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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 |
#2
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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 |
#4
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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 |
#5
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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 |
#6
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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. |
#7
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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 |
#8
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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 |
#9
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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. |
#10
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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. |
#11
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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 |
#12
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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 |
#13
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That is huge! No wonder your brother is finding it daunting
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#14
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Quote:
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getstats - A society in which our lives and choices are enriched by an understanding of statistics. Go to www.getstats.org.uk for more information |
#15
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