Our committee does a number of inspections in the year and awards a cup for the best kept plot in September.
It seems the criteria is that the allotment must be impeccable – neatly laid out and totally weed free, fully cultivated and productive, hedges neatly trimmed if you have them and paths made in an orderly style without weeds.
The slight amendment to this is that of course it’s very boring if there are just rows and rows of fruit and vegetables. So flowers are good.
Hey ho but there are few enough flowers that you can eat. Dandelions, nettles and docks which are edible as well as bee friendly don’t seem to meet the criteria as the committee rule these to be weeds and will send you the dreaded non cultivation letter if there are lots.
Of course if you are growing red clover, borage and phacelia under fruit trees for bees and composting, they are not tidy items which grow in neat rows.
So there is just no pleasing some people. So what does one do with bored inspection committees?