Janice wrote in message . ..
On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 17:41:02 +0100, Jan
wrote:

In message , Frogleg
writes
On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 12:04:50 +0100, Jan
wrote:

Barnet council (cons), whom I deplore for many reasons, have just
announced an unbelievable increase in rent for all our allotments with
double rent for non-residents.

snip

You should post this in uk.rec.gardening. USAsians don't have
allotments, more's the pity.

I did and got no replies. Didn't realise this NG was just for the USA.
Apologies.

This news group is not just for the USA.. just some of us are a tad
ethnocentric ;-) Folks in here from UK, Australia, NZ that I've seen
and I'm sure there are and have been folks from other places. I know
I've seen someone in one of the groups from Finland, can't remember if
it's rec.gardens or rec.gardens.edible.. but .. it's for EVERYONE :-D

As to community gardens. ..in my area, Boise Idaho, ours have usually
been vacant land that has no immediate plans for sale or development
that have been persuaded to allow people to grow gardens on, as it
would keep the weeds down, and in some cases maybe give them a tax
break. Others may be land owned by the city but again, not ready for
development that year or maybe for several years, so it allows gardens
there. I don't think we have any permanent community garden areas.

People who want to garden may apply for a plot, and in many cases
there is no fee, it's just first come first served. In other areas
there may be a small fee for water use etc. It varies with the
circumstances, as I'm sure it varies in each place around the country.
As the areas become more urban I'm sure that the availability would
decrease and cost probably go up. But that's just a guess on my part!

I hope you find your answers!

Janice

Janice- Where do you go in Boise to apply for one of these spots. I
have a sis who just moved there?

I know I'm just butting in here, since I can't answer for Janice. Is your
sister in an apartment? Some apartment complexes have community gardens. She
could try Boise State University, there are garden plots there. They go to
residents of the apartments first, but if there are some left over, to
anybody who applies. I believe the fee is $5 for a water key. I think when
you give the key back, you get your fee back. So, it's more of a deposit. I
haven't seen any other community gardens around here. But I used to live in
the university apartments, so I know how that works.

More info on BSU garden plots:
Applications are taken in the apartment office on the top floor of the admin
building.
If she gets a plot, she will need to amend the soil as much as she can.
People have been growing things here for years without amending and have run
the soil down. She will have to till or turn the soil herself. The
university does not have anybody do this for you. Some of the plots haven't
been used for years and are overgrown (maybe 8 feet high) with weeds. There
is a very good chance of getting one or even two plots, since I've never
seen them all in use.

Off topic:
Yes, I know BSU is a funny abbreviation for a university. One person I told
that I attended BSU did not believe me and thought I was making it up. It
really exists. They really use that acronym. And it does not stand for Bull
Sh*t University.