"Janet Tweedy" wrote after, Bob Hobden

Meanwhile we have
all moved to other sites to continue growing, in our case it's and
improvement overall.



But isn't it part of the value of allotments that you are growing on
plots/land that has been fed and cultivated for some years? Unless they
give you that type of land again it will surely take you aeons before you
get the depth of soil and the fertility that many allotment sites have?

Well that's a mute point Janet.
If the ground has only recently been abandoned then you could find it's
excellent but you could also find the previous gardener didn't waste money
on manure etc and the ground is virtually barren**, or it's full of nasty
diseases/pests, or he was a messy gardener and it's full of rubbish, glass,
bricks, plastic etc. the previous gardener on our present plot must have
been one of those but that was a very long time ago.
Of the three allotment plots we have started only one was taken over from
another gardener and that certainly was not a benefit, the plot had always
been dug one way so was like gardening on a hillside, it was not very
fertile to start with and they had used it as a dumping ground for stuff
from home, brambles were encroaching and surrounded the plot. The other two,
including our present one, were long term unused, possibly 20 years but
certainly 10+. Both had excellent fertility from the start and little or no
diseases or pests (other than slugs).
We would go for a long term unused plot every time because, although it's
harder work to start with, it's all down to you.

** I'm told there was one of those gardeners on our present site a few years
back, too tight to buy manure or pay for it to be delivered, and he
complained his veg steadily got smaller and poorer over the years but would
still not pay for any fertilizer, eventually he gave up, leaving the plot
for some unsuspecting person.
--
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK