National Allotment Week 2018 (and spare plots)

[bazzaboy]

I received an email informing me that next week is “National Allotments Week” (13th-19th August). Some well-organised sites are mounting Open Days, Craft Fairs, Afternoon Teas, Tours etc – there’s a list at
https://www.nsalg.org.uk/wp-content/...-for-web-1.pdf
Anyone doing anything?

Our small site won’t be doing anything so adventurous or community-orientated but I'm thinking “National Allotment Week” might be a good time to advertise on our local Village Info Page that we have some spare plots. What would be the best appeal, d’you think? Economy? Health? (fresh organic fruit and veg.) Environment? (reducing air miles and plastic packaging, interest in wildlife etc.) What would be the best angle to take to get more folk involved?

[Bill Door]

I admire any attempt to bring more into any social hobby/work out situation. Perhaps speak to the owner of the plots and make a few suggestions. Personally i would push the cheap "gym" and see if you can offer a "discount" for the remainder of the first years rent to get the plot into condition to plant in the next season. Then get other plotholders together and see if you can all come up with some ideas as to how to "help" any new to gardening. Some good plants/spare seeds or even tools/ muscle. I know that you will make them feel welcome but the odd "lift" does build a community.

Good luck
Bill

[veggiechicken]

Do you have Starter plots or Family friendly ones?
Maybe reach out to those who think it may be too much of a commitment to have a full plot.

[bazzaboy]

I admire any attempt to bring more into any social hobby/work out situation. Perhaps speak to the owner of the plots and make a few suggestions. Personally i would push the cheap "gym" and see if you can offer a "discount" for the remainder of the first years rent to get the plot into condition to plant in the next season. Then get other plotholders together and see if you can all come up with some ideas as to how to "help" any new to gardening. Some good plants/spare seeds or even tools/ muscle. I know that you will make them feel welcome but the odd "lift" does build a community.

Do you have Starter plots or Family friendly ones?
Maybe reach out to those who think it may be too much of a commitment to have a full plot.

Thanks for these suggestions Bill D and VC, will follow them up. The plots are “local authority” but effectively run by one parish councillor who himself is a keen allotment holder (runs 3 of them and does local and national shows). It’s not practical to reduce the rent because it’s already only “token” but on seeds, tools and muscle (helping clear overrun sites) I can possibly make headway. Plots are of different sizes but I’ll investigate dividing one into “Starter plots or Family friendly”. I’m not sure they’re exactly “friendly” – e.g. there’s no mains water, toilets or services – so more of a Family adventure! At least they are all fenced by previous occupants (adjacent to a railway line so plenty of rabbits….) and some have sheds, water-butts and raised beds in various states of decay. To be continued…..

[Chestnut]

Agree, cheaper than gym membership by a long way - and less boring ;-)
Not to mention the endless supplies of organic veg, fresh air and free vitamin D(!)

[bikermike]

the thing that kept me going was the loan of a site box. Reminds me, I need to get it passed on.

A number of things - really boiling down to limiting the apparent onerousness of it
1) offer smaller plots/plotshares (ideally with a way to expand if they like it)?
2) show how it can be done without too much time commitment. Would it be possible to have a formal lower standard of maintenance for the first year(s)?
3) show it's fun. There is one plot in ours who seem to have regular evening drinks in the sun with their friends, I always jokingly threaten to report them to the committee for Enjoying Themselves - but I think there is serious point that allotment looks to the outside world as a bit joyless old men humourlessly cultivating enormous unsmiling vegetables. The stock response is to show a picture of gender/racially mixed crowds laughingly digging small beds and being pleased with lettuce. I think this looks like advertising and hokum. I'd want to say "look, you need to put your back into it from time to time, but then you can sit back and have a beer and watch the world go by" or some such. If anyone is seduced by the image of laughing lettuce-raisers, they'll soon be disenchanted
4) stress child-friendliness (up to a point)
5) mentoring? helpline? it's not always easy at first to know who is willing to help/lend an ear

endless supplies of veg? not in my plot, I can tell you... Lot's of fresh air though.


edit "loan" not "load" of site box...

[veggiechicken]

Please...........what's a site box?

[1Bee]

Starter plots is a great idea.

Personally, I took on a plot as a kind of therapy. I think it's absolutely supreme for general wellbeing and promoting mental health.

[bikermike]

a site box is a box that you can leave on site. In this case I think it might have had a former life outside a newsagent. My particular one is a steel chest (same layout as a chest freezer) c 3'x3'x6' with the lid on the top long side, with a padlock and hasp.


Isn't as good as a shed, but good enough as a starting thing to mean I didn't have to lug all my kit to the pot each time.

[bazzaboy]

A number of things - really boiling down to limiting the apparent onerousness of it.

Thanks for all these suggestions, bikermike, I'd better get on with it or "Allotment Week" will have disappeared.... I think at this stage I'll be saying Now's the time to be thinking about it and registering an interest (our contracts officially run April to March which always seems a bit late to me but some are spare anyway and will need clearing....). A few years ago I cleared two large ones of sheep pasture and, with help, fenced them - don't think I'd want to do that again.... One is now well-used, one half-used. All 26 are now fenced though an enterprising rabbit could probably find a way if it's desperate to eat dock leaves or make nettle soup. I think the scene would change significantly if we can locate a younger set with some aspect of the fun element you mention and agree military rows of cabbages is probably not the best tack!

[Jimothy1275]

We have several unloved plots down our allotments (up until recently mine was one of them) and I was thinking of approaching our town council (they administer them), asking around to see whether any other tenants wanted to help clearing them down so that they aren't seen as so much of a chore for new plot holders. I know how disheartened I was when I found mine, and it could put some people off taking them on if they can't see the ground the nettles and thistles are growing in. Whether that's viable I don't know, and it may be other tenants don't want to get involved...

It might just be me, but I find the chopping and clearing very therapeutic.

[bikermike]

I hope it goes well.

It's like many things, they are actually fun, but quite hard to explain to someone who doesn't do it
And if you oversell the bits which seem like fun to the outsider, they often actually don't happen that much and aren't that fun (eg I've never seen much in the way of community at ours (other than the odd seriously good party), but at the plots I'll see maybe one or two people and pass hellos, but not a lot more).

[Two_Sheds]

see whether any other tenants wanted to help clearing them down so that they aren't seen as so much of a chore for new plot holders

I really do wish sites would keep unlet plots in some kind of order. Like most sites I imagine, we let our overgrown plots to newcomers, who come up a couple of times, never get the weeds under control, and then put up a fight when we try to take the plot back.

This year I took on a bad plot just to keep it tidy until a tenant is found: it’s under control now, I spent Ł70 on 70m weed membrane which can then be used on other plots for several years. When plots are “good to go” I think people are more likely to keep at it. The alternative is to leave empty plots to go wild, infesting everyone else with weeds, and having empty or badly neglected plots for years on end.

[bazzaboy]

I really do wish sites would keep unlet plots in some kind of order.

Two_Sheds! Great to hear from you! I don't come on that often (occasional batches) but I was thinking hadn't seen your logo in a while! Thirty thousand and counting!

On this topic of keeping un-used ones tidy... it's a matter of volunteers and everyone's so pre-occupied ("busy, busy" - like the Kate/Hannah TV ad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5CYeUzrrhQ ).
But it wouldn't be popular if local councils used paid staff, council tax etc - in the current era I can imagine increased calls for selling them for house-building! We do hack down our spares once or twice a year (with a ride-on or even a tractor if we can get it in), ironically ones where raised beds have been installed by previous owners are more problematic....

I've drawn up a draft of my probably over-optimistic ad to try to attract new recruits to our vacancies, will put it below, your thoughts valued!

[Two_Sheds]

Hi friend

By keep tidy, I just mean have someone* strim them weekly in summer, or cover with reusable membrane

We’ve raised Ł200+ from our Open Days, and that’s what I’d like to spend on, along with solar security lights


*have a handful of volunteers. It’s to everyone’s benefit to keep the nastier weeds down