[Q]

All this waiting list stuff is interesting..

I was on a waiting list for 6 years for my first plot and ended up getting another plot in the next village quite quickly.
I left my name on the list to get a closer to home plot.    Anyway I was a bit suspicious of a few new plot holders but just assumed there was a long list.
I decided to kick up a bit saying that i had been on the list a long time and where was i on the list and miraculously I was the VERY next one.  I got a plot within a few weeks.

Having seen the way plots are let at my current site it is not straight ( forward ) at all..
 
You cant have a plot if you are not on the list unless you can.
You cant jump up the list unless you can. 
You cant be shown a vacant plot if its untidy unless you can.
You cant leave an oversized shed on your new plot unless you can.
Current policy states you can only have a 5 pole plot unless it doesnt

It goes on..

Anyone remember Mrs 40 metres from my other thread?

[Fleecewife]

In a thread in 'Crafts' we have been discussing growing flax and today there is a report on the News of a small group of people in Blackburn who are growing flax on waste ground to make local linen, as an alternative to importing cheap, oil-based fabrics and cotton (very unsustainable) clothing from overseas, with large carbon footprints.
I'm wondering how the allotment committees would look upon flax being grown on plots - it looks really scruffy when it's growing, especially so when it's developing its seeds.

[Steph Hen]

Had family take on a friend to help out with their plot, when they decided to pack it in and move they requested the plot went to the guy who’d been sharing with them as otherwise he’d have gone back to the bottom of the waiting list. Heard of this sort of thing happening several times, doesn’t help the people patiently waiting on the list. It’s a shame there can’t be an extra couple of plots subdivided so that new entrants could at least start with something, a few beds, maybe help out others with unruly plots while waiting to get theirs properly. Then they’d get a better idea of what was expected and the community of it.

Im in a group trying to establish a Community Supported Agriculture group in Brechin. It’ll hopefully allow everyone who’s interested an opportunity to come and grow some food. I’ll report back once it’s up and running!

[Fleecewife]

I'll look forward to hearing how that goes Steph 

[macgro7]

It’s a shame there can’t be an extra couple of plots subdivided so that new entrants could at least start with something, a few beds, maybe help out others with unruly plots while waiting to get theirs properly. Then they’d get a better idea of what was expected and the community of it.

Exactly! I spoke to some neighbours who were discouraged as they only wanted a tiny plot to grow some veg and flower with the kids - the whole plot was way to large for them to manage - they could have divided it into 2 or 3 smaller plots for people who prefer that

[cloddopper]

Allotments were everywhere after the 2 world wars, but then growing food fell out of fashion and many allotment sites were sold off to housing developers.  Now many more people are desperately wanting an allotment but the waiting lists are several years long because of the dearth of sites.  For example in South Lanarkshire where I live there are only 5 sites in what is a large county, with mostly about 60 or 70 plots per site. In my local town of Biggar there are no allotments. There was an effort a few years ago to start a private site, but it fell through.
In the current climate of interest in Climate Change, sustainability, food security, ending food poverty, healthy eating, mental health etc growing your own food is rapidly rising in urgency and importance.  Given that most people live in cities or towns and many have no or only small gardens, the provision of allotments for growing food for a small rent would seem to be of prime importance.
I'm wondering what actions I could start to help local people get their allotment site, and if those people would actually be interested.
Before we bought our smallholding 26 years ago, we had two allotments in Edinburgh. I grew nearly all the food we needed for a family of four, excluding animal protein. Those allotments were central to our wellbeing and although we had a garden at home, the soil was so thin that veggie growing was impossible.


What experience do you have of allotments and, bearing in mind what I've written above, how important do you think it is for everyone to have ready access to soil for food production?

 I've been driven to distraction several time when other alotmenteers have sprayed Round Up on windy day , killing a large part of my allotment produce ,  one burnt his whole new to him allotment full of of council cut  dry as a bone grass , he also burnt my allotment shed , rotovator tools wellies, boots and rain ware  & badly scorched  or killed most of my crops I've also had had thieves steal tools and produce

 I ended up using a widowed  OAP's back garden ,  but as it was on a council estate when he died the property was taken back by the council .

 Some folk have managed to convince their local councils to allow them to set up forty or so 4x4 foot 36 inch high raised bed square gardens .. in public places  three or four beds per person  should see you able to grow a lot of food if you can keep the thieves off it . .
.

[cloddopper]

Re growing for commercial or charity purposes .

Most allotment / council committees don't allow it it due to legal implications of breaking the planning consents in England & Wales .. In Scotland it might be different .

[Fleecewife]

Same here - we definitely were not allowed to sell any of our produce at all, nor were we allowed to keep hens, pigeons, rabbits or any other animals. Dogs were OK if you kept them on your own allotment.  We were not allowed to grow flowers though, except a single line along the front of the plot.


The problem with those squares of raised beds is that in some areas they are planted up specifically for sharing with anyone passing - 'help yourself to herbs/salad leaves/tomatoes' - so thieves might not necessarily know they're thieving. Just after we left our old allotments they erected high, strong fencing all around, industrial stuff, designed to keep the casual thief out.  I've no idea if it worked or not or if it served as a temptation.  When I was there, we planted 3 times what we wanted to crop - one for the birds and rabbits, one for us and one for the tealeaves.  That worked well. In fact thievery wasn't too bad, and if you got your stuff nicked then someone would have surplus to share.  I think it depends very much on the site and if there are people working there most of the day, or not.
Same with Round-up.  People did have some horrible concoctions in their sheds but we weren't allowed to spray.  I had more damage caused to my smallholding by a careless neighbour spraying weedkiiler on his grazing than ever at the allotments.
Anyway I think there is still total apathy in my local area for allotments, unless it's as I wondered, that they all have gardens being a country area.