Define Cultivation & Recovering Plots

It is often asked what is cultivation of a plot, and what does it look like?  

This can be a difficult question to answer, and can be a real bone of contention between the plot holder and the inspecting person.  Fundamentally during plot inspections, plots are being viewed to see that they are actively being worked, neat and tidy and as weed free as possible. 

If you are a site rep on an allotment you know the hard core tenants that are there on a regular basis, and the tenants have been away all over Winter and have still not surfaced by the Easter holidays. They are the ones that will be getting a no cultivation notice because of excessive weed growth of the plot or beds have not been covered up for the Winter.      

Below is the story of plot 3A on Mill Green In my opinion this plot was never cultivated by the plot holder from 2013 when I took on the role of Site Rep. 

The bulk of the photos date back to 2021 and demonstrate in my view what Cultivation isn't and what it does not look like!

The tenant on this plot had been, and I use the term really loosely, working the plot since 2007. This particular tenant had two half plots on the allotment site, this one and another he took on two years later in 2009. It's difficult to use that plot as an example because he turned it into a fortress that was near impossible to look into let alone see if there was any cultivation going on inside or even if he was on the allotment.  

This google earth photo dates back to the 19th July 2013 and which was in my first full year on the allotment site. As can be seen trees were well established on both plots 3A and 11A 

Plot 3A is to the left of the path beside the shed on plot 4A in the photo above (2021). 

The vegetation, brambles and trees were trimmed back by the plot 4A tenant as the plot 3A tenant would not trim them back when growing over the shared footpath.  

The rear of plot 3A looking from the path between plot 3A and plot 4A

Plot 3A from the path between plot 3A and plot 4A 

Plot 3A from the path between plot 3A and plot 4A 

Plot 3A from the path between plot 3A and plot 4A. The plot holder had managed to obtain roof joist from the demolition of the building next to the allotment and had laid them out as if there were beds inside that were being worked, no vegetables were ever grown or harvested from this plot only blackberries were harvested from this plot. 

Plot 3A from the path between plot 3A and plot 4A 

Plot 3A from the path between plot 3 and plot 4 the green store is another plot 3

Plot 3A from the path from plot 2

Plot 3A from the path between plot 3A and plot 2 the wheelbarrows are on the path between the two plots and belong to the plot 3A tenant, who liked to spread and would not maintain the vegetation and trees from growing over the path with plot 4A.  

Plot 3A from the path between plots 2 and 3A with the front of the shed of plot 4A in the background behind the group of trees. 

The allotment site didn't have a site rep until I took over my plot in 2012 and I became the site rep in 2013 at the request of the then council allotment admin officer as I was asking questions about resourcing woodchips and manure and the possibility of getting a replacement notice board. None of the existing tenants wanted to be a site rep and had no objections to me taking on the role.

As site reps we would take photos of the plots and supply them to the allotment officer so they could determine if a no cultivation notice should be sent to the plot holder and given 28 days to improve the state of the allotment or if not accomplished or significant improvement achieved and a further time period being granted, they would get a termination notice. 

The council allotment manager decided to accept this tenants unique method of and again I use the term loosely "working his plot" and I believe it was because he knew the plot was covered in trees, and that the council would not do anything about the trees, and they were just happy that someone would rent what was fundamentally a forest.

The London Borough have stated that they had no money and would not cut down a healthy tree, and no one would be willing to take the plot on and transform it. 

It was then that I refused to undertake plot inspections because if they were willing to accept this plot as being cultivated how could they ever serve a notice on other plot holders?

After the tenant lost the plot in 2022 for non payment of rent. A couple of plot holders took it on themselves to cut down the 22 trees none of which were fruit trees and to start clearing the debris that was on the site. They gathered as much of the metal on the site and got a local scrap merchant to come and take it. 

A few years before it was forbidden for allotment holders to cut trees down on their plots especially if a ladder needed to be climbed, however the council softened their rule on this and were willing to turn a blind eye. 

This was the state of play in 2023 after some allotment plot holders had cut down the trees and and started to remove debris from the plot. The timbers that had formed the fake beds in the inside the plot were repurposed to define the border of the path between plot 3A and 4A and make it easier to trim and maintain.  

With the trees removed and debris exposed we were hoping that the council and idverde would take the opportunity we have created to come and remove the logs and debris from the plot, and grind or dig out the tree stumps so the plot could be let to one of the 43 people on our waiting list. 

  View of plot 3A from Plot 2

By June 2023 with the canopy of trees that actually prevented much growing on the inside of the plot, mother nature decided to re take the ground and the weeds flourished. 

I had been having arguments with the council for the last few years that our rents when into the revenue budget, and that a very small proportion was directed back to allotments and as stakeholders we expected a significant amount to be allocated for allotment use. I requested a freedom of information act on where the money was going and what it was being used for.  

Nettles, brambles and the curse that is bindweed taking a foot hold and once again covering the debris that was still on the plot. Sutton council would not pay idverde to come and remove the debris whist it was exposed and now it was getting covered up again. 

The annual Site Reps meeting with the London Borough of Sutton and idverde took place on the 21st June 2024. I had been chasing for the financial information for months promised at the last meeting and what information that was issued was a list of the things we do for allotment with very little actual financial information going back the the amount of revenue brought in and the costs associated with the running and maintenance of the allotments.

At the reps meeting I was informed that stump grinding would take place, on the 18th July 2024 however by now all the work the plot holders had done to clear the weeds was undone. I believe the only reason these works were listed for this year was that the parks department knew I was not going to give up and exposing that revenue created by the allotment stakeholders was not coming back to allotments, but being used for other pet parks projects. 

A couple of guys turned up to clear plot 3A and start grinding the stumps. I warned then about the debris under, One guy flicked a lump of metal with his bush cutter up which skimmed off his facial visor and pierced his ear Trump style and grazed his ear and head and that was with facial protection. He ended being taken to the hospital for stiches and Tetanus jab.

 

Stump Grinder

Close up of the grinding wheel 

He came back later in the day and continued working, but I'm informed by the plot holder on 4A  that the grinder lifted and fired more buried steel items at the two operatives. 

The plot needed properly clearing of all debris before they consider grinding stumps. Myself and other plot holders have warned them what's below the bind weed and brambles either end of that plot, which they still have not fully uncovered. 

The operatives were informed it was going to be a days work, in reality it proved to be a 5 day task with a 2-3 man man team. 

The contractor disappeared after that first day and for some time were not communicating with the council. I was chasing idverde and the LBS Contracts Manager on a regular basis to try and find out what was happening and once again mother nature took back what clearance they had managed to achieve in that single day.

Idverde weed treated the plot in an attempt to assist and again as the council sat on their hands with their thumbs up there a_ _ _ , mother nature recovered, and again covered the earth, debris and tree stumps with bindweed etc.   

Finally after pressing the Contract Officer for Parks got the contractor to returned on Tuesday 15th October some four months later with a mini digger, dumper and skip (the first of many) and grinder and set off clearing the weeds and debris from both plots 3A, 11 and 11A.

Because the council waited until October to negotiate a return to complete the task. Due to the huge amount of rain we have had the car park and main path has been destroyed by the mechanical plant that has needed to travelling nearly the full length to get to plot 11 & 11A and dump the debris in the skip in the car park. 

Final Skip in the car park on Friday 18th October. Idverde are coming to remove the last of the debris in the car park next to the skip and that still on the ends of plot 3A 

View of the metal gates            Path from the metal gates       Access to other plots 

The plan is to form a woodchip path indicated on the photos above so that all plot holders have a clean access to their plots over winter and in spring for idverde to grass seed the path and at the end of Summer hopefully we can walk on the recovered areas and remove the woodchip temporary path and re seed those areas 

Plot 3A as at Friday 18th October 2024

Plot 3A as at Friday 18th October 2024

Plot 11 before the contractor returned to complete the clearance, removing all the bottles of pee, tree stumps and other buried debris and panes of glass etc.  

Plot 11 as of the 18th October 2024 Still debris to be picked out of the ground but a much better starting point for two new plot holders from our waiting list.