How full is your allotment?

[Barry]

Having just moved to a new allotment site, I was slightly surprised to find that most of the plot holders believe that allotments are now in terminal decline, with the belief that nowadays most people want to buy vegetables from the supermarket. This is from a site which now has 12 of 80 plots occupied, with a further 40 given over to other activities. Most of the existing plot holders are in their 60s-80s and can remember a time when all 120 plots were taken and there was a waiting list to get one!!! The most significant thing is that the three other allotment sites on this side of town are all full with modest waiting lists and a lot of the plot holders are younger, there also being a larger proportion of women. From working with another allotment, I know from experience that if you can present cleared plots to potential plotholders, you can easily generate interest in the locality by leafleting local houses. Once you get new members, particularly women, they then tend to bring in yet further members, and it snowballs from there.
Question: are there any sites out there which are in terminal decline? If so, why? At my last site, we managed within 6 months to go from 50% uptake to full and waiting, just by clearing plots and advertising the fact. Have you tried that?

[peter]

Mine always has a waiting list.

But is has a public "strip-park" down one side that is a major walkway, so lots of peolpe ask for a plot there, whereas a site half a mile away surrounded by houses has no waiting list.

We have just evicted a 15 rod doer of nothing, so 13 rod of weeds and 2 rod occassionaly poked will be up as three plots. Another 15 rod doer of little gave up 10. Sadly two gents in declining health are each fiving up their 5's, a wise decision for each, but I am genuinely sad to see them go.

The vacated ten became 3,3,4 and boy oh boy are those newbies keen.

The biggest site in town has two empty plots of clay/sloe/bramble/swamp at the lowest point of the site that have not been cultivated for twenty plus years and that's it. Site agent is referring viewers to the other town sites now.

Decline, far from it.
Declineing ability of some of the older plot-holders, in some cases yes.
High turnover of newbies, can be, but I always explain about weeds and how they grow back, I'd rather put them off than have them give up, it is hard work if it's a weedy plot.

[Chantal]

Our site has had full occupancy for the past 12 months which is apparently the first time in over 30 years. We have a short waiting list of around 6 at any one time and do have a continuous turnover of some plots. As you say, some people just don't realise how much work it is.

We had one guy last year who spent several weeks clearing a plot, everything was weeded and dug over then planted up. Despite us all telling him that he'd need to come and hoe and weed on at least a weekly basis, he walked away from it and confidently returned a few months later to collect bags full of veg. When he found it was knee high in weeds he just gave up as he said he was "too disheartened". The veg was rubbish too as it was strangled by weeds and had no water during the heatwave. He was advised, just didn't believe us, and I fear he's not alone.

[Malk]

Our 109 plots (some half plots) are full and we have a waiting list of about 40 names. There is a regular turn over as people soon become disillusioned with all the work required to tame an abandoned plot at first, but there's always a few people who stick it out and become regulars.

[Jenny Green]

The plot I used to have was snapped up when I left and the site has full occupancy. Not sure about a waiting list. There are several 'youngsters' on the site (in their 30's and 40's) and a few women.
I don't think allotmenteering is in decline. I think people are increasingly distrustful of the quality of the food they buy and can't afford Organic so try to grow their own. Plus it's great exercise and a good way to meet like-minded people.
I think that you either have to be unknowledgeable, desperate or extremely keen to take on a neglected plot as it really is a lot of hard work to get them into shape, especially as nowadays people are less inclined to kill everything with weedkiller, even just as a first measure. So it's definitely a good idea to clear plots before advertising vacancies, and also to have a quiet word sharpish when people let their plots run down.

[Weed]

Likewise at the site I am on...we are technically full with a few waiting but two or three half plots allegedly taken are a mess.
I reckon that the new tenants having signed up are reluctant to face the test.
Incidentally a year ago 27% of the plots... 100 full plots some divided... were taken up by ladies and I believe that now that percentage is far higher.

I have to say some of the ladies are putting the men to shame

[oldherbaceous]

Well all our allotments are full at the moment, but that is hardly surprising since we have only ten plots on our site, but as you all can imagine they are very posh and quite elite plots.
You have to be someone special to get a plot, so i don't know how i managed to get one.

[Jenny Green]

I should think you used your boyish charm and charisma Herby!

[Weed]

It might have been what was in the brown paper envelope OH

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Jenny, i suppose you could be right.
It's a rare thing to have these days, beauty as well as intelligence, but you seem to have both,
And as for you Weed, how could you think such a thing.

[Jenny Green]

There you go again Herby!

[Weed]

OH

If boyish charm/charisma doesn't work then the brown paper envelope often will ...at my time of life I can't afford to muck about sunshine

Beauty and intelligence passed me by too...more like old and ugly