Allotment problems

It’s not always fun on the allotment. Last night was our AGM and while that was actually a lot of fun, and I ended up being elected to a post of authority (you can just call me Madam Secretary from now on!) there was a significant amount of frustration expressed about some of the nastier aspects of being an allotment holder, so I thought I’d be honest about the trials and tribulations that were expressed at the meeting. In reverse order:

At number 3: The problem of people who won’t lock gates – this is a perennial problem at least as persistent as bindweed, and it leads to strangers wandering around the site and getting lost (and sometimes, getting locked in!) petty theft and vandalism and a general feeling of insecurity about leaving tools and produce on the allotment site.

At number 2 in the annoyance stakes – people who neglect their plots. We can all succumb to a bit of weediness or neglect at times, but this particular problem is related to people who wait until they get a weed notice, then turn up and strim and rotovate the entire plot, then do nothing until they get another weed notice … why do they have an allotment if they don’t do anything with it, is the cry from their neighbouring plot-holders? Why indeed?

Number one in the ‘allotment problem’ category – at least in the minds of those who came to the meeting – were dogs! It seems we have two large black dogs that are allowed to roam free on the site. Nobody present knew if they came from a nearby house or belonged to a plot-holder, but they have been galloping around one section of the site, trampling overwintering onions and causing mayhem. Bad enough, but the idea of coming across two large black dogs in the dark as you leave your plot in the evening is quite scary, and for some of our less mobile members could be really frightening.

We take our dog to the allotment, but always on a lead and when he’s there he’s secured on a running line on our plot so that he can’t annoy anybody. It’s really unpleasant to think that all the hard work people put into growing crops can be destroyed by one thoughtless person and two boisterous dogs – it’s not the dogs’ fault, of course. Just wait until we locate the owner – there will be some very honest expressions of annoyance to be heard!

I wonder what problems other allotment holders experience – anybody care to share their woes?

Labels: allotment-dogs, allotment-problems, allotment-vandalism, allotment-weeds

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