A gentler approach to site inspections is called for
Spring is a busy time getting the ground ready for planting. It’s also the time of year that site committees usually carry out the first plot inspections. For newcomers to allotments, these are a necessary part of running a site. With waiting lists at an all-time high, it’s a way of ensuring that everyone who has a plot is appreciating it and using it to the full. Those who aren’t need to hand it on to the next person on the list.
Gardening on an allotment is different from what one might do in one’s own garden. We are part of a community which is what so many of us have appreciated throughout lockdown.
However it brings with it certain responsibilities.
This can mean anything from being careful that our crops don’t shade a neighbouring plot to taking part in communal activities such as path maintenance and hedge trimming.
We’re careful that bonfire smoke doesn’t blow over our neighbours, we keep radios turned down and dogs on leads.
Sites don’t run themselves, so volunteering to do a stint on the committee is expected.
Plot inspections are not straightforward. It’s not a simple question of comparing like with like as there are many different styles of cultivation from the popular no-dig method to the more traditional.
The fairest inspections are ones which are carried out by several members of the committee acting together.
Sometimes advertising the date of an inspection a few weeks ahead is enough to galvanise some stragglers into action.
If the inspection reveals a seemingly uncultivated plot, it would usually warrant a letter pointing out its shortcomings and that some attention is required or else the tenant risks being asked to vacate it.
This year of course a kinder and gentler approach is probably called for.
Unknown to site committees, some people may have been struggling with other aspects of their life and tending the plot has slipped off the list.
Illness, shielding, childcare responsibilities and family crises have all played havoc with everyday life.
This is the moment to relax the usual procedures which could seem heavy handed. A friendly phone call rather than a letter or email may be all that’s needed to find out what’s going on.
Plotholders are normally happy to help their neighbours ride out some temporary problems.
Planting a few rows of potatoes is a good way of providing a crop at the same time as covering bare ground as well as pulling out any seeding weeds.
Plotholders are normally happy to help their neighbours