Radio GaGa

 

View from the allotments over the Mudchute Farm

I remember earlier in the year and the TV slot the allotment myself and Lottie featured in. Being constantly bounced from one day to the next, both before filming and once it was in the can. Ten minutes of fame and exposure then you’re gone.

I was approached to do a live radio interview on allotments. Ten minutes on COVID-19 , mental health and allotments. You must think twice as it’s easy to accept, then what? You rarely have journalists beating down your door, there are no lucrative book deals, and you are definitely not going to be booked on prime TV. Lottie my faithful whippet has already starred on the Apprentice, well she looked beautiful as she was given a pedicure and grooming whilst at her dog hotel.

So you scribble down a few points to help get messages across and then one hour before showtime you get bounced because Peter Suttcliffe has died. Can you do Monday at 1400 instead and you say yes and wonder if anyone will die on Monday morning or another news story will prevail?

Fifteen minutes to go, you sit down, check your phone and wait and wait and decide to have a cup of coffee. You take a quick drink with less than five minutes to go and burst into a small coughing fit.

The phone rings.

You compose yourself. Am I live? Am I on mute? Cough again and hope this will stop and is off air.

The programme is in your ear and they are finishing an interview and you are waiting to hear the segue, the introduction, and the next thing you hear is your name and a question you were not exactly expecting.

You have to think on your feet and in the ensuing minutes you find yourself covering many different areas; waiting lists, the history of your site, the diversity and ethnic mix, the pandemic and covering plots, the security we have attained with our 99 year lease, ACV and statuary status and poisonous plants!

You have finished and they go straight into the music ‘Summer in the City ‘ The Lovin Spoonful, and you can’t help but wonder where that link is in the middle of November.

The coffee is cold, the phone is quiet and then the researcher from BBC Radio London says thanks and that’s it.

For all those who missed it, sorry. For all those that heard it, I wish it had been longer, but the radio conveyer belt was running on, and no doubt the next person was coiled waiting to be released.   

To listen to the interview https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p08ws0vw?fbclid=IwAR1YUr4-Wewg_Wiu7Suxlx0IfrKqM0a4vIq_l9GO3Na28Wat_9gVTkQzrLk and skip to 38.39 mins in and the interview finishes 45.50

Voluntary Contributions

 

Can you imagine a volunteer workforce we could have if every site and every plot holder were to give one hour a week to community initiatives? London alone has some 750 sites and more than 30,000 plots and nationally there are over 300,000 plots spread the length and breadth of the country and in every town, city and community. Not only that but every site has a mix of cultures and backgrounds and experience which is both rich in talent and diverse in its mix.

Today I briefly watched as one of our members was pollarding trees, chopping up branches and bundling them up to remove them. Having worked with me earlier in the week he was beavering away by himself in an area of the plots which has long been neglected and become a tangled web of branches and overgrown.

Another member has established our community allotments in Canary Wharf Crossrail station gardens. They not only did it, but with a small handful of volunteers they help maintain it. They organise seed swaps and plant swaps and this year grew some 400 plants to give away to plot holders.

The reality is we all must balance getting things done to maintain the site and working on our own plots. We have to accept that the vast majority just want to turn up, socialise, enjoy the peace of their plot, work it and go home. There is nothing wrong with that and it is probably unreasonable to expect anything more.

Someone told me of a scheme of community service at another site. All plot holders are charged an extra £3 a year. If they do some community work the money is returned; if not it is taken as their contribution to the community. Obviously a very different approach to pure volunteering and not one I think I would support as a willing worker is worth a handful of reluctant ones.

I look at the site and jobs needing to be done. They do not all need doing tomorrow, but it’s easy to spot those which will take a lot of work and will struggle to get the manpower. We have a community greenhouse that blew down a year ago and needs to be rebuilt but it takes two to fix it and this year it has not been possible. We need to start to build a rainwater harvesting system to collect from the pavilion and store and pump to the tanks to reduce mains supply and reliance. We need to sort out an embankment that is slowly collapsing. We need to pollard more trees and maintain those already in hand and much more. Do we give up? No, we love the site too much and it may take longer to finish a project, but we can do it.

This year we have drawn volunteers from the waiting list. It doesn’t get them higher up the list, but it does get them involved. I wonder what they think of the unwillingness of members to pick up the gauntlet and get involved?

This is not a moan about non volunteers but a praise for those who do volunteer, don’t just talk about it, but roll their sleeves up and get stuck in with no reward other than the satisfaction of doing something for the community.  What is amazing is that the person I mentioned at the beginning  isn’t young and is in fact into his eighties and volunteers to work on the farm some 4 days a week and is busy all day long. If only we had a handful like that, but like most sites the work falls on the willing and able minority, and they just get on with it.

Raised Beds Finnished

 

It seems a long time since I started to build my raised beds and although I have been deflected onto other things I have persevered and now they are finished – well almost.

We are fortunate to have had several donations of wooden decking which has had to be removed from the balconies of an estate due to fire risk and these have been used to make the beds. There is more timber now available and it is hoped that others will use this to build their own beds and borders. The last thing we want is to see these go away in a skip or to end up hidden behind an allotment shed for that rainy day project that never seems to happen.

Was it easy – no.

Is it perfect – it is for me.

The hardest part was levelling the space which I thought was level but clearly wasn’t. Building the frames was relatively easy thanks to the length being fairly uniform and the supporting battens coming with them. It just took a lot of screws and timber paint. The tarp was was laid first then cut inside the frames and clot nailed into the frames to provide a lining for the timber and a ground cover for the paths. Existing soil was mixed with used coffee grounds on the base and then covered with a layer of cardboard which was dampened. Then came the fresh soil, compost and manure and I was amazed just how much was needed.

The tarp between the frames was then covered by some reclaimed astro turf to make clean paths.

For the observant you will see I have a flagpole on my plot. It came with the plot and is now in a bed! I grow sweet peas up this and probably will continue to do so. I could raise a flag but I am not into that and probably hang it upside down.

My plot Robin was impressed with the worms i exposed on the initial levelling but is clearly confused by the raised beds and having to eat at the table although he does appreciate that the frames give him the ideal perch to watch over the bed.

Some will say I should not have done this or that or may like the ideas and adapt them, but like many of us, I love to figure it out as I go along. Some say that they should be higher, the paths wider and the frames smaller. I say they work for me.

Next season I now can compare an ordinary plot  flat area which remains as was with these new beds. I can’t wait to get using them and helping others on the site use the timber we have.  

Digging For Victory

Today I would like to share my painting of London dockworkers working their plots in 1942 on the Mudchute Allotments in the East End of London. They were bombed at night and were key workers keeping goods following during the day to keep the country stocked. During their spare time the allotments were their sanctuary and put food on the table. The Mudchute had some 350 plots right next to the docks and also housed an Ack Ack battery to help protect the docks.

I have previously written about the allotments during the War , the seed donations from the US and ceremonial handover to our own East End Dockland plot holders and families .The area occupied by the allotments had suffered extensive bomb damage during the first night of the Blitz in September 1940. The cartons of seeds had a huge impact on morale in the East End of London and in what was a routinely blitzed Docklands. 

The seeds helped produce onions, potatoes, beans, marrows, cabbage, beetroot, lettuces, carrots, turnips and the much needed food to help feed the East End and families that continued to work in the docks through the Blitz and the entire war and land the cargo that was vital to the UK.

Below are some photos of the ceremony and of the seeds being sown.

 

 

The author is indebted to the research and archive provided by Mick Lemmerman and the work and archive of the Island History Trust which enabled this untold story to be written.

Virtual National Allotment AGM and New Job

 

On Saturday we sat patiently waiting looking at our laptop waiting for the National Allotment Society’s (NAS) AGM to Zoom into action.

‘Time for walkies,’ said Lottie as she sat by my side, staring wantonly up at me.

‘Not today. Mummy is taking you out this morning. I’ve got an AGM to attend’ I replied.

She gave me a whippet lost look and ambled back to her bed, flopped down inside and stared back at me with a disappointed look written all over her face.

I click back to the screen which says, ‘Please wait, your host will let you in soon.’ How does the host know Iam here? Why can’t they just ping me and say ‘Hello Martyn, hang on in there we have you logged in to join.’  

For someone who made a living exploiting technology often at the cutting edge and was one of the first to use Skype to communicate with colleagues in US, Australia and then India, I find Zoom frustrating and awkward. I realise it has fast become the conferencing platform of choice. Nodding heads, folk shuffling around and poking their nose not realising we can see them and then the doorbell rings and Zoom hands them the mike!

Another glance at the screen tab and the same, but only 15 minutes to go before 100 nodding heads become exposed and business starts. As we ponder whether to have Zoom, up it pops, and before we know it we have three galleries of 25 mug shots.

The meeting went remarkably well and cleared the agenda and closed promptly on time and was a credit to NAS in their organising. You can certainly hold an AGM if the majority of members are connected and the agenda is kept basic and open discussions are minimised.

So I am now London Region’s Regional Representative as elected by a flurry of waving red cards.

This will change my focus, time and engaging with and learning from as well as representing the London members. Should be demanding and rewarding, but more of that in days and weeks to come. The big question is whether I can continue to write these articles. Again, for tomorrow not today.

However, about these articles. We now have published 100 articles on a wide range of allotment matters and life which have attracted over 22,000 links through to be read, hundreds of Facebook discussions and reactions.

Lottie returns from her walk and runs up to see what I have been up to. Where are all the folk you were meeting with?’ she says looking confusingly round the room.

I reply pointing to the laptop, ‘In there.’

She looks at me and then at the laptop, @You can’t smell them,’ she says and walks away.

A dog’s life thankfully remains devoid of technology and AGMs.

Allotment Community Outreach: 3 From Plot to Community Pot

 

We often forget that the land that most allotments are on is owned not by the Society, or its plot holders, or in fact by the local authority, but by the community. It may be the local parish council, a local council, or a metropolitan borough whose name is on the freehold, but it remains community land and open space.

So how do allotments integrate and work with the community? In this short series of articles, we look at some of those communities and opportunities. There is no right or wrong approach, just opportunities.

3 Sharing from plot to pot

‘We all grew up in communities with grandmothers who cooked two or three vegetables that you had to eat. There were no ifs, ands or buts about it. But that’s because many of our grandparents, they had community gardens; there was a vegetable man that came around. There were many other resources that allowed them to have access. So it’s not that people don’t know or don’t want to do the right thing: they just have to have access to the foods that they know will make their families healthier’.  - Michelle Obama

We may not have grown up in the same community as Michelle Obama but the words ring true of all communities.

We today all have gluts of produce from our allotments which we seek advice on how to preserve, freeze, pickle and make into cordials, wine or spirits. The allotment statute prohibits the sale or commercial gain from the produce we grow. So how much can we produce and how much do we give away to friends, family and neighbours?

Unfortunately collecting excess produce and giving it to needy causes is not easy. First the vegetables must be those wanted or that can be used. It’s little use giving a food bank Patti pans or romesco cauliflowers or even more exotic and ethnic produce - they want basics and things people know how to cook. Equally they need a constant flow of produce and not one week feast the next famine. Finally, the want produce that still has a chance of making it to the plate before it has to be thrown. The logistics of collecting, consolidating, and distributing fresh food is a lot harder than tins and packets but can be far more nutritious.

Our site has a very diverse ethnic mix which reflects the community in which we live. Other sites have a different diversity which reflects their area. The food grown by these diverse groups can be very different and knowing what to do with it or even naming some of it can be challenging. I can safely say that those traditional allotment staples of spuds, beans, carrots leeks cabbage etc are only grown on probably half our plots.

So maybe there are two challenges in sharing excess with the community. Firstly, that of the right produce to the right people at the right time. Secondly educating people about the produce they have probably never seen let alone cooked or consumed. This second opportunity is about plot to pot.

‘We estimate city-wide allotment production of >1200 t of fruit and vegetables and 200 t of potatoes per annum, equivalent to feeding >8500 people. If the 13% of plots that are completely uncultivated were used this could increase production to >1400 t per annum, feeding ~10,000 people, however this production may not be located in areas where there is greatest need for increased access to fresh fruits and vegetables.’ Feb 2020: Feeding a city – Leicester as a case study of the importance of allotments for horticultural production in the UK published by Elsevier Science.‘

Imagine not only providing the excess produce but teaching groups how to cook it and then serving it up to the homeless, the needy and the community. There are initiatives to do this but they need the produce, and they themselves may need to understand how to prepare and cook it and it has to be served either in a kitchen or taken to folk on wheels.

It would be amazing if sites worked together across a borough or even across a whole city to collect the produce and then with a body, or charity, who could distribute it to the needy. By working together sites could ensure a more consistent flow of fresh produce in sufficient quantities.

It would be amazing if the young unemployed could learn to cook using the excess produce along with other foodstuffs and providing the resultant meals to where they are needed.

When you next put that extra pumpkin, squash, courgette, beans into the compost bins, or you look at the green tomatoes on the window sill, or you look at the freezer crammed with frozen vegetables from the plot ask, if they could be used in the community and how that could happen. 

‘There is enough on this planet for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’s greed.’ Mohandas Gandhi.

Allotment Community Outreach: 2 Community Land

 

We often forget that the land that most allotments are on is owned not by the Society, or its plot holders, or in fact by the local authority, but by the community. It may be the local parish council, a local council, or a metropolitan borough whose name is on the freehold, but it remains community land and open space.

So how do allotments integrate and work with the community? In this short series of articles, we look at some of those communities and opportunities. There is no right or wrong approach, just opportunities.

2. Community Land

The allotment acts were set in statue at the beginning of the 20^th century to encourage, protect and give impetus to the development of allotments for communities grappling with urban sprawl, industrial pollution, an unhealthy lifestyle, no land on which to grow and general polarisation of society. Today we can change the labels, but the messages are similar. The laws as set out intended that allotments were to be available for a percentage of the population has long gone. The allotment movement went in and out of fashion during the 20^th century and the space within urban areas disappeared rarely to return. The Thorpe Report in 1969 put forward the case again, but got short shrift against the materialism, consumerism and social change of the day and the decline in allotment demand continued until the 21st century.

'We also believe that boroughs that have unmet demand for allotments should consider using s106 agreements to compel the developers of high density housing to allocate a portion of land for use as allotments.'  -London Assembly report: A Lot to Loose: London's Disappearing Allotments, Oct 2006.

Today many now seek a return to the health and well being on offer through allotments. The environment, biodiversity, and all things green and healthy may be spoken of by all, but the reality is that concrete and glass development still dominate in a world of exploding population growth. Perfect supermarket vegetables with ‘sell by dates’ are deemed to be better than ‘wonky veg’ and no so perfect vegetables. Allotments continue to be low in the prioritises of local authorities. 

‘The lesson I have thoroughly learnt, and wish to pass on to others, is to know the enduring happiness that the love of a garden gives.’ Gertrude Jekyll.

How do we accommodate the children, their parents, community social groups, those less able and effectively create a virtual circle of opportunity to grow? Allotments are only part of the answer and they can help encourage and educate, but they are not the solution but merely part of it.

‘…it must be capable of being applied equally to land used for all forms of recreation, since the only land use criterion distinguishing the allotment from the playing field and the park is the number of people who can be accommodated on it. Those who use this argument – and they include many local councillors – are thinking of ‘value’ purely in commercial terms, whereas the planner, values cannot always be stated in such terms…’ item 654 page 261 section 7 Thorpe Report 1969.

Community gardens are often sighted as the answer, but these often have little protection in the law, are heavily dependent on a small handful of enthusiasts and often are torn between being fully voluntary and requiring funding. Again, they are only part of the solution and not the solution.

Housing Associations (HSA) could provide extremely useful and productive areas within their estates. The major drawback here is that they often can only allocate land to the specific estate’s residents, so again are highly dependent on individuals. Here the HSA will often also require a visually acceptable and managed area which sounds easy but may not be so easy to maintain.

The bottom line is that the land is often owned by a body whose interest may be long term and in conflict with those of those seeking to work it.

'At a time of acute land scarcity, it is not surprising that envious eyes have been cast on urban allotment sites. They are almost invariably to be found within the perimeter of the town, where land is most urgently required. They often lie close to heavily built up areas, where the need for ancillary services is the greatest. As little or no demolition is necessary, they are usually simple to develop. Since the closure of an allotment site affects the lives of only a small minority of the town's inhabitants (and electorate) no great clamour of protest occurs. Finally, many sites, because of their untidiness and neglect, are looked upon by the public primarily as horticultural slums, whose disappearance would add to the attractiveness of the town and would provide space for more homes, schools or playing fields. It follows that if a planner proposes that a site should be developed, he is usually assured of the support both of the local authority and the majority of its ratepayers...' - item 88 page 32 section 1 Thorpe Report 1969.

‘I could put up a nice block of flats there and help meet the housing demand and targets,’ says the developer to the local authority who has steep targets to meet and little land and money to achieve them.

Should planners look to the provision of allotments and community gardens in the same way they look at schools, medical centres, parks, playgrounds? After all, allotments aid education, they can provide prescriptive medicine and health and wellbeing, are the best ‘five a day ’promotion and assist both physical and mental health.

For many allotments are still seen as shanty towns, overgrown wastelands and day care centres for the old.

Is this where we have to think seriously about rooftop gardens, sky gardens, urban growing on industrial sites? 

It is all about balance and as land scarcity increases and housing demand continues to grow, there is perhaps a need for a different approach to planning and provision of open space.

‘I support Alice Waters in her desire that there be a vegetable garden at the White House. I don’t think they should rip up the Rose Garden, because that’s something that I love. They should probably grow some vegetables there.’ - Martha Stewart.

The allotments also need to look beyond their fences and outreach to their communities and engage with them and perhaps alter their food supply and perception of growing and their perception.

Allotment Community Outreach: 1 People and Groups

 

John F Kennedy once said, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.’ If we substitute community for country, then we have an interesting question to answer.

We often forget that the land that most allotments are on is owned not by the Society or in fact by the local authority but by the community. It may be the local parish council, a local council, or a metropolitan borough name on the freehold, but it remains community land. So how do allotments integrate and work with the community? In this short series of articles, we look at some of those communities and opportunities. There is no right or wrong approach, just opportunities.

1.       People and Groups

Many allotments accommodate a local school; a plot where those lucky enough to work it are taught into potentially becoming tomorrow’s allotment and leisure gardeners. They also can benefit from environmental studies and awareness about recycling, soil management, the impact of weather changes and an understanding of horticulture, nature, and biodiversity are on offer. An exposure to all aspects of health and wellbeing be it fresh food, physical exercise, mental, biodiversity, wildlife, as well as the basic relationship between growing produce and domestic science are also there for the schoolchildren to appreciate.

The Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, ‘Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man’. I would not limit to seven and an child engaged in an allotment will influence others and could even teach their own parents and enthuse them. The skills learnt will never be forgotten and are practical ones that can be used later in life.

We have a plot run by the caretaker of the local school who has a group of children who are engaged in the plot and we would love to have more but we don’t have the space. Perhaps this is where allotments. can go now, into the schools to help establish plots and start them on their journeys of discovery? 

Last year the schoolchildren who work the plot won a London award presented by Alan Titchmarsh.  

In today’s inner cities ‘house with garden’ is being displaced by the ‘flat with balcony’ and in many cases without balcony. Space is shrinking and so skyscraper towers are starting to dominate the landscape. Here in Docklands we have the highest density of residential housing in Western Europe and an area in Canary Wharf with a population greater than the largest of UK cities. This means the young never experience growing off the land and the older community must confine it to memory. Today our site is over 250% oversubscribed and that means you would be lucky to get a plot in 25 years. But they still join our waiting list which is growing by the month.

The allotment can’t accommodate more; we have already cut many plots in half and all new starters must start on a half plot which in real terms is actually a quarter plot. Perhaps we should take the allotments to the people? We have one initiative with a housing association to create community garden plots within the estate land which is often grassed and planted for low maintenance. We are getting those in the estate and on the waiting list engaged and, if it works, aim to push it further.     

Then there are those less fortunate than us who have physical and mental challenges and could not work a plot without supervision, help and care. It is not easy finding the right group and even harder to find the right space, but it can be extremely rewarding all round. It is not a case of building disabled beds and looking for the group, but perhaps working with a group to meet their special needs. Again, the space does not have to be within the allotments, it is about sharing time and experience to help other less fortunate enjoy what we take for granted.

There are also prescriptive plots or gardens where those suffering from long term illness or recovering from major problems can build back their lives in a social space and with an interest in growing and with a purpose to broadening education.

Finally, a doctor started to bring a few of their hospital co-workers to their plot. We had to check who the visitors were and authorise it during Covid but suddenly the plot was transformed in a season and you realised that key workers need a break, need to unwind and allotments are the perfect tonic for many. It certainly makes you think about the wider community.   

Winston Churchill once said, ‘The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.’ You cannot cover all the community opportunities, neither can you always get them right, but in today’s space poor environment we perhaps should share more.  

The Return of the Plot Inspection?

 

Like many sites we suspended plot inspections back in March and put in measures to support those isolating, shielded and with problems. Plot buddies helped maintained a small number of the plots to ensure when the plot holder returned, they didn’t face a jungle and a mountain of a task. The site always remained open albeit with several new rules to ensure everyone’s health and safety.

Today we continue to now face a winter of new tiered uncertainty and challenges. We have dealt with changing the site locks and reissuing key and collecting rent and issuing shares and are preparing to hold our first committee meeting. But is it now time to reintroduce plot inspections?

A small number of plots remain on support, but many have returned to their owner’s hands. However, of the plots who did not request support or want it, not all have been attended or continually maintained. So, we have a decision to make, and one probably facing other sites too. Do we resume plot inspections now, as we normally would, or leave it till Spring? If we leave it till Spring are we sure that the situation will be back to normal by March?

If we inspect today, we can ensure all plots are ready for winter, waste is composted, the plots are weed free and all are awaiting Spring sowing and planting? There are obviously winter crops and those over wintering, but the rest should be cleared. Some will cover the unused areas in tarpaulin, others with manure and some just dug over all ready for Spring.

The question is do we, or do we not, have inspections?

If we don’t a small number of plots will remain as they are today and will be even harder to get into shape in the Spring. A small number of plots today are in an unacceptable state. Some covered in  rampant bindweed and couch grass and their paths have been neglected. These will certainly be harder to clear when those weeds become reinvigorated. Some who have failed to get on top of their plots this year face a real task next year if they do not clear the plot today. Some would question if they should retain the plot when we have a 250% over subscribed waiting list today?

I do not have the answer, it is up to the committee to decide. Allowance can always be made for the genuine case and we have a couple of those. However, if some want to work the plot as a patchwork quilt (a small square a season) perhaps it is time for them to downsize or move on. Those who do not have the time will probably never have the time. We have already reached 10% allocation of half plots and this looks likely to increase.  

However, it’s ironic that several plots have again attracted my eye this year. Four are worked by octogenarians who have continued to turn up regularly in all weathers and whose work ethic and plots are a joy to witness. I hope I can show the same commitment when I reach that age. The schoolchildren’s plot which was maintained by the caretaker during the school closure has once again seen the return of the kids. The doctor’s plot which has been shared with her NHS key worker colleagues as a respite from their constant pressures is looking the best it has in years. In fact many plots are now looking the best they have for some time and have certainly been productive this year.

Plot inspections are always hard as we are not always aware of the circumstances as to why the plot has not been fully worked. We also have to acknowledge that different ethnic groups not only grow different produce but maintain their plots differently. But all plots should be cleared at the end of the season.

Normally plot inspections cover the plot’s total growing area, the maintenance of adjacent path, the storage at the back of the plot or lack of rubbish collected.

We normally give a failed plot 14 days to fix it or appeal against it. If the failure remains and no appeal is upheld then the plot holder is given 14 days notice. However, if we decide to fail a plot this late in the year it would appear only fair to give them say six weeks to fix the issue. This extension is needed due to the shorter days, more volatile weather and the fact that rubbish has to be cleared also.

Whatever is decided I am sure the message will get out that inspections are on the agenda again and that is enough to motivate some.

Water Bill Shock

 

It was a shock to read our water meter and discover that our consumption had almost doubled this year.

How much water have you used this long hot summer?

The bill was certainly is a wakeup call, but what can we do, or should we do about it? After all it was extremely hot and dry for a long period and many were forced to water their plots more regularly than normal. So, will our usage return to normal next year? However, due to increased demand we increased the water charge element only a couple of years ago.

Many take the provision of water as a given and because they pay a universal charge for it in with their rent assume it will continue to flow and we can afford it. This assumes all summers are the same which they are not and that the current charge covers costs which some years it does and others it does not.

I now look at a row of sheds below my plot and see that none of them are capturing any rain runoff. I look at rainwater butts on some plots which have not been used and wonder why? Perhaps it is too easy to draw water from the many mains fed water tanks we have instead.

The mains tanks are only a couple of plots away from any plot which begs the question on both their numbers and the convenance of access. In one area there are three half plots and two full size plots being served by 4 tanks which is surely questionable. They are old lead tanks and are refilled by ballcocks, so water does not overflow and refilling is controlled.

Water also remains switched on all year round. Is this wise given it is hardly needed between October and March? Should we close off half or all tanks over Winter and if we did, would it make much difference? We could cover the tanks and lock them, so no access is possible. Should we reduce the mains pressure such that refilling takes a lot longer and so prompts less being drawn?

Should we insist on rainwater collection on all new sheds and encourage its adoption on all existing ones? Some may argue that the cost of guttering and fixtures plus a butt is too much and they are better off with even a higher universal charge, but is this sustainable and wise? But if mains water were further away or pressure reduced would this encourage a different viewpoint?

Then there are those who simply fill an old 10 litre old paint bucket which can only be applied by literally tipping it all out and flooding areas and not selective watering plants. We already ban hose pipes and water irrigation systems that tap into mains water, but should we ban plot flooding and enforce using watering cans?

Last year as part of refurbishing the trading shed we installed a spare tank to collect rain water and this water is now used to water the new community greenhouse and plants and those around the pavilion. This year we can do the same with the pavilion and this should provide significant water but in the wrong place for many plots and only service one site. However, this could be a winter supply but again only applicable to one site.  

There is then the issue of soil improvement to retain moisture. Should we educate and expect everyone to fully or take a more active engagement in composting, adding manure and other bulking materials? As we now have the wide adoption of raised beds we must recognise these may dry out quicker and need more water and so potentially add to the issue of demand.

There are certainly no quick answers.

It is only correct that we pay for what we use. It is impossible to police the use of mains water and impractical and illogical to meter individual tanks. So how do we reduce the use of mains water and promote rainwater collection and more sparing use of water altogether?