[lightyears]

To me, an allotment should be used primarily for the growing of fruit & veg. I'd much rather see a plot being used to produce food

I think you may be in a minority here    Allotments have become personal spaces, especially for those who have no garden of their own at home, and many tenant's agreements usually allow growing of flowers, keeping of animals (sometimes limited to species and numbers) as well as growing fruit & veg.

im with agreement hear, i live in a flat and have no garden so my allotment is my only espace. if someone from the council evicted me because i wasnt growing the right type of thing or because i had a slight grassy area to sit in, i wouldnt be best pleased. 

[wafflycat]

I didn't say that there should be no space on a lottie devoted to 'non-food'. What I said was that it should be 'primarily' for food produce. That certainly doesn't stop other stuff, just keeps it in the minority, not do away with it altogether. My experience of allotments is from where I grew up, and they were primarily for the growing of food for ordinary families.

[lightyears]

well it seems times are changing, at my allotment, there is a man who grows and plants nothing but nice flowers. the committee welcomes this, as anything nice looking is much better than an abandoned mattress with brambles growing through it. I do however support what the OP has said, in my short 1 year on the allotments i have seen some real states,because people get them because its "cool" and the in thing to be doing, then move onto the next fad.

My allotment is basicly my garden what i dont have, so everything i would do in a garden i do at the allotment...saturday afternoon summer bbq for example. i think a line needs to be drawn between people who want and are trying to do rather than the fashion setters. if you want it ,use it, if you dont, go. simple

[Paul Plots]

I didn't say that there should be no space on a lottie devoted to 'non-food'. What I said was that it should be 'primarily' for food produce. That certainly doesn't stop other stuff, just keeps it in the minority, not do away with it altogether. My experience of allotments is from where I grew up, and they were primarily for the growing of food for ordinary families.

Food growing is just what my dad got the plot for 50 years ago and why I've kept it going. Fresh food.... can't beat it. Tastes different and makes a differnce to the shopping bills too! Flowers are an added bonus but "if you can't it - why grow it" was my dad's motto when he was on the plot.

[Christine]

There's a notice goes out with those signing new tenancies on our town allotment  to the tune of you must be seen to be making an effort at getting the plot into some form of cultivation within 6 months.  This is not translated as you must have the place a sparkling, weed free site full of produce but that you must have started to grow something and be showing signs of getting the whole plot into working order.

No rules about what you plant as we have bigger plots that take pigeons or hens.  But you do have to show proper signs of working the plot.  Being a traditional area no-one minds if the serious dahlia and sweet pea brigade have flowers for show as well as vegetables.

One chap who has recently taken a new plot was going to run geese over it but was told that these were a bit too far out and nothing bigger than ducks for a short period.  But we have some larger plots and are of the old school that says that vegetables, fruit and hens are all productive use of the ground on one site. The others sites are around town not suitable for anything other than planting.

Thing is - in this small town there is a lot of everyone knows everyone so there is a little more peer pressure and tittle tattle so it's no easy job sorting out the tenancies.

[wafflycat]

There's a notice goes out with those signing new tenancies on our town allotment  to the tune of you must be seen to be making an effort at getting the plot into some form of cultivation within 6 months.  This is not translated as you must have the place a sparkling, weed free site full of produce but that you must have started to grow something and be showing signs of getting the whole plot into working order.

That seems a sensible approach.

No rules about what you plant as we have bigger plots that take pigeons or hens.  But you do have to show proper signs of working the plot.  Being a traditional area no-one minds if the serious dahlia and sweet pea brigade have flowers for show as well as vegetables.

Northern veg shows? If so, takes me back to my youth. Giant fat leeks... long, long leeks for the pot... giant onions... lovely stuff! Then the gloriously scented sweet peas, dahlias... for the flower section.. Just about every pub & working men's club with it's own leek show..

[Caddi fuller-teabags]

I am passionate about my plot, but I can't get there every weekend, much as I would like to.  I have family who live away and other demands on my time.  It doesn't make my plot less important to me.

I commute to my full time job so during the winter it is dark by the time I get home.  Now that the nights are getting lighter I will to be able to get there after work.  

I live a way from the plot, so I have to keep a set of allotment clothes in the shed, otherwise I lose an extra half hour going home to change.  I was once asked if I had been to a wedding as I crept onto my plot in my working clothes!

Though we have had the new plot for a while we did very little until we had a shed erected (there are no toilets on the plot so I need my shed - if you know what I mean, being a lady) and so I couldn't stay long before I had to leave for a comfort visit.  At the moment we are leaving the fruit trees and bushes as they are and just tending the tiny bit of clear earth at the bottom whilst we see what we actually have.  This means we are not actually doing much this year.

If you live near your plot and do not work then I am sure you might look on someone who does not tend her plot every week as an absentee plot-holder.  I am very concerned that a plot-holder/committee member who can get to the plot every day might have different 'standards' than I do.  I try to keep the weeds under control.

I don't have a garden - I live on the second floor, and every available surface is used for raising plants of some sort - we have a fair few cacti, but also all my seedlings on windowsills.  My plot is my 'city lungs'; my garden, my own bit of the country, and I will fight with my back problems to care for it.  I love my plot, I live for the days I can get there, with my fingers in the soil and surrounded by birds, and frogs and even worms.  I love my job, and the only good thing about retirement will be the time I will spend on my plot.

I suspect that for some people I do not look as if i am tending it though, and for some busybodies, looks are everything.   For the Judgemental in nature, I am a bad allotment holder.

Caddi

[daveylamp]

well said caddi
    As a membership sec on our allotment site this topic is always comming up for discussion at meetings
    Being  one who got a plot before retirement and when allotments were the domain of a few traditionalists I find myself trying to defend your type of allotmenteer against the -"retired, live next door, nothing else to do but tidy and polish plot and tools.
    Would you give me permission to print out and use your post to help combat all the tidy plot group.
    The site I am on has a waiting list and  as we on the commitee find it unfare to have a plot covered in weeds and not worked whilst people are waiting we do try to write to offenders and ask for explanation this is normaly enough for most folk.
    We also only let out half plots with the proviso that they will get first refusal on the other half if and when it becoms vacant.

Dave.

[Aunt Sally]

You are the kind of tenant we would welcome on our site caddy.  We are trying to get a number of neglected plot holders to cultivate their land well this year. 

By this we mean making good use of the land to grow crops and not allowing weeds to affect plot neighbours.  Just as we welcome dogs to the site we wouldn't like them to wee up our sprouts 

[RichardC]

...we welcome dogs to the site but we wouldn't like them to wee up our sprouts 

Beautifully put Aunt Sally... and surely the only rule any civilised society should ever need

[Caddi fuller-teabags]

   
    Would you give me permission to print out and use your post to help combat all the tidy plot group.
   
Dave.

If it will help, certainly.

Caddi