Allotment question
 

Hi people


I'm not sure what to think of this... what would you make of it? An offer from a private landowner of an allotment, of size whatever I want upto 2.5x the standard old allotment size, or 5x the new half size plots. No water supply, price the same per given area as local council plots without water supply. Lenient terms when it comes to growing small trees and tidying up the grossly overgrown plot. No shed permitted but lockup tool stores ok. Access paths already in place. No restriction to just one plot as with the council. The biggest issues as I see it are that some of the land is steeply sloping, and I do mean steep, and probably only therefore fit for bushes and trees, plus the fact that its grossly overgrown, and will need a quantity of small trees cleared.

Feedback welcome :)


NT

Allotment question
 

NT wrote

I'm not sure what to think of this... what would you make of it? An offer
from a private landowner of an allotment, of size whatever I want upto 2.5x
the standard old allotment size, or 5x the new half size plots. No water
supply, price the same per given area as local council plots without water
supply. Lenient terms when it comes to growing small trees and tidying up
the grossly overgrown plot. No shed permitted but lockup tool stores ok.
Access paths already in place. No restriction to just one plot as with the
council. The biggest issues as I see it are that some of the land is
steeply sloping, and I do mean steep, and probably only therefore fit for
bushes and trees, plus the fact that its grossly overgrown, and will need a
quantity of small trees cleared.

Feedback welcome :)



With a Council plot you have a certain security of tenure unless you do
something wrong, what security will you have on that plot? You don't want to
clear it all, set it all up, and then get chucked off.
No water supply could be a serious problem, in fact I know it would not be
worth having a plot here without water. Even this year we have spend hours,
days if you add it up, carrying watering cans back and forth. No stream you
could chuck a solar powered pump in to fill some barrels?
Small trees have big roots, might be a big job to remove, the ground might
also be depleted but a good dose of well rotted cow/horse manure would cure
that. The slope could be terraced.
Planting fruit trees is a long term project so we are back to my first
point.

--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

Allotment question
 

On Sat, 15 Sep 2012 06:19:03 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Hi people


I'm not sure what to think of this... what would you make of it? An offer from a private landowner of an allotment, of size whatever I want upto 2.5x the standard old allotment size, or 5x the new half size plots. No water supply, price the same per given area as local council plots without water supply. Lenient terms when it comes to growing small trees and tidying up the grossly overgrown plot. No shed permitted but lockup tool stores ok. Access paths already in place. No restriction to just one plot as with the council. The biggest issues as I see it are that some of the land is steeply sloping, and I do mean steep, and probably only therefore fit for bushes and trees, plus the fact that its grossly overgrown, and will need a quantity of small trees cleared.

Feedback welcome :)


NT


We don't have running water on our site. Some people brought water in
the car in cans until we got waterbutts on.

NO shed though so no waterbutts unless you can rig up a slopey
draining roof on a big compost bin.
--
http://www.voucherfreebies.co.uk

Allotment question
 

On Saturday, September 15, 2012 2:52:58 PM UTC+1, Bob Hobden wrote:
NT wrote



I'm not sure what to think of this... what would you make of it? An offer

from a private landowner of an allotment, of size whatever I want upto 2.5x

the standard old allotment size, or 5x the new half size plots. No water

supply, price the same per given area as local council plots without water

supply. Lenient terms when it comes to growing small trees and tidying up

the grossly overgrown plot. No shed permitted but lockup tool stores ok.

Access paths already in place. No restriction to just one plot as with the

council. The biggest issues as I see it are that some of the land is

steeply sloping, and I do mean steep, and probably only therefore fit for

bushes and trees, plus the fact that its grossly overgrown, and will need a

quantity of small trees cleared.



Feedback welcome :)







With a Council plot you have a certain security of tenure unless you do

something wrong, what security will you have on that plot? You don't want to

clear it all, set it all up, and then get chucked off.

No water supply could be a serious problem, in fact I know it would not be

worth having a plot here without water. Even this year we have spend hours,

days if you add it up, carrying watering cans back and forth. No stream you

could chuck a solar powered pump in to fill some barrels?

Small trees have big roots, might be a big job to remove, the ground might

also be depleted but a good dose of well rotted cow/horse manure would cure

that. The slope could be terraced.

Planting fruit trees is a long term project so we are back to my first

point.

I've not questioned the security of tenure yet.
Re water, at one end the sloping patches could be guttered to collect muddy water. The rest of the plot's flat though.
I forgot to mention the first year would be free on account of the clearing needed, but its a big job to clear.
Re trees, I was only thinking in terms of chopping them down. Digging up the roots of lots of trees is too much work I think.

thanks


NT

Allotment question
 

wrote in message
...
Hi people

I'm not sure what to think of this...

We've had a council allotment for over 30 years. Water has
always been the biggest problem. The council eventually did
put in cattle-style troughs nearby, but people are expected
to fill their watering cans from the trough and carry it
back to their allotment some 40 yards away. Some sneaky
buggers attach a hose to the trough and spray for hours. But
of course nobody snitches to the council.

I would say that water is the biggest problem on an
allotment. In Oxford, so I understand, they have standpipes
on which to attach hoses. Where we are, some 30 miles away,
there is nothing except an occasional cattle trough.

Get yourself some sort of greenhouse or anything with a
roof, and collect your own water via a water butt from the
greenhouse or polytunnel.

someone

Allotment question
 

wrote in message
...
Hi people


I'm not sure what to think of this... what would you make of it? An offer
from a private landowner of an allotment, of size whatever I want upto 2.5x
the standard old allotment size, or 5x the new half size plots. No water
supply, price the same per given area as local council plots without water
supply. Lenient terms when it comes to growing small trees and tidying up
the grossly overgrown plot. No shed permitted but lockup tool stores ok.
Access paths already in place. No restriction to just one plot as with the
council. The biggest issues as I see it are that some of the land is steeply
sloping, and I do mean steep, and probably only therefore fit for bushes and
trees, plus the fact that its grossly overgrown, and will need a quantity of
small trees cleared.

Feedback welcome :)


----------
I'd be a bit worried in case he used you to clear the plot and then threw
you off after a year or so.
I have a 3rd of an acre plot which are growing veggies on this year. Lots
of people in the village want a piece of it as there are no allotments.
Half of it is still overgrown, and I expect they would clear it, but whether
or not I would like them and want them as permanent is a moot point, so I
haven't agreed. It has water!
If you can get security of tenure, I would say go ahead, if not, proceed
with care.
I could easily promise a few people an allotment, let them clear the land
and throw them off after a year - I wouldn't do that, but some people might.

Allotment question
 

snip

I have found this topic very interesting, I have a bit of land -not quite
half an acre - doing nothing and I was wondering about offering it for
someone to use as an allotment. Reading the comments it might be more
trouble than it is worth. My husband suggested planting with fruit trees but
that makes even more work. Hopefully I will get inspired over the winter :-)

kate

Allotment question
 

On Sunday, September 16, 2012 8:45:40 AM UTC+1, wrote:
snip



I have found this topic very interesting, I have a bit of land -not quite

half an acre - doing nothing and I was wondering about offering it for

someone to use as an allotment. Reading the comments it might be more

trouble than it is worth. My husband suggested planting with fruit trees but

that makes even more work. Hopefully I will get inspired over the winter :-)



kate

I might plant some of it with a wide variety of plants, preferably mainly ones that can look after themselves, and maybe let someone else use the rest.. One advantage of this is you might both agree to use each other's cuttings, so for each of you its less cost and work.


NT

Allotment question
 

On 16/09/2012 09:59, Sacha wrote:
On 2012-09-16 08:45:36 +0100, "Kate Morgan"
said:



snip

I have found this topic very interesting, I have a bit of land -not
quite half an acre - doing nothing and I was wondering about offering
it for someone to use as an allotment. Reading the comments it might
be more trouble than it is worth. My husband suggested planting with
fruit trees but that makes even more work. Hopefully I will get
inspired over the winter :-)

kate

Christmas trees - fairly fast growing crop - and then 'cut your own'?!
I wouldn't even think about Xmas trees, they are so easy for someone to
remove over night when they are saleable.

Allotment question
 

In article ,
Sacha wrote:
On 2012-09-16 08:45:36 +0100, "Kate Morgan" said:

I have found this topic very interesting, I have a bit of land -not
quite half an acre - doing nothing and I was wondering about offering
it for someone to use as an allotment. Reading the comments it might be
more trouble than it is worth. My husband suggested planting with fruit
trees but that makes even more work. Hopefully I will get inspired over
the winter :-)

Christmas trees - fairly fast growing crop - and then 'cut your own'?!

Plant a mixture of coppiceable natives: hazel, oak, beech, ash,
maple etc., let them establish, plant some bulbs underneath, and
sell the coppicing for firewood (or give it away) whenever it
needs it. Minimal hassle, maximum ecological benefit, and a lot
of recreational value.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Allotment question
 

snip
Plant a mixture of coppiceable natives: hazel, oak, beech, ash,
maple etc., let them establish, plant some bulbs underneath, and
sell the coppicing for firewood (or give it away) whenever it
needs it. Minimal hassle, maximum ecological benefit, and a lot
of recreational value.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I do like this suggestion very much Nick but I don't think that I know
enough about the management side of it to try.
Xmas trees would be a no no, I had nearly all my holly stolen last year
:-( You are half right Sacha, I can see half of the ground from our
upstairs windows .

kate

Allotment question
 

On Saturday, September 15, 2012 11:45:28 PM UTC+1, Christina Websell wrote:
meow2222 wrote in message

...

Hi people





I'm not sure what to think of this... what would you make of it? An offer

from a private landowner of an allotment, of size whatever I want upto 2.5x

the standard old allotment size, or 5x the new half size plots. No water

supply, price the same per given area as local council plots without water

supply. Lenient terms when it comes to growing small trees and tidying up

the grossly overgrown plot. No shed permitted but lockup tool stores ok.

Access paths already in place. No restriction to just one plot as with the

council. The biggest issues as I see it are that some of the land is steeply

sloping, and I do mean steep, and probably only therefore fit for bushes and

trees, plus the fact that its grossly overgrown, and will need a quantity of

small trees cleared.



Feedback welcome :)





----------

I'd be a bit worried in case he used you to clear the plot and then threw

you off after a year or so.

I have a 3rd of an acre plot which are growing veggies on this year. Lots

of people in the village want a piece of it as there are no allotments.

Half of it is still overgrown, and I expect they would clear it, but whether

or not I would like them and want them as permanent is a moot point, so I

haven't agreed. It has water!

If you can get security of tenure, I would say go ahead, if not, proceed

with care.

I could easily promise a few people an allotment, let them clear the land

and throw them off after a year - I wouldn't do that, but some people might.


I've worked out how to lay water on. Plastic land drain pipe near the low end of the slope, led out to a waterbutt sat atop a soakaway.

The other question is, what length of secure tenure would be needed to make this runnable. Bearing in mind one end is steeply sloped, and will need precautions taking when cleared/planted, so only practical for perennials. The steep slope is probably around 20/25% of total area, the rest being flat. And I do mean steep.


NT

That is huge! No wonder your brother is finding it daunting

Not necessarily. If it's as big a space as that, you could plant fruit trees on non-dwarfing rootstocks and let them do their own thing. We look after an urban nature reserve and various fruit trees have crept in - apples, plums, cherries - and all are cropping happily. Quince, medlar, mulberry and fig need very little attention. I you have a large space and a lot of trees, and you're not looking to sell, then you don't need to maximise production - just let things grow, and regard the fruit crop as a bonus.

If you planted less familiar things round the outside, you'd be less likely to get pilfering. You could also plant hazel for the nuts. And perhaps an impenetrable barrier of blackberries around the outside?