"Janet" wrote

"Bob Hobden" wrote:
Ours is a Council run site and you pay a years rental up front, so for
someone at work that is about £100.00, and you lose it all if you
abandon
the plot or, more likely, get asked to leave because your plot is not
tended. We have Council inspections about 3 times a year, the next being
Thursday, which as allotment rep I also attend. Found out this week
that
two plot holders are giving up at the end of this season, one young lady
only married a year ago husband not interested at all (always a
problem),
and an older man with a double plot who has another plot nearer home
already.
So we should have three new gardeners next year, lets hope they know
what
they are doing and what they are getting into and realise you need to
put
goodness back into the soil if you want to keep cropping.

IME the majority of allotment newbies underestimate how much time and
sweat it takes to keep on top of a sizeable veg garden, and easily get
discouraged by the tide of weeds. If they started out with a smaller
"beginners" plot they'd probably be more successful with everything they
grew, and more motivated to keep going.

Maybe you could say to three newbies; for the first year you will
all share one plot (and the rent). If you all last the first season, the
best kept section inherits the whole plot. The other two will share one
plot until they show they can cope with a whole one by themselves

That would be quite a good idea but considering the annoyance some plot
holders feel about others that do not keep on top of their weeds and let
them seed (big No No) I could imagine fists flying.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK