Define 'Working the Plot'

[Pa Snip]

My humour can be bad

Peter,
join the club

You realise you have now implanted that mental image in various minds up and down the country.

Do we have to wait until harvest is over to clear it.

[Geoff]

Thank goodness you haven't got a borehole on your allotment, when I was looking to install ours the spellchecker wanted to change it to brothel.

[robo]

I think I will have a word with the mayor sounds a better idea than doing a Sun or rain dance , councillors are renowned to do anything for the promise of a vote

[peter]

Some spellcheckers base their changes on their users previous word usage.

Geoff?

Robo see you at Chapel.

[Pa Snip]

Thank goodness you haven't got a borehole on your allotment, when I was looking to install ours the spellchecker wanted to change it to brothel.

Treading very carefully on potential eggshells Pa Snip says
'By possible definition I can see how spellchecker might make that change'

[Catherine]

We are having terrible problems with our allotments but I am loath to put anything on here in writing as I fear a backlash. If only I could. I did write some time ago that I was thinking of giving up after 15 years because of all the problems. I am still considering it. There is no use going to the powers that be, they aren't interested, just want to take the money.

[Pa Snip]

oh dear Catherine, that really is sad news.

It is a shame when politics and personalities of a site take over from plot holders enjoyment and satisfaction.

Sounds as if you are on a hiding to nothing, your being fearful of a backlash is alarming to say the least but a very understandable fear.
I speak my mind in such circumstances and have been the subject of a complaint to the council by one individual.

Councils reaction to that complaint, they did nothing as they had previously had more than one complaint about the complainant behaving as if he was site manager

Hope you don't give up. No other sites available in area ? or waiting list too long perhaps.

[Catherine]

There is an allotment within driving distance but they, supposedly, have a waiting list. It is only a small allotment area but each plot is quite large. There is one which is just grassed over and no one is working it, but when I enquired about it I was told that that particular plot had been held for many years by the same chap and he didn't want to give it up. All the others are worked.

It is a shame that I can't say how I feel. It just isn't worth it, or at least my OH thinks I should bite my tongue. (not something I am used to doing)!!! Keep my head down (that neither) and just get on with it.
We will see what happens next year.

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Catherine, circumstances do change, so hopefully next year might be a lot better. It would be such a shame if you give up something you enjoy, because of a selfish few.

You did make me smile about your OH's thoughts.

[Catherine]

OH mmmm not sure it makes my OH smile at times (despair) but I know what you mean.

[Pa Snip]

oh my, once again it appears that the plot holder that started this whole subject off is becoming a farce.

I am given to understand that as a result of myself and another person making a complaint to the council the offending plot holder was sent a letter of "non-cultivation"

The result of that is he has been seen on plot once since then and has maintained his reputation as a 'bitser'
Bitser dug here and bitser dug there. Some brambles have been cut back and left spread all over the ground to rot.

I await council managers next visit with interest, have a feeling I know what his interpretation on it will now be. My prediction is the council site manager will say "He is working the plot"

Its a joke, I am so tempted to post a picture.

[FredFromOssett]

You may be interested in the following extracts from the official Allotment Handbook of our local council:

From Allotment Handbook

You must use 60% of your plot for growing vegetables and fruit
All plots are inspected at least once a year.

It is a requirement of your tenancy agreement that you keep your plot in a good state of cultivation. This means that you must use your plot to grow mostly vegetables and fruit on an annual basis.

Allotment sites are inspected at least once a year and if your plot is not well maintained you will be given warnings and may be asked to give up your tenancy. It is therefore important that you develop a regular cultivation routine. You are required to maintain visibility into your plot or allow access for inspections to occur. Although you are given time to cultivate a new plot Wakefield Council will want to see continual progress towards full cultivation. Otherwise you will receive a letter for non cultivation.

After 3 months we would expect to see parts of the plot cleared and dug over. After 6 months we would expect to see some crops in place (depending on the time of year) and the plot substantially dug, or uncultivated areas covered with weed fabric. By the end of the first year of your tenancy we would expect to see the plot in a good state of cultivation. If you have difficulty achieving this please make contact with us.

If you are given a letter for noncultivation you will be allowed 14 days to make significant improvements. If you fail to do so you will be sent a further letter. Following a second warning, if there is no progress we will ask you to give up your tenancy. If you receive two letters for non cultivation within two years you may be asked to reduce the size of your plot to a more manageable half size plot. Alternatively a tenant may request that their plot be divided to form another plot that can be offered to the waiting list.

Just how rigorously the council enforce the policy I don't know as we have not had any real problems for the last 15 years. In this time, any plot holder who has struggled with cultivation has voluntarily either given up tenancy totally or reduced plot size.

We probably have a fairly unique site in that the whole site is only 20 poles; currently 1 plot of 10 poles and 2 at 5 poles each. This, perhaps, makes liaising with (potentially) struggling tenants rather easier than on a larger site.

[Pa Snip]

Fred

Thanks, that is really interesting and useful information. Exactly the sort of thing I am looking for.

Really helpful to know what rules are applied in other parts of the UK.

[Stephen]

I read this thread and wondered what the rules were here. I remember reading through them when I took the plot on in 2006. I can not find them.
There certainly is a rule about keeping the plot in good.order but if I remember correctly it's phrased quite vaguely.
In the end these are always judgement calls and subject to discretion.

[Pa Snip]

There certainly is a rule about keeping the plot in good.order but if I remember correctly it's phrased quite vaguely.
In the end these are always judgement calls and subject to discretion.

It is a judgement call Stephen, not many, if any, go round actually measuring the area cultivated

However when you have at least 3, maybe more, plot holders all complaining about the same plot it should aid your judgement I would have thought.