Fallow fields

It's that time of year again. After the clocks go back and the cold starts to bite, when the allotment holders who were with us throughout the year suddenly disappear. Like migrating birds, they vanish, and although they will appear again in March, it will only be for a few days, maybe only a single Sunday morning, as they survey what six months of neglect has done to their patch, and then they are gone for good.

What can we do about this?

Diehard allotmenteers can't understand what causes this failure, as winter veg is just as tasty and cheap as summer stuff, but it's something, I think, to do with the dark - once people realise they are leaving their allotment at dusk, they feel their winter hours are better spent elsewhere.

Community allotments are one answer - if there is a gang of you working together, it's a lot more fun.

Changing the way the clock goes back is another answer - and one that's being seriously considered in parliament.

Solar lighting is a third possibility and it's being tested in some allotment sites this year ...



Allotment photograph by Indigo Goat, used under a creative commons attribution licence

Labels: allotment-appearance, allotment-news