Mistley allotment is being shut and houses will be built on the land

Fab news =- prison land to be allotment land

Land near a Sheppey prison is to be opened up to the public so the community can grow sustainable food.

The Ministry of Justice is drawing back its boundaries in Eastchurch, making acres of space available for the benefit of people on the Island.

A plot measuring 100m by 30m is to be offered as free-to-use allotments from March 1.

A total of 18 polytunnels will also be built with each one covering 13m by 10m as well as three large greenhouses.

There will also be an area to sell fresh fruit and vegetables and a couple of storage sheds.

It is hoped 100 horticulturists will take advantage within the first year with a view to a further 400 over three years in similar projects across the Island.

If you love chips then this is supposed to be one of the very best chipping potatoes!

Potato ‘Yukon Gold’ – 20 tubers £4.99
Second early. ‘Potato ‘Yukon Gold’ could win you over on appearance alone. ‘ This attractive variety produces oval tubers with gorgeous golden skins with buttery yellow flesh of a delicious, rich flavour. ‘ This second early variety is superb baked, roasted or fried. ‘ Height and spread: 60cm (24"). ‘

The telegraph says so in their article about picking the right seed potatoes

“If you want the best chips, then ‘Yukon Gold’ is the one to choose. Great boiled and baked too, its buttery, bold yellow flesh takes to deep frying like no other. They are usually ready to harvest in early summer, almost always dodging the arrival of blight.”

Lots of other potato info in the article!

Mr Carcamo who was in the BBC’s allotment wars left his plot in the end after his committee didn’t take his rent payment from him.

Here’s the stories from the press
Hands off my pumpkin patch! Grower’s fury as he claims jealous allotment owners are hounding him off plot because of his massive crop

Read more at Dailymail

Original story – committee members from the Stotts Lane Allotments, in Failsworth, have issued an eviction notice because they are envious of the quality of the soil on his patch

The council originally intervened in his first eviction from his allotment

All the photos – from the first story show him with pumpkins which he’s grown on his plot! How can he not have tended it if he’s grown such good pumpkins?

Per spadeful of soil Alys reckons you should have 5-10 worms if you have healthy soil.



She uses a storm kettle for a brew and cooks lunch on her plot! And towards the end you see her sat in her wheelbarrow. You put the handles on the road and sit between them in the barrow. I’ve seen it done by workmen on a building site before now too!

Did you watch allotment wars on BBC 1 last night?
It’s on iplayer if you missed it

Lots of little bits of nastiness on allotments making people’s lives miserable.
Cliques are horrid.

What a pretty shed! A bit OTT pretty for a shed on an allotment but how nice it would be to have one on my plot overlooking the canal so in the summer I could sit and type looking out at the trees and ducks.

The guy whose greenhouse burnt down – was it anythign to do with the heating stove built in to it? That looked particularly burnt on the flue.

Yes there was very little mention of growing things.

The guy with the pumpkins who got thrown off twice – that sounded very iffy – but once they are like that to you it will take away all the fun of growing things.
Throwing someone off for not being on for 3 weeks is a bit shocking and playing games refusing to accept rent is horrid. Saying ‘no comment’ when you’re asked if you are a committee member is pretty shonky.

The ‘plot watch’ was mad. Honestly they were so noisy and having someone in a fluorescent jacket with torches is not the way to catch someone. You need covert CCTV like they had at the stott lane site (According to the sign on the gate)

The competition was interesting – but again no mention of enjoying fresh veg.
And having to have a secret second plot…

In case you want to grow your own leek plants for transplanting out
Easy to grow from seed. Start in February (or earlier!)

Leek Neptune Seeds £1.49
An impressive leek producing flavoursome white stems that are ready to harvest from November to January. Shows good winter hardiness and resistance to rust.

Leek Lyon – Prizetaker Seeds £1.49
Recommended. Long, thick, pure white stems of mild flavour. Excellent for exhibition if sown in January under glass.

Leek F1 Sprinton Seed £1.85
This top quality hybrid produces good crops of delicious leeks with very long, pale green shanks. Shows good resistance to rust.

Leek Seeds – Musselburgh £1.85
Good length, tasty white stems.

Leek Swiss Giant Zermatt Seeds £1.85
A dual-purpose leek, for baby or full-size harvest. Pulled young it makes a good milder alternative to spring onions. Salad type.

Leek Seeds – Atal £2.45
Mild variety. Easy to grow. For salads, steaming or stir fry. Baby type.

Leek Winter Atlanta Organic Seed £2.55
Delicious, long white shanks and dark blue-green leaves.

Leek Autumn Giant 3 Albana Seeds £2.85
A top quality leek for a long season of production, giving high yields of flavoursome, medium-sized stems averaging 20-23cm (8-9) in length with little or no bulbing. It also stands extreme weather conditions remarkably well.

Leek Musselburgh Seed Tape £2.85
Musselburgh is a tasty white leek that’s delicious in soups or stews, as a boiled vegetable or in stir fries. Very hardy, good length – and very tasty! (250 seeds) Do you have trouble handling small seed and getting an even distribution? Sometimes it’s not easy when the seed is the same colour as the soil! When the seedlings emerge, do you find thinning them out a real chore?If the answer is yes – then Suttons Groweasy Seed Tapes are just the thing for you.Pre-spaced seed in a tape – less thinning out! 5m (161/2′) of bio-degradable tape per pack.Simply prepare your soil, draw out a groove, roll out your tape, cover with soil, water well and watch your seedlings grow!

Leek F1 Striker Seeds £2.85
A high quality, heavy cropping leek. The full-flavoured leeks boast long shanks and stand well in the garden without running to seed.

Leek F1 Carlton Seeds £2.99
Of exceptional taste, vigour and quality, producing early crops with little waste and no bulbing, that require minimal cleaning. Germination is high and rapid and yields are large. The stems themselves are long, straight, smooth and delicious! RHS Award of Garden Merit winner.

Leek Seeds – Musselburgh £4.99
Good length, tasty white stems. ‘FOURFOLD’ PACKET.

Buy leek plants –

Leek 6 Months Twin Pack Plants £9.99
Early and late cropping leeks to give tasty crops from September to February. SAVE £1.99 on Twin Pack comprising 92 plants (46 of each variety):Leek Musselburgh (picture 1) – Very popular winter hardy variety. Good length, tasty white stems that are delicious in soups or stews, as a boiled vegetable or in stir fries. Winter maturing.Leek Albana (picture 2) – A top quality variety for a long season of production, giving high yields of flavoursome, medium-sized stems averaging 20-23cm (8-9) in length with little or no bulbing. Good tolerance to extreme weather. Autumn maturing.

Leek Twin Pack – Albana and Musselburgh £7.99
If you’re looking for a delicious, seasonal and nutritious food to see you through the winter months, something that can be roasted, baked or braised and has a sweet taste and a smooth texture – then the leek is for you and we have it available as a twin pack at a bargain price of £7.99 saving you £2.00. We have selected an early and a late variety to give you continuity of crop. Twin Pack contains 80 plants (40 of each variety):Albana (autumn maturing) – A top quality leek for a long season of production, giving high yields of flavoursome, medium-sized stems. Good tolerance to extreme weather.Musselburgh (winter maturing) – Good length, tasty white stems that are delicious in soups or stews, as a boiled vegetable or in stir-fries.Please Note: Leek varieties subject to availability, a replacement may be included.

Leek Plants – F1 Megaton £6.99
An early hybrid which stands in excellent condition for several weeks with no risk of ‘bolting’. Dark green leaves, a good length of white shank and a fine flavour make this one of the best all round early leeks. You don’t have to have a large vegetable garden to grow your own. Even the smallest patio or balcony can accommodate a few containers that will give you a bumper crop of delicious fresh produce!

Leek Plants – Continuity Winter Duo Pack £6.99
Winter Duo Pack (January-March) – Comprises of 46 plants (23 of each variety). Poulton F1 (a short-shafted variety which produces high quality leeks with high density and attractive dark colour) and Vitaton F1 (an ideal partner to Poulton, allowing a supply of leeks well into the late winter).When it comes to continuity of production we feel the following selection is an important step forward for the home market. You don’t have to have a large vegetable garden to grow your own. Even the smallest patio or balcony can accommodate a few containers that will give you a bumper crop of delicious fresh produce!

Leek Plants – Continuity Autumn Duo Pack £6.99
Autumn Duo Pack (September-October) – Comprises of 46 plants (23 of each variety): Duration F1 (a quick-yielding late summer/early autumn variety) and Megaton F1 (a high-yielding hybrid that combines earliness with a long harvesting window thanks to its low risk of bolting).When it comes to continuity of production we feel the following selection is an important step forward for the home market. You don’t have to have a large vegetable garden to grow your own. Even the smallest patio or balcony can accommodate a few containers that will give you a bumper crop of delicious fresh produce!

Leek Plants – Continuity Early Winter Duo Pack £6.99
Early Winter Duo Pack (November-December) – Comprises of 46 plants (23 of each variety): Belton F1 (a long-shafted variety which produces uniform and easy-to-clean stems that hold well) and Poulton F1 (a short-shafted variety which produces high quality leeks with high density and attractive dark colour).When it comes to continuity of production we feel the following selection is an important step forward for the home market. You don’t have to have a large vegetable garden to grow your own. Even the smallest patio or balcony can accommodate a few containers that will give you a bumper crop of delicious fresh produce!

Leek Albana Plants £5.99
A top quality leek for a long season of production, giving high yields of flavoursome, medium-sized stems averaging 20-23cm (8-9) in length with little or no bulbing. Good tolerance to extreme weather. Autumn maturing. Healthy young plants, individually rooted in small plugs of compost.

Allotment waiting lists

What happens when you run out of people on your waiting list.

One of two things could have happened:
Your local authority has ploughed up 30 acres of land every year for the last year and everyone who might ever want an allotment has not got one.
OR
The bad weather in 2012 has put people off the idea of being outside with a spade.

You need to work on your waiting list to build it up so that you always have someone on the list ready to take over a plot.

Some people get off put when they see the state of the plots they are offered.
What can an allotment group do to help? They could strim, clear and get the plot ready for planting. But if someone is unwilling or unable to do this clearing work themselves then they might not be suitable for an allotment.
Some sites might offer to help newbies get started.

Some people don’t like the cold weather, the wind, the rain, the snow, actually they don’t like being outdoors yet. They’ve just not realised. This sort of person lurks on the waiting list confident that they will be too old and infirm by the time they get offered an allotment.

If you have people who don’t want to take on a full plot then divide up a plot. Getting several people on to a plot is one way of dealing with the issue of the hard work. You might find people drop off after doing a bit, but that others might be keen to take on more plot!

Some people will be so eager they’ll come down to the site at every opportunity and ask to look at vacant plots. Whilst some on the committee will think these are a nuisance, I don’t! I think this level of enthusiasm is what is needed and is essential if they’re to tackle a bad allotment plot.

Increasing the waiting list
Advertise on your local supermarket notice board. This worked for our site. It is free to advertise too, you just write out a little card and it goes on the board for a week. Keep adding the card until you’ve got some people on the list.

Ask the local press or radio station if they’d like to do a story about empty plots and no one on the waiting list.

Ask at other local allotments for people on their waiting list. Share lists. If they have lots then it might be just because it’s a better known allotment site.

Ask the council to make sure they add your site to their lists so that when people enquire with them they’ll know.

Do a leaflet drop on the streets near your allotment. This can be a great way to ask for old paving slabs and water barrels too – combine it with a reminder about who they have to see to go on the waiting list.

Speak to your local councillors to see if they know anyone interested. They can add their contacts to advertise your site too!

Use facebook to find new people interested in allotmenting.

You could consider asking local guide or scout groups if they’d like to have a plot – but bear in mind extra children on site will cause upset amongst those who like peace and quiet, and may cause problems if they are not supervised properly. It will also impact on your own site’s liability insurance so check with them first about the financial impact.

Have you had fallings out on your allotment site?

Allotment wars looks at some of the issues that cause havoc

BBC Description of program:
Dishing the dirt on the battles being fought on plots across the UK. Filmed over seven months, during the planting, growing and harvesting seasons, Allotment Wars shows what happens when strangers are thrust together on the land with too much time on their hands and too many sharp tools.

Plotholders often face attacks from outsiders. In Kent, following a series of break-ins, two brave gardeners hunt a suspect in the local woods. However in Devon, there is a civil war brewing between the plotholders themselves. Prize vegetables are being snatched and sheds ransacked, and it looks like an inside job. What can the site committee do to combat the saboteurs?

Nearly 100,000 Britons are on allotment waiting lists. This high demand means that the pressure to maintain plots is equally high. If allotmenteers fail, eviction looms. A young plotholder in Manchester struggles to avoid such a fate.

In Newcastle, two men fight for the title of Champion City Gardener. Regular participants in the fiercely competitive vegetable shows, these rivals have not spoken for years and tension mounts as they face each other at the annual City Allotment and Garden Show.

Some people think this is over-dramatising allotments in a bad way. But it will show things that have happened to people I know online – arson that seems to be due to internal disputes. Power mad committee members ignoring rules and much more!