Awww now they all know !!

[picman]

You healthy lottys

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3296023/Stay-healthy-spending-30-minutes-allotment-Single-gardening-session-instantly-reduce-stress-fatigue-boost-self-esteem.html?login#readerCommentsCommand-message-field

[picman]

[Digeroo]

Not sure I like them implying you can manage an allotment with 30 minutes a week.  It  leads to stressful things like being evicted.

30 minutes might be a minimum for good health but not for a healthy allotment.

It will simply lead to long waiting lists and frustrated newbies.

[pumkinlover]

Not sure how being allotment secretary fits in

[galina]

Not sure how being allotment secretary fits in

Different category altogether - allotment secretaries are (mostly) 

[caroline7758]

My husband was prescribed exercise for depression. He helped me dig my raspberries up and his Fitbit told him that had done more good than an hour at the gym.

[johhnyco15]

yes another load of wanna bees who last last a season omg another load of letters to write

[sparrow]

Is it possible to stop being awful about newcomers to allotments on an allotment forum?

It is really discouraging as a relative newcomer to constantly read on here that no one new is good enough. It's an engrossing hobby, but it is just a hobby. And allotments are supposed to be there for everyone to be able to try, not just those who've done it for years.

This isn't aimed solely at you johhnyco15, there seems to be a lot of it about at the moment. Maybe it's early onset Winter Grumps? :)

[squeezyjohn]

Is it possible to stop being awful about newcomers to allotments on an allotment forum?

It is really discouraging as a relative newcomer to constantly read on here that no one new is good enough. It's an engrossing hobby, but it is just a hobby. And allotments are supposed to be there for everyone to be able to try, not just those who've done it for years.

This isn't aimed solely at you johhnyco15, there seems to be a lot of it about at the moment. Maybe it's early onset Winter Grumps? :)

Hear hear ... it's impossible for anyone new to know how hard and indeed how rewarding an allotment can be if they never get the chance to experience it.  There's a definite underlying attitude out there amongst many allotmenters (not just on this forum) that all new (and dare I say it ... younger people) are bad news.  It's absolutely not the case that all new people are bad at it and expect it to be an easy life ... but we all go through the learning curve and there's nothing like learning from your own mistakes!

What chance does the allotment movement have if all newcomers are labeled as "wannabes who last a season" before they've even stuck a spade in the ground?  If only old farts are any good at gardening, who will ever replace the old stalwarts as they die off one by one?  The local councils might just as well sell them all of for flats if that's the attitude! 

[woodypecks]

I agree with Sparrow .....although for me , it isn't  " just a hobby "        most gardening folk  that I know , are only too happy to share seeds and cuttings and lean on their gardening forks ,chat,n, pass on their knowledge . 

[caroline7758]

If you read the whole article it's about more than just allotments and suggests community allotments and more green space in general. I think all allotment sites should offer plots of different sizes so that people who want to grow their own but don't have enough time for a full size one can still get the benefit. (I know a lot of them already do).

[Deb P]

Re the 30 minutes a week comment, I have a copy of "the half hour allotment" book which is widely misinterpreted to support this as an achievable aim. However when you read it, it actually is more of a guide to help you make best use of your available time, ie only growing the less fussy crops, and. How to prioritise tasks such as weeding, harvesting maintenance etc. It stresses the importance of little and often visits achieving more than occasional all day visits, 30 minutes being the minimum several times a week not just once!

It also mentions the subtle pressure of trying to 'keep up with the Jones's" that new allotmenteers may experience, and it advises against trying to have the same standards as  plotholders who have the luxury of unlimited time to garden and socialise to boot. Our plotholders guide mentions "there will be times in everyone's life when tending your plot will not be your highest priority" but emphasises the need to keep communicating with the committee if you are experiencing such a situation.....I've been in that situation twice in the past few years and even as an experienced plotholder you can feel a bit if a victim of your own previous high standards if you neglect your ply for a while, so it isn't just applicable to newbies.

[johhnyco15]

yes there is a place for newcomers we welcome you all however don't put down all those unpaid volunteers who after you all have had your fill and are fed up with the mess you have made leave to us to sort out for the next generation of unpaid volunteers who get moaned at every week by somebody who says theres a place for us and don't turn up and the weeds get higher   yes theres a place for new blood but articles like this are not realistic and give people the wrong impression of how hard a plot is to maintain and to get crops from

[squeezyjohn]

I haven't made a mess for you! 

I haven't made a mess for anyone!

I have taken a mess of thick head-high perennial weeds and brambles and brought it under cultivation in a way that is for the main part tidy.

During the season I have generally visited every day or every couple of days.

Yet I have still been subjected to exactly the kind of unpleasant attitude being mentioned here assuming I would be useless and that I could not cope because I'm not over 65.  If I had known that this would be the case then I would certainly have thought twice about taking my plot on!  Fortunately I have now proved myself ... but everyone should be given the chance to learn and get it right!

I agree that the article is wrong that you can manage a full allotment on 30 minutes a week ... certainly it takes more than that ... but some of these new allotments are tiny compared to a full plot and who knows - it might be possible once you've got it under control.

[johhnyco15]

I haven't made a mess for you! 

I haven't made a mess for anyone!

I have taken a mess of thick head-high perennial weeds and brambles and brought it under cultivation in a way that is for the main part tidy.

During the season I have generally visited every day or every couple of days.

Yet I have still been subjected to exactly the kind of unpleasant attitude being mentioned here assuming I would be useless and that I could not cope because I'm not over 65.  If I had known that this would be the case then I would certainly have thought twice about taking my plot on!  Fortunately I have now proved myself ... but everyone should be given the chance to learn and get it right!

I agree that the article is wrong that you can manage a full allotment on 30 minutes a week ... certainly it takes more than that ... but some of these new allotments are tiny compared to a full plot and who knows - it might be possible once you've got it under control.

i dont know you and cannot be held to account for your site as i said we welcome newcomers and if you were on our site you would find it a very freindly  site  where any new person would be given all the support and help they require and let me tell you also we have a range of ages from 23 to 94 the only thing you have to do on our  you have to do is your best and i stand by my comments these sort of articles help no one

[pumkinlover]

Maybe just a gentle reminder that this article is more about the benefits of healthy outdoor exercise than advice on how to manage your allotment. That is something we can hopefully agree to agree on 

[Deb P]

Absolutely. There is a lot of satisfaction from contact with the soil and seeing (literally) the fruits of your labours coming to fruition. Working in a hospital I get withdrawal symptoms if I can't get out in the fresh air after a few working days on the trot, and much prefer to garden than do more formal exercise or go to a gym. Allotmenteering is a much more enjoyable way to stay both physically and mentally fit and you get to eat better too!

[Redalder]

I can understand that taking on a full sized plot might be a shock to someone who has not had the opportunity to grow stuff before. Perhaps it would help to have a few small starter plots for beginners on each site which they could use to get experience before applying to move on when a full sized plot became available. A small mess is easier to clear up and committees could asses beginners before letting them loose on a valuable main plot.

[lottie lou]

Re. Small starter plots.  Constantly bring this up at meetings but I am always ignored.  When I did question why my suggestiond were ignoed the reply was that they were silly suggestions anyway.  Maybe its because our plot have loads of empty plots.

[johhnyco15]

Re. Small starter plots.  Constantly bring this up at meetings but I am always ignored.  When I did question why my suggestiond were ignoed the reply was that they were silly suggestions anyway.  Maybe its because our plot have loads of empty plots.

we did put this in place 8 half plots with a shed to rent so there was no outlay so people could give it a try one prob they all liked it so much they all stayed on the half plots they love it so this winter we trying again and turn 2 more plots into so called starter plots with shed and see how that goes

[Headgardener22]

Re. Small starter plots.  Constantly bring this up at meetings but I am always ignored.  When I did question why my suggestiond were ignoed the reply was that they were silly suggestions anyway.  Maybe its because our plot have loads of empty plots.

On our allotments a half-cultivated plot is considered better than an uncultivated plot. If a full plot is too much, then we are happy to let people cultivate half of the plot (again we have empty plots)