely to put people's backs up. Concentrate on your plot for now and get that how you want it, you'll also get a better idea of how much work is being done on the other plots. Sometimes quite messy plots can be very productive and tidy uniform ones can produce little. There are many ways of doing things and the traditionalists probably wouldn't like my nature corner with its little wildlife pond, my seed saving beds look like crops that I've not bothered to harvest and my green manures are frowned on some as being messy. I do however keep us self sufficient in veggies and produce lots of fruit too.

[Snadger]

After taking on a new plot a few weeks ago, which is neglected and full of cooch grass.
I looked around the site and noticed a lot of neglected plots.
I wonder why people don't spend a bit of time pushing a hoe about maybe once a week.
A lot have much larger plots than they can manage but refuse to give them up or even half the plot size.
One person on the committee has two full sized plots but grows on about 1/4 of one of them. Others have plots covered in foam backed carpet rotting into the ground, which looks like it has been there for years.
I think the problem is the committee has too many slackers on board, so they would be labelled hipercrites to try and get other people to manage their plots better.

How well are the plots on your site maintained.

Whats a hoe?

[Alison]

Whats a hoe?

I don't use them either

[Snadger]

I am an allotment Secretary who volunteered for the job solely to keep the Association from folding.
Yesterday I sent out two eviction notices to people who hadn't been seen since they paid there plot rent last February.

You can only change things from within but you get grief off the good gardeners and the bad gardeners. I've been asked to evict someone recently because he feeds his chooks Yorkshire puddings! If they had seen some of the food waste I feed my chooks I would have been kicked out years ago.

We are a self financing site who pay an annual rent to the Council and water rates. The more people I boot out, the less finances we have coming in unless we can fill empty plots from the waiting list.
If there was no one on the waiting list, I would gladly take plot rent off a plot holder who wasn't cultivating his plot. If we have empty plots everyone's plot rents go up!

[Clayman]

I've had my plot for over 6 weeks and been on it nearly everyday and still yet to see anyone, I go on to get out of the way.

[Sarico]

My previous plot looked neglected because I wanted to try a more natural gardening by just chop weed down when they where at knee high and leave them on soil. But I was told that was neglected. Having a new bigger plot in May I decide to leave it but I thought To let them know that I had an Half plot which had more veg cultivated that few that had a full plot. Plus sometime there is a reason behind and as someone said think about your plot and you don't know who have this plots. If there is a rumour that you are nosey some bad plot holder would go there in full summer and spray your plants with an herbicide. Plus there are few committee that are a pure mafia lol. Go to few meeting and see who are this people.

[muddled]

But it's the end of the season.
Lots of folk take a break about now. The onions and garlic are in, kale and cabbages netted. There's not really anything else time sensitive that needs doing.

If you didn't see anyone in April I'd be worried....November? round here the clay is wet and best not disturbed before first frost. Each to their own and all that.

Sorry Sarico...cross posted!

[donksey]

I can tell the plots that have a few months worth of weeds from the ones (like most of mine) which are a dense bed of cooch grass or 6ft high with brambles.

[Kieron75]

No logic....

I've been at my current plots for just over two years and there's this young guy who has the plot next door to mine. For the last 6 years, he comes in March, hires a massive rotavator and rotavates the whole plot weeds and all, then disappears till October when he does the same again. Year after year it's the same! I've given up wondering why and just focus in my plots. Just no logic in this world sometimes.

[Bigmallly]

Best way Kieron, just focus on your plots.............some folk are just strange.

[alldigging]

It's a real shame if there are waiting lists and people aren't actually growing food to eat on their plot.

[Jungle Jane]

If it's an ex serviceman & part of his rehabilitation is working on the allotment,someone with health or other obstacles in life. If they get some relief or health benefits from just digging & not growing,it's as rewarding for them,as it is for us growing stuff.

[bario1]

If it's an ex serviceman & part of his rehabilitation is working on the allotment,someone with health or other obstacles in life. If they get some relief or health benefits from just digging & not growing,it's as rewarding for them,as it is for us growing stuff.

True, but that's not the purpose of allotments! In our tenancy agreement it states that the plot must be used for the growing of fresh fruit and vegetables, and that 80% of it should be cultivated at any given time. I think that land set aside for growing produce should be used for that purpose - especially in inner city areas where land is such a precious commodity. Seeing plots barely kept ticking over just because the tenant was on the waiting list for 8 years and feels indignant about giving it up makes me feel very frustrated - but the Council don't have the resources or frankly the balls to tackle them, so people get their annual warning letters, they come down and dig the plot over, and then disappear until the next warning letter arrives, effectively making this precious resource worthless, while others who really want to enjoy a plot and provide for their families sit on the waiting list for another 5 years....

[Snadger]

In an ideal world,if there are people on the waiting list and plots aren't being used plotholders should be booted off and someone more worthy/needy given the plot.

The problem is we don't live in an ideal world................

I am an allotment Secretary who would rather spend his time on his plot rather than writing numerous eviction letters. No one else wants the job, so I'm lumbered with it.

Do we really want to be entrenched on a site which is ran by a dictatorial jumped up Committee? Or would we rather be on a pleasant site with knowledgeable gardeners,good crack and tolerance for the few who abuse the system? I would say we have about 10% of our plotholders who pay there rent, but grow very little.10% wastage is fine by me.

PS We had 20% wastage until I booted some off.