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 - Article 033
RENTING AN ALLOTMENT IN LEICESTER CITY
WHY TAKE AN ALLOTMENT?
Allotments have been part of the urban scene for over a century, and although interest is less nowadays, there are still nearly half a million people who grow part of their food on an allotment. Once, allotments were regarded as the preserve of the elderly and retired, but nowadays more and more younger people are discovering the value of allotments both as a source of food and as a haven of peace and tranquillity from the pressures of the modern world. A well-cultivated allotment can provide your vegetable supply throughout the year, salads in season and a freezer full of summer vegetables to last you through the winter. You can also grow soft fruits; strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, etc. and such luxuries as asparagus, aubergines, sweet peppers, coriander, chilli peppers and methe. You decimate your frozen food and vegetable bills, you get healthy exercise in the open air, and you know what, if anything, your food has been sprayed with. Allotment sites have a strong sense of community. People linked by a common purpose make new friendships. Often a plot holder with excess seedlings will offer some to his neighbours (or hers – there are an increasing number of ladies on today’s sites).
And there is a great deal of satisfaction to be gained from looking at a neat plot with rows of growing corps where there had been wilderness a few months earlier and knowing that “I did that”. Come and give it a try!
HOW DO I GET AN ALLOTMENT?
Many allotment sites in the City are managed direct by allotment societies. A quick telephone call to Paul Howgill, Environ’s Allotments For All Officer or Vince Edwards, Leicester City Council’s Amenities & Allotments Manager, will provide you with a telephone number or address for the Secretary of the nearest allotment site to you.
RENTING AN ALLOTMENT IN LEICESTER CITY
You should visit your chosen site on a Sunday morning to view and select your plot. People will then be on hand to help you. At other times, you may find it difficult to gain access, since most sites are locked for security reasons. To view at other times, book an appointment with the Secretary of your chosen allotment society.
Plot sizes on sites vary, as do rents. However, as a rough guide, the size of a standard plot is round about 300 sq. yards. Depending upon the site, rent for a plot of this size is in the region of £13.50 per annum. Some sites charge a little more, some a little less. Most Societies are affiliated to the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners. This cost is added to the annual rental per plot holder of £1.75 per annum.
WHAT WILL I FIND ON THE ALLOTMENT SITE?
Amenities vary from site to site. Most sites have some form of parking area and water taps. Some plots may have sheds on. Some sites will have a site store, where you can buy such items as fertilisers, potting composts, canes etc. at well below shop prices. Other sites have arrangements with a larger site nearby, enabling them to visit and buy from the larger site’s store. Those Societies who are members of the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardens may participate in the National Society’s seed scheme which provides seeds at around half the cost in the garden centres. They may also sell cheap seed potatoes and onion sets. The savings to be made on seeds, sets and fertilisers could well pay for your plot rent! In addition, some sites have contacts with local farmers and can arrange delivery of farmyard manure to your plot.
WHAT DO I NEED TO START?
Initially, you will need four basic tools: spade, fork, rake and hoe. It pays to buy good quality tools – cheap tools are a poor investment. A mattock and a hand trowel are useful optional extras.
TIPS FOR NEW ALLOTMENT GARDENERS
The best time to take on an allotment is in the autumn or winter. This enables you to prepare the soil for the spring sowing and planting. If your new plot has been recently cultivated, this consists of spade digging.
Annual weeds and grass can be turned in and will rot down and enrich the soil. Manure can also be dug in.
If the plot is overgrown and uncultivated, the job is harder. You can treat it with a non-residual herbicide, and leave it for a few weeks before digging, but this is expensive. You can dig the growth in and leave it to rot down over the winter, but you will need to go over the ground with a fork in the spring to remove perennial weed roots such as couch grass (twitch), thistle, dock and bindweed. Or you can clear the top growth (build a compost bin and put the cleared growth in to rot down and return to the plot as compost) and dig back, cleaning as you go. The latter is the slowest, but probably the most effective method.
It will probably take two years to bring a rough plot into top condition, but then, apart from spring planting, a 300 square yard plot will need two or three hours attention a week to keep in top condition. We are a friendly, helpful lot – why not come and join us!
[Paul Howgill]
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