Allotment news roundup

Norwich girls Jazmine Malin and Hayley Massingham, have taken on an allotment! The two 12-year-olds are planting up the 12 metre square patch of earth as their entry for a competition being run by the Partners Against Crime Taskforce. The competition, called Wham, encourages teams to make a real difference to the area where they live by building better community relations and improving the local environment. The entry which judges feel has had the biggest impact will win a foreign holiday. Both Jazmine and Hayley hope that not only will pupils from local schools get involved but people from the local area will come along and help out, thus encouraging the old and young to build bridges and get to know one another better.

But before the girls can start to reap the fruits of their labour there is a lot of work to be done. The ground must be cleared and well dug. They are inviting as many people as possible down to the allotment on Sunday for a day of digging to give things a kick start. Hayley Staniforth, the extended school coordinator for Cromer, who helps form partnerships between the community and local schools, is helping the girls with their project. To get involved, or help out on Sunday's dig, call her on 07867 572153.

On the downside of allotment life, a group in Gildersome, Morley have hit out at vandals who burnt their clubhouse to the ground. Tony Eastwood, secretary of Gelderd Road Allotments, said they were disgusted by the arson attack at the beginning of May. The fire service was called but were too late for the shed and everything it contained. Mr Eastwood said, ‘They call us the last of the summer wine gang, there are six of us, all pensioners who like to get away from it all and do a bit of digging, and get out from under the feet of our wives. The shed was where we could go when it rained or to have a cup of coffee in the morning and have a chat.’ He said that to replace the shed would cost them £800, far more than any of them can afford.

Labels: allotment-news

Allotment News

Husband and wife Sam and Sam Clark - owners of restaurant Moro - reveal recipes in their latest cookbook Moro East that are ideal for allotment holders. Recipes in the book were influenced by their Turkish, Turkish Cypriot and Kurdish allotment neighbours, although sadly, their Hackney allotments were one of the sites bulldozed to make way for London Olympics. For example, how about gathering chickweed, poppy shoots and dandelion leaves, chopping them together, frying them with garlic and sliding them into a pitta bread – what a wonderful way to deal with weeds! Another suggestion is that when you have to trim artichoke plants, you can take the new leaves, peel them and fry them, apparently they taste like artichoke but look like a stick of celery. The Clarks hope the book will encourage people to grow and eat their own.

The fire service was called out to help a man who trapped his own leg in a rotavator in Harlow yesterday – apparently he was working on his allotment when his leg became stuck in the mechanical digging machine shortly before midday. The fire crews tried to free the man for an hour before using hand tools to release him and give him over to the care of the ambulance service.

And in Basingstoke, a storm is brewing. The Longcroft allotments, presently in The Lines, are being slated to be moved to a currently uncultivated plot, to free up the land for about 25 ‘affordable homes’. But local councillors expect a wave angry locals to object. The head of the newly-formed Kingsclere Allotment Holders Group, said, ‘We are fighting this like mad, and lots of people have become involved. The allotments and the playground next to it are outside the Basingstoke and Deane Settlement Boundary Plan, so in order to develop the site, they have to apply for a rural exemption.’

Labels: allotment recipes, allotment-news

Allotment news

The good … gardeners are celebrating after council chiefs abandoned plans to sell their allotment sites. At the Redbridge Council cabinet meeting on Monday, chief executive Roger Hampson backed the launch of the "big conversation" which will be the largest public consultation Redbridge has ever seen. The public will be asked what services and improvements they want and how they can be funded. The results will then be discussed by the newly-elected corporate panel. The announcement follows an outcry at plans to raise £25 million from selling four allotment sites.

The bad … intimidation is forcing allotment holders off their plot in the Wirral. At the Thornton allotments site in Bidston, the problem has become so severe almost half the gardeners have abandoned their allotments because of vandalism. In a recent incident a teenager ran up to the site fence and hurled abuse at the four women working on their plots. It is said that the worst possible language was used by the offender who was clearly trying to intimidate the allotmenteers. Since June last year, seven plot-holders – almost half the total – have given up their plots because property and crops have been destroyed by mindless vandalism. Wirral has 41 allotment sites containing nearly 1,700 plots, with 92% of them let, and many suffer from vandalism. There are fears the Thornton site may close because vandalism stops people taking up plots there, despite an allotment waiting list in Wirral of more than 500 families.

Labels: allotment-building, allotment-news, allotment-vandalism

Allotment News

Pensioners and allotment holders took part in a defiant demonstration at a Grade II-listed pigeon loft on Tuesday, as they prepared for bailiffs to turn up. The loft, called a cree, is on an allotment site in Ryhope, near Sunderland, and it’s under threat from developers despite being given grade II listed status by English Heritage in 1998. The problem has arisen because the cree is on land whose lease ran out at Midnight on New Year’s Eve. The landowner, Worktalent Ltd, wants to evict the allotment holders, tear down the pigeon loft and redevelop the site but the cree’s owner, 75-year-old Maurice Surtees, and 21 other allotment holders have vowed to save the loft and the surrounding land. Their efforts are supported by local campaign groups and MPs. The allotment holders were offered a £250,000 compensation package to move out, but turned it down unanimously.

Banwell resident demanding their legal right to allotments from Banwell Parish Council are still waiting for a decision. At a meeting before Christmas, villagers said they wanted the parish council to identify a site and while the council is looking at three proposals, the council's chairman Cllr David Elsey, said it needs further legal advice from North Somerset Council and needs to identify land and costs before any decision can be taken.

Picture of a mobile pigeon loft by Jon's pics!

Labels: allotment-creation, allotment-eviction, allotment-news

So what did you get?

I didn’t find a shredder in my Christmas stocking, sadly. Nor did I get a tree house. But I did get:

A heritage seed collection with twelve varieties including purple and yellow climbing beans, sweet peppers, tomatoes, carrots and what they call tatsoi but I call rosette bok choy and which I ate when I was in china – very tasty. The pack came from www.realseeds.co.uk whom I’ve never purchased from myself, so I hope they’re as good as my usual heritage seed suppliers, Chiltern seeds at www.chilternseeds.co.uk/

Some plasticised sweet pea rings, so there’s no excuse for me not growing sweet peas as good as Ron’s!

And I’ve got some wonderful sweet pea seeds on order: Queen of the Isles, which is red and white striped and has a very good fragrance and Black Knight, which is solid maroon and has a gorgeous scent too.

And my sympathies go out to gardeners on plots near Jubilee Road and Dunraven Business Park, Bridgend, Wales, who are unable to eat their Christmas Brussels Sprouts and parsnips as a “precautionary measure” while the soil on their allotment site undergoes tests for contamination, following the discovery, way back in August that two plots, relocated from the ASDA store site on Coychurch Road, contained polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Allotment holders were told a report was due before Christmas with a risk assessment to be completed in January – but it seems it hasn’t turned up so far.

Labels: allotment-christmas, allotment-gifts, allotment-news, allotment-sweet-peas

Allotments in the News

Cableform Allotments Association has received a cash grant in the latest Lottery Awards for All funding. The grant is specifically to clear a piece of derelict land next to the allotment site in Sowerby Bridge site and turn it into ten new plots. The Allotments Association has been give permission to take over the land by the people who own it, but at present it is covered in Japanese knotweed which is very difficult to remove because it must be cleared by experts and disposed of in a way that allows no risk of the plant propagating itself, for example through composting or being dumped elsewhere. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offence ‘to plant or otherwise encourage’ the growth of Japanese Knotweed. This could include cutting the plant or roots and disturbing surrounding soil if not correctly managed. – which means that Japanese Knotweed polluted soil or plant material is classed as 'controlled waste' and should be accompanied by appropriate Waste Transfer documentation. The association is discussing a further sum with Calderdale Council, which could be between £500 and £4,000, to complete the job by covering the ground with new topsoil.

A disabled woman was locked into an allotment site in Calne, Wiltshire for several hours one evening this week after builders added an extra lock to gates to safeguard their materials. Builders creating new playing fields are using land at the allotments to store their machinery and installed a combination lock to safeguard their equipment.

The woman was trapped in the allotment until 9pm and was only rescued after a passer-by heard her shouting for help. The 58-year-old victim described the situation as terrifying. She wasn’t able to climb the fence and it was fully dark by the time she was freed. She said that there had never been a problem with the council locks but the new builder's locks made it impossible to get in or out of the allotment.

Labels: allotment-finance, allotment-news, allotment-weeding

Allotments in the News

Fire crews in Hartlepool managed to prevent a potentially massive explosion on an allotment site where a shed was set on fire by arsonists in a long running series of fires. In the latest incident, on Saturday, firemen had to tackle flames in a shed at Thornhill Allotments in Hartlepool. By swiftly cooling down gas cylinders that were stored inside the shed the explosion was averted. Now, fire chiefs want to make a more general warning about the dangers of keeping gas cylinders on allotments even though they are used for gas heaters in sheds. The problem is bad enough if there is one cylinder, but where people have stockpiled three or four of them, they can act as missiles, projecting themselves through the wooden walls at great speed. Fire crew manager Paul Bellerby said: 'This is one of the hazards we face when we attend these incidents'.


THE first allotment site to be built in York since 1918 has won an O2 It's Your Community Award. There is a waiting list of more than ten years for some allotment sites in York, so, in Wheldrake, the village inhabitants have taken matters into their own hands and are establishing a self-managed, sustainable allotment site. Council approval and support has been won for fifty-nine new plots, one of which is to be used by the village school. The £1,000 cheque was granted in recognition of the hard work that has allowed residents to create a community-focused site and the money allows residents to start essential work – putting up rabbit proof fencing in time for spring planting.

Labels: allotment-news

Allotments in the news

Halifax allotment holders are reeling, after burglars struck twice in a week, stealing tools and smashing up plots across their site. Eighteen plots on the Cableform allotments, off Albert Road, Sowerby Bridge, were targeted twice in three days by thieves, who smashed through doors and windows, making off with anything they could lay their hands on. Plot holders have lost power tools and gardening implements and fear the cost of the damage could rise to hundreds of pounds.

It’s possible that the new Bridgend Asda development will be halted until problems over contaminated allotments are solved. Bridgend Town councillors are angry the situation remained unresolved two months after tests showed soil on two plots contained polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Asda had committed to having the allotments relocated and usable before work on the store began. Councillor Eileen McIlveen said, “We want them on there doing samples to prove something one way or another. The deadline has passed. Have they been told to stop building? Because they should have been.” Councillors also decided to refund all the affected allotment-holders their rent for the year as the plot holders have been unable to eat their produce since August, when soil testing began. “It’s pitiful to see what is going to waste,” said the council’s clerk, Carol James. “Morally, I think we need to refund their plots.”

A Scottish project aimed at encouraging families to take up gardening is set to expand its drop-in service. Organisers of the Bridgend Community Allotment health scheme in Craigmillar will increase the days its drop-in service is available from two to five in spring 2008. Evening and weekend sessions will be provided, specifically aimed at families. The initiative is the first partnership scheme between NHS Lothian and the city council's parks unit.

Labels: allotment-news

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

More allotment news

Just to show that I'm not partisan, good news from the other end of the country.

The Wintles is one of Britain's newest housing schemes - in Shropshire. It has put allotments and a village green at the core of its design, to try and encourage neighbourliness and an environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

The green hosts a midsummer's night picnic, a petanque contest in July, and a Christmas morning drinks party around a communal Christmas tree. Because there are no cars around the green, children can play there safely, people take out their babies and the adults chat encouraging cross-generation relationships.

The Wintles are a development of around forty homes, built with local materials and positioned so they face each other around the green. The houses are all fitted with solar panels, have triple-glazing, wood-burning stoves, under-floor heating and LPG gas boilers. But Bob Tomlinson, who runs the Living Villages company behind the development, says the village green might be the best eco-friendly feature of the lot.

"A substantial amount of the green is given over to allotment space so people grow their own food. That means they don't travel for their food but end up with high-quality, low-cost produce. That does more for the environment than many of the high-tech gadgets we're concerned about these days," he says.

It's a similar story at many new developments these days, where eco-minded developers are creating village greens, allotments and even woodlands in the heart of their housing schemes. More than a hundred have been created in England alone in the past decade, says the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Labels: allotment-news

Whoo and hoo – this is great news!

It’s trumpet blowing time in Brighton and Hove where The Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project has been voted the best community allotment project in the UK.

The award was given by the Kitchen Garden Magazine in conjunction with the National Allotment Gardens Trust.

Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project is a community food project based on 8 allotment plots in Brighton. The project offers horticultural, educational and social opportunities. But these aren’t your run of the mill allotments.

Along with plots growing organic fruit and vegetables there are wildlife areas with a pond full of newts and frogs, a treehouse/outdoor classroom being built by youth offenders and pupils from the Alternative Centre for Education; a polytunnel, compost loo, firepit and a children’s space including a wattle and daub wendy house. There’s also a forest garden, which recreates the different layers of a forest from tall fruit trees to fruit bushes and herbs.

Kitchen Gardener editor Steve Ott said: “This is a wonderful project, working with some of the areas most disadvantaged and troubled youngsters to give them the chance to get their hands into the soil, grow and taste their own fresh vegetables, and just to have a positive environment in which to interact.”

Warren Carter of MFG said “For many pupils and youth offenders school has failed them. We just try and find the skills they are good at and give them confidence and self belief. We offer an alternative curriculum, teaching not just gardening but building and carpentry skills, woodland management and cooking skills. The allotments are also a great place for a wide range of people who would never usually mix to socialise around a fire and cup of tea, becoming part of the social glue that binds communities together.”

To find out more about the work of the garden go to www.seedybusiness.org



MFG photograph by Simon Tobbit used under a creative commons attribution licence

Labels: allotment-appearance, allotment-news, allotment-open-day

Allotments in the News

So it was National Allotments week 13 to 19 August. Did you notice? I’ve got to say, I didn’t. Didn’t hear a thing about it, until it was all over and somebody emailed me to ask why I hadn’t mentioned it on the blog, and the answer is simple – I didn’t know! I think there’s a communication gap somewhere …

In other news:

Gardeners who want to grow their own vegetables are being forced to accept allotments a quarter of the normal size because of a surge in popularity. Rising interest has led councils to divide land set aside for plots into patches measuring 75 sq yards in an attempt to reduce spiralling waiting lists.

Local authorities are under growing pressure to ensure they meet statutory obligations to provide 15 allotments per 1,000 households. Strict rules also mean that no more than six people are allowed to be waiting for a plot at any one time. But there are fears that smaller allotments could create tension because growers will be crammed together.

I can see both sides - on the one hand, a whole allotment is a big commitment unless you are already an avid vegetable gardener or retired. On the other hand, tiny plots soon become restrictive and frustrating, and not being able to rotate crops properly will lead to more diseased soil and transfer of disease and pests. Whichever way a council jumps, the growing desire for allotments is surely a healthy sign?

And in Edinburgh, residents hoping for plots at some of the city's allotments face a wait of up to seven years. Local gardeners are calling for the city council to provide more sites after a new study revealed the waiting list has topped 1000 – in a city which has only 1400 plots!

Labels: allotment-building, allotment-news

Negotiating with your neighbours

My own allotment site was in our local newspaper last week. An article that detailed how the waiting list for allotments has been closed, because there are too many people on it already, but many plots (nearby tenants say) that are supposedly in cultivation are actually abandoned and unkempt. The argument is twofold:

1 – people who want allotments can’t get them because others who aren’t using them have blocked their access

2 – untidy and weed covered allotments make work harder for neighbouring plot holders who have to remove seeded weeds that blow or creep over the boundaries.

There is another side to this though; it’s not always easy to find allotment time – for example I haven’t actually got down to my site for nearly a week, which is daft at this time of year, but work and other commitments have just got in the way! Extra work or losing your job, illness, pregnancy, the dog having puppies or whatever … almost anything can derail the plans of even the most determined allotmenteer – especially if that allotment holder is relying on public transport, because even a twisted ankle can really put a spanner in the ‘travelling to the allotment’ works. So, if an allotment holder continues to pay the rent, the local council will tend to give them the benefit of the doubt, and quite often, after a few months of difficulty, the allotment holder will be able to return to their plot, and to the healthy exercise, satisfaction and nutritional rewards of growing their own.

So when a plot looks like this, and the neighbours get annoyed, there’s a complicated negotiation to be gone through between the allotment holder, the allotment officer, and the local council, to try and get things on the optimum course … and sometimes it takes longer than anybody expected (a bit like gardening really!)

Labels: allotment-crops, allotment-eviction, allotment-news