Would you halve your plot size to reduce waiting lists?

[frantic furball]

I already share a plot with my sister so that's 2 families using 1 plot. My neighbour decided to share only to find that after the initial enthusiasm wore off the other person disappeared and only reappears for a couple of days in summer when the poor sharee (!) has spent most of the year weeding the whole plot, Chucks a few veg in and then leaves it again. I think they have both decided to give up now as I haven't seen either for months. On the site we have a, sadly, unused community plot that we're going to build raised beds on and offer one of those to the people on the list as a kind of taster before they take on a whole plot. A couple of the plot holders have also offered a patch on their plots for newcomers to have a go. It's how we started, with a patch on a friends plot and it was brilliant not only as we learned just how much work we were letting ourselves in for but she was there for advice so I think it is a good way forward. They are already splitting plots on our site and the waiting list will be cleared when they are ready - fo now at least

[Jono]

Glad I'm not the only selfish one lol.

I agree with the sentiments about working hard on your plot and not wanting to hand that over to someone else.

I think its also incredible how attached we become to them. My other half and I were considering moving a few months back, and leaving the allotment was one of the things I was most upset about!

[Two_Sheds]

I did share my plot for a year, because I was in the middle of moving house, and wanted to keep the lotty going while waiting for a plot near my new home, but didn't have the time to be up there every week.
I asked a neighbour if he was interested in sharing, he said yes, ideal I thought.

However, I watched as he let it slide; he didn't do any weeding; those weeds seeded themselves onto my half. He also totally redesigned his half (fair enough, not everyone likes wibbly wobbly paths). I also found I didn't really want to stop work to chat, so I avoided going up there when he was around.

I guess I was a bit too proprietorial about it, after all my hard work. I gave up the plot at the end of that year to move to my present one.

[lottielady]

This is an interesting question I personally would not want to give up half my plot. On our site we keep the waiting list and offer to the top as plots become available, we also have a second list for existing members who would like extra space, I try and match this as it becomes available. We have had situations in the past whereby new people have been given a split plot and quickly found it is not enough. I have one tenant who was offered 56 sq m which he quickly outgrew. We also carry out plot inspections at least twice a year and approach tenants who look like they might be struggling this approach has resulted in people voluntarily giving up it just serves to focus their minds. Some of our older members do have larger plots and as a committee we took the view that they took them on when the site was nearly derelict and so we would not ask them to give up their space. Whilst plot sizes could be made smaller to accommodate all those that want to grow surely local authorities should be providing extra space not just carving up what is already there into smaller parcels

[jogette]

Our site now only ever lets out half plots - the plots are in fairly good or even exceptional order when let.
It's so disheartening to see the new tenants let it go after the dream of growing organic veg becomes a reality of hard work and time needed on the plot.
We've found that if the plotholder works and also has family commitments,then it's really only possible for them to manage a half size plot.

[green thing]

I have one of these small plot 6mx12m can't grow enough veg on it to feed a family of four
waste of time,
hope they don't cut mine in half
By the time you get your shed and water butts and narrow path to walk along plot there is very little space left to grow on
I would like a greenhouse but have no room left
I've asked if I could put the greenhouse the path next to my plot but have been told I can't
So I'm thinking of asking them if i can put the greenhouse on top of my shed just to be awkward

Some plot holders have a huge 160m2 and are using less than 20% of the space and are still not happy with the size of there plots they have decking lawns one or two raised beds grow six lettuce a 2 carrots a year

All the keen people on our site seem to have the smallest plots stuffed full but use them to full advantage

I would like to see the councils getting tougher on plot holder who don't make FULL use there plots
the only way to do this is give the councils an incentive by making money from the lazy people who don't use there plots

Charge a large deposit of £350 of which £100 is refunded each year over 3 years leaving £50 deposit
if you get a 2 cultivation notice you lose the your deposit and plot

Give one notice in the first six months to the lazy plot holders with a option to get the full deposit back if they give up the plot or they will lose all of deposit and plot if you get another cultivation notice
this will
1 give a quick turn around on the waiting list
2 weed out the lazy plot holders
3 give the councils an incentive to make money
4 only the keen will fork out £350 deposit

councils should allocate allotments size based on your needs

making plots so small will only have one effect eroded the purpose of the allotment
which is to feed your family
give the councils an excuse to charge more for smaller plots (I pay £38.00)

we have a large number of plots which are not used but rent is being paid
the councils don't care if the plots are being used or not as long as they get the rent

And all the time the keen people are stuck on the waiting list for years and years
whilst the lazy ones just keep hanging onto there plots preventing other from getting decent sized
plot. Don't use it . lose it ...... simple

[binley100]

At our last AGM we voted to have it put into the rules that at least 75% of the plot has to be cultivated and that does not include a lawn or , wild flowers .........If people can't manage that then they can move to a smaller plot or give up half ( If it's a full sized one ) This is now in effect so we'll see what happens.........

[Sonata]

We're just on the verge of getting a site and it's a small one, so we're only offering half and quarter sized plots. There won't even be room for sheds, I don't think.

If I were to struggle with it all, I'd try and get a friend to share the workload to start with.

[SarzWix]

I can see your point green thing, but 'only the keen will fork out £350' I think you're mistaking 'keen' with 'wealthy' there!! There's NO WAY I, or many other people, could find that sort of money, even with a promise of eventually getting it back!

[Currysniffa]

My plots are to small to give any space up on them, I have 2 small half plots and one of them is going to get even smaller when the greenhouse and the shed go's up.

I wouldn't mind if someone wanted to come and help weed and water them any takers

[postie_bear]

No I wouldn't, i know it sounds harsh.

I was on the waitin list for ages, I finally decided to attend the parish council meeting as they were discussing allotments.

One plot was mentioned that they were having trouble letting as it was called the wilderness and no one wanted it, I mentioned that i was interested and that i was number 15 on the list. they consulted the list and confirmed that they were going to call me in the morning,

I said i would take it, but they advised me to look at it first as it was on a bad way, (it was also the begining of june and the groumd was solid)

I looked at it the next day and it was indeed bad, 6ft high weeds and it was indeed a wilderness, i thought gotta start somewhere, so hired a rotavator for the weekend.

I got a strimmer and strimmed, then i rotavated it. Ithen dug up a mountain of weed roots and visited a garden centre andbrought loads of veg plants, as i wanted to use it.

The allotment manager was impressed and i immediantly put my name down for another plot as one wouldn't be big enough.

last year a half plot came up, again in very poor shape and again no-one wanted it, I was no. 25 now and took it on, within 6 months i had it virtually in shape and was growing things, but i really wanted another full plot nearer to my original plot. So i put my name down again for a full plot and let the council know that i would give up the half plot if one became available.

I was informed i was now no. 35 and there would be a long wait, in november the council repossesed(?) someones plot aas it had not been used in 2 years, about 3 weeks later i got a phone call would i be interested, and again it is in a bad shape, 6ft weeds again. I said yes straight away and started the ball rolling, I was informed i had a week to clear any produce i wanted to keep etc,

I replanted my brussells and leeks and harvested everything else and started work on my new plot,

a week later the new plot holder pulls me aside and asks if i was the original holder of the half plot that he has taken over.

He then demands to know where all the produce has gone, I replied i had transplanted it as they were mine and the rest has been frozen,he also wanted to know what i had done with my compost bins, so i said i had moved them onto my new plot.

he then calls the site manager and demands a refund as the only reason he took my plot is he thought he was also going to get my veg as well.

it later transpired he has been on the waiting list 6 years and he is waiting for a plot with all the veg growing on it so he can reap the rewards straight away.

Because of this i will never give up all my hard work unless i feel i cannot cope, as i'm 35 i feel i am going to have these for a long time.

PB

[buzzingtalk]

If I had an allotment, then I wouldn't.

I think they could work on waiting lists though - and this is no disrespect to anyone who is doing what I'm about to say - but surely people without acess to a garden of any sorts should be priorotised, or those without existing allotments? On this thread there is a lot of mention of people applying for a second plot, which I can understand completley why you'd do it! And there are also people who have gardens but choose to grow veg in a plot instead, fair enough but what about people who have none of these options?

I lived in London in flats my whole life with no garden at all, not even a balcony, and the waiting list was 80 years where I lived. A lot of the people on that list had gardens already, or maybe had another plot, so could be growing stuff but there are a lot of people with no access to growing at all and surely it would be more beneficial to give space to those without oppurtunity to do so? Obviously it is unfair to make people downsize as you have committed to that space already and invested money and time into it!

I now live in Nowich where the waiting lists are much more reasonable (3 years) and the sites are much more numerous so it looks like I may get an allotment in this lifetime afterall haha.

[Shadylane]

he then calls the site manager and demands a refund as the only reason he took my plot is he thought he was also going to get my veg as well.

it later transpired he has been on the waiting list 6 years and he is waiting for a plot with all the veg growing on it so he can reap the rewards straight away.

PB

Wow, that's just...I have no words.

and this is no disrespect to anyone who is doing what I'm about to say - but surely people without acess to a garden of any sorts should be priorotised, or those without existing allotments?
.

Trouble is, it's not as simple as that and it's pretty much unworkable. How do you define a garden suitable for growing stuff? Would it include even those with small gardens? What about those with little to no sun? Everyone has a right to be on the list whether they have a garden or not. I would think most sites now wouldn't allow someone to take on a second plot if they had a big waiting list. It's annoying and crap and needs sorting but it is what it is.

[Hans Mum]

Everyone has a right to be on the list whether they have a garden or not.

absolutely agree with this, and as to whether people with more than 1 plot should give them up am not sure I agree with this either, On our site there are a couple of people with 2 or 3 full sized plots, they took additional plots when allotmenting was not trendy or fashionable and if wasnt for the likes of these people our site would probably be under trendy flats now as they kept the site going when it was at its lowest point. So do they deserve to have their additional plots taken off them now not sure thats the right thing to do.

[becslb]

it later transpired he has been on the waiting list 6 years and he is waiting for a plot with all the veg growing on it so he can reap the rewards straight away.

PB

OMG!!!!!!! I cannot believe the cheek!!!!

Well done you for taking on wilderness plots though!

I have 2 landshare plots having grown in pots/raised beds at home. Our area does not have allotments (despite campaigns and waiting list) and I had been waiting about 6-7 years for somewhere bigger to grow most veg, my greenhouse is at home and I grow some fruit and salad stuff at home. I couldn't give up my plots now.. I use every bit of space.

With regards to paying a deposit - I wouldn't have a problem with that (not that I could afford £350 though!); I do think many on the waiting list are having "the dream" and not being realistic about the hardwork and time involved.