Celebrate and Share the Harvest

The pandemic has raised the profile for a healthier lifestyle and wellbeing, be it physical and mental exercise or better nutrition, diet and good ‘fresh’ food. Even the fast food outlets have realised that we need more fresh food and that we can’t live on carbs, processed food and heavily sweetened and salted food alone. Consumers have been increasingly wary of sugar and salt levels and supermarkets that have all but destroyed seasonality and wonky food and are now realising that ‘shrinkwrapped and perfect’ 365 x 24 may not be the solution sought by all.

I can still remember my childhood and those bountiful and colourful harvest festivals. Each autumn school halls and church halls were decorated, and everyone brought in their own grown produce of all shapes and sizes to celebrate and share the harvest. We still have Harvest festivals, but we now have less space, and many people have lost or never learnt the skills or had the confidence to grow their own.

Our waiting list, like many others, has exploded over the lockdown period and continues to grow with people wanting to grow, enjoy fresh food and improve their health and wellbeing. There are no quick fixes to meeting this demand, and understanding the true latent demand is an interesting challenge especially in the urban and inner cities.

Allotments today can often produce more than the plot holder’s families can consume. Allotments are not allowed to sell produce to the public and when all the pickling, jam, chutney, freezing and wine opportunities have been exhausted, we often find there are still excesses.

Last week there was a wonderful picture on Social Media of a fantastic harvest of food a plot holder had donated to their local food bank. This is to be commended and it was not for commercial gain. Also last week I discussed opportunities to donate on a site, or even borough basis, with a local church whose parish together with other dominations run a food bank and who this year have been supplying food boxes to those needing direct assistance. Throughout the country, allotments and plot holders have programmes to donate their excess produce to many worthy initiatives and long may this continue and be encouraged.

The question is, can we do it better?

Last year we contributed our site excess plus produce grown at our Canary Wharf allotment to a local kitchen. It’s was not always easy to collect, very unpredictable and obviously has to be delivered ‘fresh’ at the right time. We also had talks about linking the kitchen to another charity that could train youngsters how to prepare and cook the produce.

One challenge we have is that we have such an ethnic mix of cultures that there is often more exotic food than traditional and donating non-traditional food to the wrong audience can be a wasted exercise and visa versa. We spoke to some charities who ran kitchens and they declined food on the basis we could not guarantee supply and more importantly they really wanted was tinned, dry goods more than fresh. This was what both the cooks and clients expected. It is no good presenting someone who desperately needs food with a plate of patti pans, yellow courgettes, mangetout and black potatoes.

So the answers are not simple: there are no one size fits all, and often its also down to the logistics of getting the right produce to the right place, right people and at the right time. Real ‘fresh’ and organic produce often doesn’t have that supermarket extended shelf life.

Perhaps it’s the perfect time for council allotment sites to actively involve local charities and health bodies in their allotments and extend their appreciation of health and wellbeing. After all, allotment benefits are far greater than Parks and Open Space.

The balance of benefits from keeping any initiative local, against extending it to cover a borough or even larger community is an interesting one. Dealing with different ethnic and cultural tastes is another. However we should be cognisant that our allotments are community land and we are privileged to have it and work it, and finding ways to share the harvest with those less fortunate should always be on the agenda.

The Great Plot Divide

Its great to read every day about folk getting their first plot. The enthusiasm and raw desire to get started is clearly conveyed in their postings and brings back memories of when we all got that starter plot. Often overgrown and neglected, full of weeds and with a shed which often was a living tribute to the adhesive properties of gaffer tape and DIY skills, it still a plot. That first plot was for all of us our first step on the ladder to so much.

The time it takes to get a plot varies according to where you live, in some cases plots are waiting to be taken, in others you may have to wait twenty years and still may never get one. Demand varies significantly with metropolitan and inner city plots being the hardest to get. Some say that's life, others something needs to be done, but the disparity between plot rich and plot poor is growing and plot poverty exists even today in our enlightened, environmentally and community world.

Some will say 'so what' and we don't have a problem and ignore the high waiting lists and latent demand that exists in some areas. It's no longer acceptable to view allotments in isolation and growing food is becoming a need that allotments alone can't solve.

Allotments were created and enshrined in law because the social economic and community benefits were seen and the need to give a better life, nutrition and escape for many caught in the squalor on the poor industrial areas of the late 19th century or working in rural areas with little or no space within the land hierarchy of the day.

So what about today?

At least four application every week are added to our already long waiting list. They ask, 'How long do I have to wait?'

You have to respond that you can't say and that the current top of the list has waited four years, but its impossible to predict because there are so many factors and virtually all are outside your control. The one certainty is that many will never see that starter plot and those that do will have had to wait a very long time.

Still they want to be in the list.

The only other waiting list that springs to mind that is similar in length is for social housing and again there is huge variance between different locations and again metropolitan and inner cities have the longest lists.

Interestingly and not to be overlooked, allotments are often the only place where diverse cultures and ethnic backgrounds, together with a wide range of ages and social backgrounds, all mix together with a common interest and love of growing. This in itself demonstrates what a great social leveller and integrator allotment growing is today.

Can anything be done or is it just a sign of the times and down to the multiple demands for and availability of land?

Some are against cutting plot sizes down, which is a nice luxury to support and easily in plot rich low waiting list areas, but is it supportable in plot poor high waiting list areas? Like many urban and metropolitan sites our full plots are not 250 square metres but 100 square metres maximum and 10% of our plots are half that and our waiting list is over 200% oversubscribed today.

There is little hope of any new open space, the competition for civic open space is acute and we have to do things differently and work differently and not ignore those waiting but embrace them and find ways of involving them or getting them gardening. Perhaps we have to look at different forms of membership, working with other groups and unlocking this great demand and not ignore it. A helping the local authorities and planners to think holistically at the issue.

Some have said community gardens are not allotments and nothing to do with allotments. The spaces used are often temporary and open to all. I say this is both naive and disingenuous to those who just want to grow. Perhaps we need to help embrace community gardening and work with others to create a new community model.

Some say that they wish they could organise transport and bring the long waiting lists for some areas to areas with little or no waiting lists. This fails to recognise that allotments and communities are joined at the hip and the close proximity of allotments to housing is key and 'busing' folk to land breaks that important connection.

The solutions, the initiatives, the awareness and changing or starting to address plot poverty will be different for different areas. If we try to find ways to engage with and involve the waiting list the rewards could be significant for all. Can we afford to turn our back on the issue in some resignation  that we

are ok and its someone else's problem. We must end this inward looking perspective otherwise we are in danger of loosing the very essence of why allotments were enshrine and protected in statute.

Let's work at at least reducing plot poverty and closing the divide between plot rich and plot poor. 

Waiting Lists and Demand for Allotments

Russian dachas

There is a significant increase in demand for allotments today and this is especially visible in urban sites where the scarcity of land is often forcing plots to be split. Is demand now outstripping supply and is this a temporary blip or a more lasting issue that needs to be addressed in a different way?

The allotment is not unique to the UK and they exist all over Europe, Russia and North America. How they are run can differ significantly between countries and many were first established in the 19^th century to offer an escape for the poor from the industrial environment and associated squalor they were living in. They evolved alongside civic libraries and parks all aimed at enriching the quality of life for all. The plots of land were made available for individual, non-commercial gardening or growing of food.

Anna Lindhagen, a Swedish social-democratic leader, visited allotment gardens in Copenhagen in the 19^th century and wrote about the benefits of allotment gardens:

‘For the family, the plot of land is a uniting bond, where all family members can meet in shared work and leisure. The family father, tired with the cramped space at home, may rejoice in taking care of his family in the open air, and feel responsible if the little plot of earth bestows a very special interest upon life.’

Since 1926 some three million European allotment gardeners have been represented by the Luxembourg based ‘Office International du Coin de Terre et des Jardins Familiaux’. They describe allotments as offering:

‘An improved quality of life, an enjoyable and profitable hobby, relaxation, and contact with nature. For children, gardens offer places to play and to learn about nature, while for the unemployed, they offer a feeling of doing something useful as well as low-cost food. For the elderly and disabled, gardens offer an opportunity to meet people, to share in activity with like-minded people, and to experience activities like planting and harvesting.’

Norwegian allotments

Both quotes really some up the value allotments can give their users and the community.

Many European allotments differ significantly to the model adopted in the UK. Many became out of town retreats and allowed for a temporary residence during the summer period.  Russia developed Dachas which means something given in the time of Peter the Great and some would suggest that some of these retreats became elitist during the 20^th century. Many Russian villages now have dachniki as temporary residents. Some villages have been fully transformed into dacha settlements, while some older dacha settlements often look like more permanent lodgings. In North America allotments are referred to as community gardens and can be quite small with starter plots being only 1.5 mt square.

Allotments in the UK have often have swung in and out of demand. As the population prospered and the quality of life rose their popularity waned but in times of hardship and war and general recession their popularity rose. In 1873 there were some 244,268 plots in the UK but by 1918 just after the First World War this had risen to 1,117,000.In the 1940s there were 1,400,000 but by the late 60s this had shrunk to 600.000 and by 2009 shrunk further to 300,000. The Thorpe report in 1969 stated that the declines was down to the country being, ’more affluent, decline in land, and the growth in other leisure activities.’

There is always the question of latent demand which is not consistent across all allotments and can vary significantly even within a region and between urban and rural areas. In March 2008 The Guardian published an article, ‘Coming up roses? Not any more as UK gardeners turn to vegetables.’ In the article they claimed in 2007, ‘Sales of vegetable seeds rose 7% last year and Britain, with a population of more than 60.5 million people, may now be growing as much at home as it did during the second world war’. It went on to quote Geoff Stokes, the then Secretary of the National Society for Allotments, ‘There are roughly 330,000 allotment holders in the UK but waiting lists are growing fast,’ he said. ‘Demand has increased considerably in the last few months alone. It seems there is a complete lifestyle change taking place. 

‘As many as 100,000 people are on allotment waiting lists,’ said Neil Dixon, the chairman of the National Allotments Trust. This figure is not substantiated within the article. Attempts to establish the size of the lists using FOI (Freedom of Information Requests) in London boroughs met with mixed responses. ‘In Scotland and some towns in northern England, the waiting list is nearly as long as the number of people holding allotments,’ Dixon claimed. ‘Almost every council is now under pressure to provide more. Many are now trying to cut plots in half or less.’

Demand for a plot on our allotments has risen sharply over the last couple of years. The current pandemic has seen this rise again sharply to a point where we have over 200 waiting for one of our 100 plots and we currently have an annual turnover of less than 10%. It’s not hard to do the maths.

Authorities have failed miserably to provide the ‘15 allotments for every 1,000 households’ recommended within the Thorpe report. That was 50 years ago and times have changed, populations have changed, and the demand for land and to provide commercial buildings and residential housing continued unabated. It is pointless to quote the Thorpe report today as it will fall on deaf ears. Today is more about civic and community planning, welfare strategy, environmental planning and joining up those dots in local government that some would suggest exist in different rooms.

Allotment demand will increase as residential housing in urban areas continues to shift to garden-less skyscrapers and awareness in ecological issues and climate change rises. Finding answers may not be about providing more allotments but about developing growing and community strategies which include allotments and even nutritional knowledge as part of the answer and not the answer itself.

Allotment in the Sky

This week we were given permission to return to tend our Society allotment plot at the new Queen Elizabeth Crossrail rooftop garden at Canary Wharf. Since lock-down we have not been allowed to work the allotment and today we have to observe some new clothing requirements and don our high visibility jackets and thick gardening gloves. Everyone who works on the allotment must be licenced to do so by the Canary Wharf Group.

The original idea of an allotment in these precious roof top gardens was conceived by our ex Chair and now National Society Mentor, Paula Owen. What made her think of it remains a mystery, but it was clearly a stroke of genius and a tribute to her gardening passion. Last year our allotments were given the space by our sponsors Canary Wharf Group and we set about transforming the plot into a diverse and all year-round plot. The gardens themselves won an award in 2019 under the Blooming Britain contest and our plot, be it small, is now firmly part of the gardens.

Our Vice Chair Tatiana drove Paula’s vision into reality and established the gardens with the help of a team of volunteers, some members and some from our waiting list, and created a plot to be proud of. 

The initial planting was attended by Jeff Barber, our London Chair and National Regional Representative, and the volunteers have included the children from our school plot.

The plot is maintained on a regular basis and under Tatiana’s supervision and aims to demonstrate to all the many garden visitors and Canary Wharf workers who take their breaks and relax there what can be grown in a small space and the work of the local allotments on the Island.

Tatiana has a new community greenhouse back at the allotments which is always overflowing with plants which are primarily for the roof top allotment but also given to members via the plant swaps and giveaways she organises.

Canary Wharf Group has been a great supporter of the allotments and we also benefit from deliveries of used coffee granules from the many cafes within the malls and bamboo canes cut from the exotic part of the gardens.

Today we turned up, tidied up removing the leggy spinach and overgrown herbs and then set about planting out beans, chillies, tomatoes, a cola plant and squash and admired the Cape gooseberries already setting their fruit. All the produce we harvest from the allotment is given to a local kitchen run for the community by the Mudchute Farm.

When I look at the plot, I am drawn not by the diversity of what we are growning, the high-rise skyscraper location which is somewhat amazing, but by the opportunity and example it sets. If every developer, not only of enormous commercial and residential areas such as Canary Wharf but of smaller and focused retail developments and residential estates, followed just a fraction of the initiative we have established in Canary Wharf then we could really start to transform gardens, parks, open space from look-but-don’t-touch heavily managed often low maintenance environments into community engaging growing areas which could make a huge difference to the quality of life for many and help educate everyone about fresh produce and healthy eating.

My thanks to Canary Wharf Group and to our team for making it happen.   

Has the perception of allotments changed in the last few weeks?

There are many different perspectives of allotments, allotment folk and the value they provided to the community. Views will vary greatly, and some from outside may be far adrift from reality. The views of the value allotments give their plot holders will also differ by demographic and ethnic mix. But whatever the view held we must respect perception often trumps all.

Some views may be tainted by the length of waiting lists and in today’s instant gratification times, view allotments as elitist and plots unobtainable. Others may look through the gates and take the view that they often resemble a ramshackle shanty town. Others will look with envy at the fresh vegetables and jealously yearn for the good life. The perception will obviously vary significantly between rural and urban, suburban and inner-city sites. Some even see them as a sort of day care centre for the retired.

Over the years allotments have gone in and out of fashion. Often in times of hardship they attract attention, whilst in times of plenty and affluence they may lose that attraction.

As a result of the current Covid virus has perception of allotments changed?

One thing is very clear is that the profile of allotments and the benefits they offer has been raised. It may be increased column inches in the weekend broadsheets, or even the five-minute sound bite on TV but six months ago there would have been none.

Perhaps two things have helped to raise the profile. The first was the supermarket queues and the awakening that we as a society had become too dependent on the one stop shop, the perfect all year-round fresh food that knows no seasonality. When you start to add up the air miles and extended supply chains and things done to preserve freshness maybe you realise that there is fresh and there is fresh. The second profile raiser was the fact that allotments remained open all hours and even government ministers classed them as exercise. Later they were lauded as providing both mental well-being as well as physical exercise.

In areas of dense housing and where the shift from houses to flats often in the sky prevails, the loss of growing space or even meaningful open space is acute. Here in London’s Docklands we have the highest density of residential housing in Western Europe and everything new reaches into the sky in little boxes piled on top of each other. There is some open space but that is often managed by the estate to provide the lowest maintenance option and community gardening is rarely encouraged or provided.

It is ironic that allotments as we know them today are only some 100 to 150 years old. They were developed to provide, along with parks and libraries, a release from the industrial sprawl and to give householders a piece of land to grow on. Today the industrial sprawl has been replaced by concrete, glass and commercial and residential sprawl and yet we have less space than we did a 100 years ago or even 50 years ago. Some would suggest that we now have longer waiting lists and latent demand than at any time in the history of allotments.

I was once told by a Mayor of a borough that his colleagues were the problem and that they viewed allotments ‘as the lowest of the low.’ Well if there was ever a reason to change perception that was it.  Today even the hardest councils have had to keep allotments open and respect the benefits they give. Folk who thought gardening was something their parents and grandparents did have started to discover its many benefits and the closure of garden centres has in fact help raise awareness even further.

But perception must be changed and allotments have to continue to help that change happen. Allotments are integral to the community. They are environmental standard bearers, centres of both mental and physical well-being, educational stimulants, ethnic and social melting pots.

I often state to doubting eyes that only 28% of our plot holders are retired, only a minority are English origin and so on. These are small facts, but perception changes.

We do not judge the longest bean, the fattest leek, the straightest carrot. In fact, we celebrate the community outreach program we have and embrace environmental initiatives and projects.

Finally, I strongly believe that allotments do not stop at the fence and these physical barriers do not stop the allotments fully integrating into the community in many ways. Children may learn some basic gardening at school but where do we expect them to continue this after leaving school? Where do the disabled or long term sick go who are unable to physically manage a garden? How do we ensure social housing also has social gardening?

The city planners need to think holistically about the city-scapes they are responsible for developing and ensure that the various green and welfare needs highlighted by the current situation are not a lost opportunity. We can change not just perceptions but reality.   

Working in Lockdown at the Allotments

We are all a bit Covid 19 worn out. Newspapers cover every aspect of it starting at the front page and ending on the back Sports page. TV do not restrict it to the News but spread it across the schedules between repeats and old films and subject us to those Skype ‘talking heads’ from their own homes. It’s interesting to see what the homes look like, or what they want us to see. Zoom has become the big Social media winner facilitating exercise classes and conference calls. But has much changed down on the allotment?

It was soon made clear that allotments were exercise and could be attended but as with every allotment up and down the country we all had to quickly adapt and implement new temporary guidelines and rules. The farm which surrounds us went into lockdown around its core animal areas so restricting our site access but bringing home the need to exercise common sense and protect ourselves and others. Our allotment at the new Crossrail gardens at Canary Wharf became out of bounds and still is today. We had to work with Canary Wharf Group as we still grew the plants but could not plant them as things were on hold. It has been like growing for Chelsea, or several Chelsea’s without the show.

Meetings were cancelled and some would suggest little missed. Seed swaps and Plant swaps had to change but still were.

There were more notices pinned to noticeboards, gates and sent via email. We found ourselves generating notices as things evolved but thankfully are now able to consolidate these onto one A4 sheet (see the consolidated sheet at end of this article).

When folk were uncertain, worried, and often unable to attend their plot there was little point in plot inspections and they were cancelled.

We had to establish who was ‘shielded’, who was caring for someone in the high-risk category and who for whatever reason were wishing to stay away. We then established if those plot holders were happy for use to organise ‘buddies’ to look after their plots so when they did return it wasn’t a jungle and back to square one. Today we have around a dozen plots being looked after and authorised via our Secretary in advance. (T the top of the article is a picture of my neighbour's plot which is being looked after while they are unable to get to the plot).

We quickly restricted site access to plot holders and their children under 16. Fires and BBQs were banned. Social distancing, cleanliness processes, non-sharing of tools and use of water trough and tap guidelines posted.

One challenge many faced in the early weeks was getting compost and other essentials when the stores were closed.

Weeks later we have most of the site looking better than ever, and folk helping each other out. There have been some issues, but these have been quickly resolved and this is with our Secretary in isolation and stuck up North, out Site Manager in isolation with his mum and others juggling many challenges.

Coming out of lockdown it isn’t going to be hard. We are pleased to state that to date we have not had any casualties to the virus.  Some may choose to not come back to their plots but I expect the majority will and a new normal life will pick up.

The things we have probably learnt through this is the value allotments bring to our physical and mental health and wellbeing, the neighbours and community we can rely on to help and the privilege we have in having our plots when many others have so little space.

Applications to join have sky rocketed over the last period and surly it now time local authorities, together with housing associations, care groups, schools and others started to take a holistic strategy on use of open spaces and community growing, education and care.

Important Consolidated Notice 14/05/20 With the continuation of the current Lockdown it is important that we all follow the temporary measures that we have put in place and that are in line with both Regional and National guidelines.

YES keep working your plots, YES keep social distancing, YES use gloves if possible 

NO fires or barbecues, NO visitors

1.     No visitors are allowed without written authorisation from Secretary, (please supply plot and name details), which will not be unreasonably denied but not be brought to suite on all visits. Registered plot holders can continue to attend their plots. No social access will be granted.

2.     Children under 16 may attend with their parents as long as they reside at same house and must be supervised at all times and not go wandering around the site and onto on others plots.

3.     No fires or BBQs are permitted until further notice

4.     Over 70s or either have an underlying health issue, are pregnant, or have received a ‘shielded ‘ notice from government should notify inform the Secretary and follow guidance and information updated daily by the government and are not encouraged to attend and it will be at their own risk and they will not be insured.

5.     Social distance must always be adhered to 

6.     Please pay attention to the notice boards on entry and take note of any notices posted as information can change on a daily basis. 

7.     No Working on other plots is permitted unless authorised in advance.

8.     Gloves are recommended on entry and retained during stay.

9.     Cleanliness is vital so please do not share tools with others and only take water from the troughs and avoid touching ballcocks. Use the taps that are on site provide clean water for medicine and washing hands but please wipe the tap handle clean after use.

10.Access to upper plots is currently restricted to upper gate

If you are unable to work the plot due to government restrictions and would like someone to help maintain it then please contact the Secretary, Site 

‘Come on down’ you have won a Starter Plot!

We all submit our application for a plot and wait. Like waiting to win the lottery it can take a very long time. Sometimes, we may get updates from the Society informing us where we are in the queue, sometime out of frustration we ask and are told, ‘our plots are very busy at this time, you are now fiftieth in the queue and we will be in touch when you get to the top of the list.’

You find yourself passing the allotments and peering in through the fence and dreaming of that smart looking plot full of vegetables with a freshly painted shed to boot. You avert your eyes from the one next to it that resembles Tracy Emin’s ‘My Bed’, knee high in nettles and an assortment of weeds and a shed that looks as it may collapse if you applied a coat of paint to its fragile surface. You dream of what you can grow and the exotic vegetables you will try to grow and of course the bumper harvests you will reap.

You can’t wait to be one of that select group ‘an allotment holder’ and wear it as a badge of honour and talking point at social gatherings.

The day comes and you receive that call to attend the site as you are now finally top of the list and a plot is now awaits. You have won the lottery; your long wait has been rewarded and you spend time trying on different gardening attire so you can make the right impression. That list of tools you have quietly been compiling comes out of the draw and the reality of the investment starts to sink in.

You arrive onsite to be greeted by the Secretary, Site Manager, Treasurer or whoever performs the induction course. First there is a quick tour and welcomes from those on the plots. Where is everyone you find yourself asking? I thought once you had a plot you would spend every daylight moment working the soil, having endless cups of tea with fellow plot holders, whilst you discuss, seeds, plants, composting and plots.

Most plots turn over either at the end of the season when the plots need putting to bed for winter, or the beginning of the season when they need preparing for the season ahead. These are often the periods of hardest work and least reward. On top of which starter plots often have become available for a reason, which often means that they haven’t been fully or consistently worked. If you are lucky you may get a plot where the current occupier is moving to another plot so it’s in relatively good shape, but this is more the exception than the norm. I remember my plot had been cleared but not dug over and the extension i was offered was waste high in brambles, weeds and even had a concrete pond hidden under the jungle.

Next the paperwork, the rules, the checks and the exchange of money. At this point you let it wash over your head. After all you can read it all when you get home and its cheap, or relatively cheap and how many rules can an allotment need?

The plot may not the one you admired through the fence but more often Tracy’s ‘Bed’. Your heart may sink a bit, but you have a plot and envisage little problems as you’ll soon get it in order. during those early days you keep reassuring yourself.

According to your experience and what the state of the plot you inherit, that first season can be hard. The effort together with the set-up costs is often underestimated. Many do appreciate the amount of effort and time needed.

At our allotments, we give new members half ‘starter’ plots and encourage them to work their way into it. After all you have to train to run a marathon and few can just turn up and run it. After a season and if they have worked it then they can apply to move to a full plot. Some are happy to remain on half plots, some just want a plot and to them size doesn’t matter!

Importantly, after that long wait you have finally joined and become an allotment holder   

Love to hear your starter experience and lessons learnt