Kitchen Garden Forum

My husband Sean and I are after ideas on how to "sell" allotments without actually having any plots that are currently available.

There are half a dozen plots on our site (Sean is the Letting Secretary) that are in various stages of neglect. There is also one plot which was taken on two years ago, has been cleaned up (strimmed/mowed), covered in plastic and then left. There's a polytunnel that was put up in the first year, but nothing grown in all that time. Not one single plant.

As it stands, we can evict or, as we're heading towards AGM time, not renew, but then what? We have a regular turn over of tenants, but no actual waiting list.

The rules say that "plots must be cleared and left in a good state" before being handed back, but as people usually give up because they can't cope with their plot, that never happens. If we have the plots standing empty, then we are responsible for keeping the weeds down. At one point, we were cultivating 8 plots instead of our usual 3. We only grew potatoes/beans/leeks on them which were donated to our local Age UK restaurant, but it was so much work!

So, we want to get together a marketing plan to make people want to get on a waiting list to give us some leverage when it comes to nagging people to cultivate their plot. The only thing I can think of is to put lots of photos on Facebook/Instagram making people envious of the gorgeous vegetables we grow and of our lovely allotment, to the point where they start to enquire about doing the same.

What does everyone else do please?

Would local schools be interested?

Maybe divide a plot up into smaller units with raised beds then use one raised bed to show what can be grown as an example for others to follow and include easy to follow plan.

Use the pollytunnel to grow seeds and maybe allow other plot holders to use it.

How about filling one part of a plot with loads of flowers then using pictures for the press.

Create a composting area and encourage locals to use it? There is one village that gets paid by the council to do it look up "Trunch" in Norfolk.

Good luck.

Thanks for the ideas Colin.

Our allotment, following some fly tipping, now has security fancing and gates that are padlocked at all times, so we don't want to hand out keys to anyone but plot holders.

I do like the flower idea.

We already divide some plots into really small areas, the smallest being around the size of my kitchen! We also have a good many plots (including ours) that are mainly laid to raised beds. Everyone that walks past can see how manageable these are and raised beds are proliferating across the site.

Getting the press involved is something that has been in my head for a while, but I'm not sure how to go about this. I did wonder about entering in Rugby in Bloom. A previous plot holder entered a few years back and got in the paper. Not sure how it worked, as there wasn't an allotment category!

Most ideas will involve more work for you both.

If you have a local newspaper, you will get something in there. All locals work on minimal staff and if you send them something well written and illustrated, they are usually receptive.

Have you had an open day? Promoting it in advance and reporting on it afterwards gives you articles for the paper.

How much support do you get from the other plotholders? I hope they are more than just sympathetic.

If you don't have a waiting list, many others do. Can you offer to "house" people from their lists?

I am a firm believer in the "cultivate or vacate" approach; primarily because I have suffered from neglected adjacent plots for a significant majority of the 13 years we have had ours.

Apply for planning permission for housing and you'll get loads of interest trying to stop it!

Does the association have a website and/or a Facebook page?
Use them with social media posts to local social media groups/pages like the local what's on, paper, civic group.

Mine does all that and gets an enquiry every four to eight weeks, installation who haven't read what we say about us not running the allotments, town council does.

Got our show tomorrow and local paper is very community focused so we have their window this week!

I was wondering about schools, community groups and possibly local churches who are always wanting flowers for church decoration. Churches growing their own flowers would obviously reduce costs as all churches are squeezed for money.

Do you have a strong Neighbourhood Watch presence in your area where a street group might be encouraged to take on a plot between members?

Would your local parish council be prepared to take on a plot, perhaps with the support of some keen gardening parishioners to set up a small "community orchard" with dwarf fruit trees. if you have two adjoining plots perhaps they could be grassed over around the trees which might reduce the level on ongoing weeding required?

Are there any disabled/disadvantaged groups/charities locally whose members would benefit from outdoor activities? The social services department of your council can probably point you in the right direction.

And what about your local GP surgery? . With the amount of obesity and diabetes in the country, would they work with you to encourage overweight patients to take on a communal,plot to get gardening?

Just a few wild thoughts.

Primrose:- a cutting garden for the church is a good idea. (I'm neither an attender nor a believer but I can see that working well.)

What an interesting thread.....and some very interesting answers. Talking people into taking a plot, certainly isn't the way forward, as that has back fired so many times on our little site....I too think social media has to be the way forward.....what ever it is...

Goeff, that made me chuckle but, never a truer word has been spoken in jest....

You could just read & incorporate more of the allotment act into your leases maybe? Might have to take it to your AGM to get it approved but "The Act" clearly states what you can & can not do & needs to be worded into every contract! Mine says I can have rabbits - too eat - NO! Chickens allowed but it has to be growing as well & I think they allow about 20% for flowers! Tighten up your agreements then you can chuck out the folks who say 'I've got an allotment' like its a badge of honour!

Doesn't you Council run a list.

Thanks everyone.

Our rules, that everyone signs up to, say that plots must be maintained, cultivated etc. Doesn't work. No leverage as no waiting list. People sign up, do little/nothing and abandon them.

We're self managed and now all the Rugby BC allotments are also self managed. The council no longer holds a list. We do have contacts at other sites and I believe our secretary is in touch with them.

We're not allowed fruit trees, so no communal orchard

We discussed a school allotment, but what happens during the school holidays? I took on a couple of chickens a few years back. A local school had them along with their allotment (not on our site). The summer holidays came, the plot was neglected and the chickens rehomed with me. An expensive experiment as the chickens came with an Eglu!

I too am leaning toward the social media (possible) solution. I've asked a few people to take lots of (good) photos and get these out on their FB/Twitter/Snapchat/Instagram accounts. I'll report back.

Is there a restaurant that could grow their own ... better still a hospital what with all the talk on hospital food at the moment.

It the schools have good planning the harvest could be done by the enthusiastic kids and given to the food bank.

Schools are missing a great opportunity to get children involved and grow their own school dinners, with the news of food shortages I keep hearing growing your own could be the only way of having good food in the future.

Unfortunately I see all these idea failing due to lack of real need.

During WW2 our school had allotments that was dug and sown by the top form. From memory we paid a nominal amount to cover seed costs.

The nearby primary school has a plot on our site. I think initially the head was keen. They left and it was untended for a while, then a few parents have started looking after it. I hope they will encourage parents from different years to get involved, so that not everyone leaves at once.