Allotment Rules

[greenlung]

Hi - Does your allotment have any formal rules ? Do some tenants play the anarchist, others the fascist ?

Up at ours, we're not allowed to :

Use hose pipes
Obstruct the paths
Have smoky bonfires
Have dogs unless on a lead
Let children wander around on their own

....but lots of people do.

Today, someone told me I couldn't walk past his shed to get to the water trough. What a charmer ; )

Felt quite upset.
Told him what I thought of him and left.
Rang the council allotment office for support.
They were very sympathetic, but dunno if. they'll do anything.

[supergrass]

Most do have the same set of rules except here in Ireland we can use hose pipes but then we dont have water charges yet.

Max

[Novice Gardener]

Our doesn't have any rules like that, we are allowed to have a bonfire between something like 6pm and sunset, we can use hosepipes and dogs and kids are fine as long as they're well behaved. We do have to ask permission to put in stuff like asparagus beds and fruit canes. We can have a greenhouse without any hassle, but if you want a shed you have to ask permission (the lottie lady told me they always allow them, but you have to ask!!) The first time I went to my allotment, the lady on the plot next to mine offered to share her shed with me and gave me a key there and then. Its only a small site - 5 plots, but everyone seems really friendly and helpful. The lady that lives next to the site has a half plot down the bottom end and has said if I'm ever away, then to let her know and she'll be happy to water my stuff for me too and I've already had two of the older chaps offere me seedlings that they've not got room for. I think I've been lucky and got a real nice site (though the plot was like a jungle)

[Two_Sheds]

It's a shame that people don't know how to behave, and need a set of rules to live by.

I need a set of rules for the neighbours that says:
don't leave your takeaway chips on my doorstep
don't let your car alarm go off for 4 hours on a Sunday night
don't let your dog cr@p in the shared alleyway
don't nick my clean wheely bin when yours is full of filth and maggots
don't leave your dog alone all day to bark its head off

[Novice Gardener]

It's a shame that people don't know how to behave, and need a set of rules to live by.

I need a set of rules for the neighbours that says:
don't leave your takeaway chips on my doorstep
don't let your car alarm go off for 4 hours on a Sunday night
don't let your dog cr@p in the shared alleyway
don't nick my clean wheely bin when yours is full of filth and maggots
don't leave your dog alone all day to bark its head off

Arrrrrrrrrh, right, that explains why you're moving

[TinyT]

Today, someone told me I couldn't walk past his shed to get to the water trough. What a charmer ; )

Felt quite upset.
Told him what I thought of him and left.

Good for you - There can be some rotters in some of these places and equally really great alotments too. Keep your current one going with low maintenance stuff, but see if you can find another lottie somewhere down the road with better company. It's a shame to have to spoil the experience.

[jackie j]

How can you not walk past his shed to get water ? Is there another way or are you not supposed to water your plot.
I have to walk past 3 plots to get water which ever way I go.
Our site is really friendly and I have been given quite a bit of stuff by others.
Main rules are
No hosepipes
Bonfires after 4pm
Well behaved children and dogs allowed
Sheds and Greenhouses allowed
Someone even put an electric fence around her plot last week dont know if its allowed will see if she has had to take it down.
Dont take any notice its his problem not yours.
Good luck.

[HeyWayne]

A list of rules/regulations came with my tenancy agreement. From memory, they include:

No permanent erections.
No fires between at certain times, when the moon is in Venus and there's a cat on a fence within earshot.
No animals, except for rabbits and chicken for personal consumption.
Your plot number is your responsibility and should be looked after and maintained.

Plus some others I forget. It's an A4 sheet full.

If Mr Dude won't allow you to walk past his plot, are you permitted to walk through it instead?

[Matt.]

We're quite fortunate that everyone is quite amiable. We have a list of rules but the guy in charge is so chilled out I still don't have my copy. He also doesn't want any confrontation so leaves everyone to their own thing but will offer advice if you ask.

The only time things every got fussy was when one plot holder accidentally emptied the main well with a petrol powered pump. It refilled in a few days and you've just got to laugh these things off and put down to experience.

The rules are so lax I asked if I could shoot rabbits with an air gun. I was told as its council owned land the stock answer is definitely not. But I was then advised that if it could be deemed a pest control action (nudge nudge wink wink!) and nobody found out or nobody complained it wouldn't matter... Brilliant common sense rules which is how it should be.

[greenlung]

How can you not walk past his shed to get water ? Is there another way or are you not supposed to water your plot.

The guy's a nutter : He had a go at me last year, then apologized, weeks later, saying that he'd been 'out of order'. Unfortunately, the 'out of order' sign's up again ! Don't think he's been taking his medication.

The water trough is directly next to his shed, so there's no other way, unless I use a very long straw - or would that constitute a hosepipe ?

After being woken up by my neighbours at 5.30 this morning, I went up the plot and completely emptied the water trough onto my plot. (It'll fill up again, once the tap's turned on)

[greenlung]

If Mr Dude won't allow you to walk past his plot, are you permitted to walk through it instead?

He's erected loads of barricades, water butts, dustbins and the like, to make life as difficult as possible for everyone else. Can't believe the council won't chuck him off. Perhaps this is what 'care in the community' is all about - dealing with nutters like this, who have fairly serious 'issues'. I wish I could have dealt with him without losing my temper, but the bloke's such an arse.

My dear Mum told me not to annoy him, in case he stabs me : Our allotment rep was murdered by a schizophrenic last year and there are some dangerous people about here.

[Herbgardener]

Bite the bullet and complain to the allotment rep about possible H&S issues (trip hazzareds etc) at the site due to the actions of this fellow, that should get some response !

[Pete Mac]

I had some guy kept having a crap in a plastic bag and using my allotment as a dumping ground. He wasn't very clever because it always landed in the same place and you could work out the direction it was being thrown from. The allotment opposite mine has its door directly in the line of fire so he became my number one suspect. I asked around and quite a few people had various suspicions about him. Stolen show onions being one. The next time it happened I took it round and hung it on the door handle of his gate for him to find the next day. I followed this with periods of stareing intently in his directing whilst holding a two foot crow bar over my shoulder. Worked so far.

[Pete Mac]

Sorry forgot to add list of rules to my post

No fires
lock the main after you after you
No voilence

Everybody ignores them

[Shortie]

No permanent erections.

Ummmm I won't repeat what went through my mind when I read that

Our rules very few and very bendable. But all of them I can see why they are in place:

No fires if the wind will blow the smoke over the nearby houses (we have a flag pole that shows easily which way the wind is blowing so you can use your noodle before you start it up)
No bee hives if you speak to the Treasurer, but you can have them if you speak to her husband
No more that 5 people at you plot (ha ha ha haaaa chance'd be a fine thing unless I put a BBQ on!)
Lock the pedestrian/car gate after you
No parking on the paths, dedicate some of your plot if you want to park nearby
No reproducing keys - replacements have to be bought through the Treasurer