It's that time of the year again, I'm fast running out of Winter.

The snowdrops are pushing up. The birds are noisy in the trees. There's a definite change in the light, and there's a tangible scent in the air even to my dulled nostrils. It's all wonderful, but I find myself thinking, "no - not yet, please, just a bit more Winter - a couple of weeks, please".

It's not that I like cold and wet weather, and pitch dark nights that limit how much I get on site in the wee window of time between work and family.
​
Despite my best attempts, there's not much edible growing on my plot at this time of year, but then the weeds also fall into a slumber and don't grow as frantic. It's like trying to get a bit of housework done while the Toddler's down for a nap. A rare window to get things tidied up, to catch one's breath and plan for the next year.

​The whole site seems smaller, more manageable. At the height of the growing season it's a jungle, but after a good, hard frost all the greenery shrinks back and reveals the bones of the landscape. You see the shape and curve of the soil and path, the ancient relics cast away in the wild spots of the site, and it opens your mind to possibilities you couldn't consider in the warm days of summer, palms blistered and raw from the hoe.
​  
The wood that needs painted, the rubbish that needs cleared, they stand out so much more starkly when there isn't life erupting and sprouting, shouting "feed me", "tend me", "defend me" and little bits get done here and there, but it's never enough.

Keen gardeners moving to Edinburgh in recent years have been shocked to find that they must wait as long as ten years for an allotment. Other interest groups such as golfers can pursue their chosen activities immediately. It simply isn’t fair, especially as cultivating your own vegetables and flowers provides healthy exercise, improved mental health, increased biodiversity and food security, as well as potentially pollution-free food for your family.  But now, help is at hand in the form of the 2015 Community Empowerment Act, which places solemn and specific duties on local authorities to look after the needs of would-be growers. Thanks to the actions of a small number of active campaigners, a whole section (section 9) of the Act deals with allotments. It requires local authorities to take reasonable steps to provide allotments according to demand, and strengthens the protection for allotments and plot-holders. It also calls for fair rents, and allows allotments to be 250 square metres (or less for those who feel they cannot cope with a full-sized plot).

Edinburgh City Council, in particular, will need to work hard to comply. There is a waiting list of 2500. Yet there are only around 1500 plots - and that figure includes half plots where subdivision has taken place.  

Like all Acts of Parliament, the ‘devil is in the detail’. How can the waiting list be reduced? Where will the land for new plots come from? Can the management costs be met from an already-squeezed council budget?

For the detail (and perhaps the devils therein) we must look for the implementation plan. Edinburgh City Council has produced a cleverly titled document Cultivating Communities - a Growing Success, 2017-2027. This is its Third Allotment Strategy, well-written and packed with supporting data. It seeks members' approval for implementation. 

One of the most hotly-debated aspects of the Strategy is what the Act calls the ‘Asset Transfer Request’ whereby the control (i.e. ownership or lease) of the allotment site is transferred to a ‘community transfer body’, typically a local allotment association or a prototype thereof.  The body would then be responsibly for managing the site, taking over all the roles hitherto carried out by the Council. By simply overseeing Asset Transfers, the Council would save money whilst new allotments would spring up organically all over the City to satisfy demand. This scenario presupposes that enthusiastic and hardworking individuals at each new site would be prepared to take on management roles, carrying out all the tasks including enforcement of the regulations, setting and collecting the rents and engaging with contractors. Existing sites might also wish to take advantage of the opportunity to be self-managed. 

The size of the plot is a hotly-debated matter. About half of those on the waiting list want a half-sized plot, and some want even less. The full-sized plot of 250 square metres is somewhat smaller than the historical precedent of 319 square metres in the 1930s depression years. (See Crouch D & Ward C (1997) The Allotment - its Landscape and Culture. Five Leaves, Nottingham.) In earlier times this amount of land was supposed to provide enough spuds and greens to prevent a family from starving, but today this consideration is irrelevant as modern families can access low-priced food at supermarkets (although no-one knows whether this applies to the scenario of economic hardship following global economic decline, hard Brexit, global warming etc.). Today’s would-be growers have a different motivation, and dependency on potatoes as the staple has declined whilst a taste for exotic foods has increased. Many of them are happy to grow a few choice vegetables: cabbages, leeks, courgettes, onions and salads seem to be favourites, along with a few lovely flowers. Rhubarb and gooseberries occupy little space and take minimal effort. Perhaps 250 square metres is indeed too much for the average Jo. On the other hand, once small plots become commonplace it is difficult to reverse the trend without evictions. 

Do the waiting people realise the magnitude of the task they hope to take on? Many would-be growers are complete novices and need training. The internet has much useful advice from authorities ranging from the Royal Horticultural Society to the Daily Telegraph. But hands-on, on-site mentoring is still necessary, and who better to give it than FEDAGA. It’s another task for FEDAGA’s volunteers. 

What’s a ‘fair rental’ as defined in the Act ? No-one knows. Analysis of rental charges from other parts of the UK show that Edinburgh is the second most expensive in the entire UK at 42 pence per square metre. The most expensive is Runnymede near Windsor in Surrey (yes, ironically, it’s the home of the Magna Carta). Other places are much cheaper.

Allotments were at their peak following the 1917 campaign by the Government’s Food Production Department. Then, parkland and playing fields were dug up, the King directed people to grow potatoes and cabbages instead of geraniums; meanwhile the Archbishop of Canterbury sanctioned allotment working on Sundays. The result was one allotment plot for every five households. Here in Edinburgh we have around one allotment plot for every 168 households, and it isn’t good enough. We must do better.

​John Grace (Midmar).

So what I took away from this was:

• Patience is a virtue. I didn't actually save any time as the amount of effort required to maintain this - for the results gained - it simply wasn't worth it. 
• If you want/need a bigger heap, talk to your neighbours and see if there's space to build a community compost heap. One of the benefits of an allotment is you are part of a community, or at least one of a group of individuals with a common goal. 
• Rot the weeds down first. I was trying to speed up the decomposition as I was trying to avoid burning weeds. It seemed a shame to waste all those nutrients the weeds had taken out of the soil. Now, on my plot there's usually a couple of barrels/tall buckets filled with rain and tap water. All the weeds go in there after pulling and get weighed down with a brick to drown for a couple of months. It does stink when you empty out the bucket, but that usually goes after a couple of days. The rotted mass goes on the compost heap, and the water gets poured out round the artichokes (since the "eating" bit is up high on the stalk, away from any splashes).

But most of all, DON’T USE MATERIALS YOU CAN’T GET RID OF EASILY. 

When I took on my plot I had to clear barrowloads of scrap metal and window glass. You could see the purpose behind it all – hoops for netting, window panes for cold frames but most of it had become too rusty or the wood of the frames was too rotten to be safe. 

Anything I build is usually out of untreated wood. No stone, brick or glass and definitely NO CARPET. There might be some plastic sheeting or tarpaulin, but that's easily stuffed in a bin bag and it's light to carry to the bin. 

My current policy with my plot is "a weekend and a bonfire". It should be possible to clear my plot in a weekend: dismantle everything and burn the bits that are no use - a clean, blank slate for the next tenant. 

Hopefully when the time comes for me to move on, I’ll get a chance to do it myself but if for some reason I can’t then hopefully whomever comes after won’t be cursing my name too badly. 

Yours, 

Frantically Failing from Ferry Road.

When you take on an Allotment, you're exposed to advice and lore of varying quality. The trick is learning what's useful and what's not or what isn't applicable anymore.

Since "they" say that the cheapest experience is that which you obtain second hand here's a story for anyone starting out...


A piece of advice handed to me third or fourth hand from my Mum was:
"Cover over the weeds with a bit of old carpet and leave it for at least six months to a year. It will block the light, they'll die back and rot into the ground and the area will be cleared without turning a spit of earth". 
Sounds great doesn't it?
- Recycling something that's going in the bin anyway.
- Clear the weeds without buying weedkiller (cheaper, etc.).

My Mum got this tip from the old neighbour - John - that lived next door before I was born.
It does work - though not as good as perhaps it once did.
If you can get your hands on some old carpet made before the Sixties, it would probably work fine.
Before the introduction of plastic, carpet would have been made of natural materials - mostly wool, with hessian for the backing, possibly cotton threading or stitching. So if you left it out on the damp ground, eventually it would rot away and would probably improve the soil as it went. The worms and other beasties would find it nice and cosy under there and aerate the soil as they went about their business.

There's a company from the Lake District that makes compost from the wool of the sheep from up on the fells : Dalefoot Composts
The problem is the amount of plastic that is used to make modern carpets, which is non-biodegradable. So while, yes, it will smother the weeds for you, at the end of the year you have to work out how to dispose of it. 
Thinking I was being smart, I had left the pieces as large as I could manage thinking that there would be fewer gaps for the weeds to grow through or for the wind to catch under and lift. It made sense at the time, but when I was laying it initially it was dry, fresh and clean(ish). 

When the time came to take it away because I wanted to work that section, it was heavy (soaked with rainwater), smelly, mouldy and awkward. It was a job to cut it up in to smaller pieces to manhandle into the wheelbarrow. After it had been lifted, there was still the tedious task of picking up the individual pieces that had fragmented off the carpet. It wasn't decomposing as much as breaking into shards like a shattered window.

It really, really stank. After I'd hauled it off to the landfill skip at the dump, the odour lingered in the back of the car for about a week after, despite spraying and wiping down all the surfaces inside.

So, yes it worked - but it wasn't worth it overall.

If you are determined to use carpet to clear your plot here's what I would add:
- DON'T lay it direct. Lay it on top of a tarpaulin or plastic sheet that you can fold and lift after you've taken the carpet off to bundle up any bits that have fallen off. You can then shake out the tarp over the bin.
- Keep the pieces small: put more weights (bricks, planks, etc) on top. It's easier to handle/cut when it's dry.
- Turn the pieces if you can. The fresh air and sunlight will hopefully keep the mould down.

A better solution would be to use large pieces of brown, unprinted cardboard - the sort that flat pack furniture comes in; sometimes you'll find piles abandoned next to the on street recycling bins.

-Give it a good soaking to help peel off any tape left on (Sellotape is a brand name - they don't make it from Cellulose anymore, it's plastic) - and try to pull out any staples you see.
​
-Lay a couple of layers over the weeds and weigh it down with stones, bricks, etc. The cardboard will decompose into the soil and if you've taken off the tape, then it can be dug in or covered in compost and planted through once you're ready. 

A word of warning - Earthworms will appreciate the cover and work the soil, but so will the Slugs and Snails - you don't want to be swapping one problem for another.

Yours, 
"Aladdin" from Ferry Road. 

The News Page carries a statement encouraging allotment holders to continue to pay their subscriptions to FEDAGA and their Site Associations. Why the need for this?

Since the dawn of time, Edinburgh’s allotment holders have enjoyed the opportunity to pay these subscriptions directly to the Council along with their annual rent. The money eventually makes its way to FEDAGA and the local associations. This makes huge good sense as the hassle is minimised and a healthy cash flow is maintained without some poor soul having to spend their days going around the site chasing up payments.

Of course, in common with many features of the Modern Era, this cannot be allowed to stand. You must have a choice: pay your subscriptions, or don’t pay your subscriptions! This way lies progress. 

If a bureaucracy cannot support within its corridors a phalanx of financial advisors armed with a sheaf of ludicrous suggestions designed to upturn apple carts and provoke unrest, then surely it cannot be allowed to continue.

So, last year the Council advised FEDAGA that it would be providing allotment holders with the opportunity of not paying their subscriptions, thereby kicking democratically accountable representative activity where it hurts - in the purse. Result: Bean Counters 1 - Downtrodden Proletariat 0.   

Your Secretary has written an epistle which was intended to go out with the invoices to remind everyone what a great deal they are getting by remaining as members. Unfortunately this will not be possible - as the invoice service has been privatised and cannot be accessed by the Council. It will be e-mailed out instead to that two thirds of the community that the Council has details of.

The other side of the coin regarding collection of subscriptions is communication. As FEDAGA is reliant on the Council for collection of subscriptions it does not know who it’s members are, or have the means of contacting them apart from the Site Noticeboard.

Data Protection prohibits the Council sharing such details without express permission, which is fair enough. FEDAGA has created a database of nearly half of the total membership through voluntary registration. That’s how the Newsletter gets into your inbox.

However, this is a handicap that has been variously described as “ludicrous” and “ridiculous” amongst other things. But bear in mind that the sums of money are scant and these organisations are entirely voluntary. The number of volunteers is small. In fact, on many sites the number of volunteers is around zero. It is not realistic to expect these people (assuming they exist) to spend their time administering membership records and chasing up payments.
Members get a great deal from the existence of FEDAGA and their Site Associations. Trading Schemes alone provide for the return of the entry fee in spades. Then there’s the fun of the Allotment Show and the thrills of the Heritage Potato Trials. Having a local network means that problems can be addressed quickly. Liaison with Council and Government is possible via FEDAGA and SAGS. Site closures have been reversed and protection and expansion is now in prospect through legislation that your representatives have had a say on.

If you’re reading this and haven’t signed up for the Newsletter, please do so now. Also, consider getting more actively involved in supporting your Site Association. And please make sure you continue to pay your subs.​

“The Ancient Briton” (in a personal capacity).

RAINBOW lover Valeska Andrews has found her pot of gold. She counts the nuggets constantly.   “Every day I say thank you,” she says. 
 
A townie to her toes, with 22 years and still counting inner-city living in the heart of the Grassmarket helter-skelter, it’s her beautiful blue shed, not only her haven, but her thinking, planning, creating, growing and storing space in her Midmar Shangri-la that lights up this woman’s life.  On a jaunty little blackboard just inside the door she has chalked ‘Welcome to Paradise’.

“I waited eight years for a plot on this site,” says self-employed massage therapist Valeska as she boils the kettle for our Sunday coffee cup, “And still I know that I am very fortunate indeed.  When I cycle from my home, unlock the shed door and prepare for a day’s gardening, it’s as if I have arrived in another world.” 

While Valeska can keep up a good conversation about the bountiful berry fruits on her plot, the asparagus, broad beans and artichokes, it’s her concern for how her fellow citizens cope with stress that really enlivens her.  “I’m concerned for anyone feeling excessive stress and distress due to a lack of connection with themselves and the natural world,” she says.  “We need to think much more about how this kind of life, outdoor living, can help to alleviate the stresses that all of us routinely deal with in daily life.”
 
However, Valeska’s shed is possible because right from the start (early 1900s) it was a given that Midmar offered a plot that came with shed and/or greenhouse permissions.  Today, in the light of security concerns, space issues and good neighbour considerations, City of Edinburgh Council has reconsidered such approvals.

RECENT newly-established sites are currently set up on a no-sheds basis, with communal storage areas within central lock-ups offered as the alternative.  Dumbryden has recently had conversions done to two on-site containers.  They offer tool storage in bays for each plotholder.  Vice-Chair Rena Linton highlights these below.
 
Head of Parks, Gardens and Green Spaces in Edinburgh David Jamieson knows that this changes the quality of the plot-holder experience.  Does he question that this would necessarily be in a negative way?
 
 “Not necessarily,” he says. “There are many examples of where a communal hut or store has helped create a sense of collectivism and neighbourliness amongst plot holders. Given the amount of space that individual huts take up it usually also makes sense to maximise the available growing area at an allotment site by providing a single central facility rather than myriad individual sheds.
 
“In some locations these come in the form of converted existing buildings (e.g. Victoria Park), and at other sites by creating secure new facilities (e.g. Dumbryden). Occasionally resources allow plot-holders to really push the design boat out, as seen at the stunning and innovative India Place allotments.
 
These new ideas create a range of alternatives to the shed at the bottom of the plot.  But for those sites already dotted with structures of all shapes and sizes, in various states of usefulness and repair, challenges present in a different way. 
 
At Inverleith, rabbits have had a field day creating under-floor burrows.  From these safe havens, they decimate leeks, carrots and spring greens.  Site Chair Stuart McKenzie says: “The key issue is that sheds need to be well maintained and set on a good slabbed base.  If not, they can cause nuisance to your neighbour’s plot. The problem is actually exacerbated by halving plots, which tends to double the number of sheds at a site."
 
A shed or no shed at the bottom of the plot. What’s it to be?  Times are changing, green space is highly prized, and numerous sheds in a small space don’t seem to match the current trends. 
 
But then  . . . there’s that pot of gold . . . don’t we all hanker after it just a little?     

First, he talked about his v…e…r…y     l.. .o.. .n.. .g  association with FEDAGA:
 
“I first went along to a FEDAGA meeting in the early 1990s. It's proof of the benefits of allotmenting that a few of the people I met then are still around today.  It is my experience that the sites who engage with us do benefit,  educationally, socially, and even financially.
   
We asked: “When and why did you apply for a plot?  Stuart said:  “My local greengrocer only stocked one variety of potato and he wouldn't even consider getting others. So I got a plot and grew my own.  I have found that the greatest benefit is enjoying fresh vegetables that you know are well grown. 

“A friend’s father grew seed potatoes on his farm, so I grew rare varieties he supplied.  I’m still doing that now thanks to the SASA Potato club. I got my first plot in 1988.  That’s 28 years. Blimey!

We asked:  Do you hold a post on your own site?  Stuart said:  “Yes, I have been President of Inverleith Allotments since 2009. I went away on holiday, missed the AGM and was nominated in my absence. There's a great community spirit amongst the committee there; hands-on, can-do approach to everything. Fantastic people.”

We asked:  What are your aspirations for us as committee members: 

Stuart said:  “Having an allotment is supposed to provide healthy food, fresh air, exercise and mental stimulation. Let's maximise those aspects and not get hung up on substandard plots and waiting lists, these are the Councils' responsibilities.

“OK, if they fail, then sites must try to put them right, but let's assume there will be problems, and help manage them in partnership with the Allotment Service.

“We know conflict doesn't work, so let's try co-operation.”

THIS is the newly appointed FEDAGA committee for 2016/17.  These allotment plot holders from sites across Edinburgh were nominated and accepted at the AGM held on October 25th at the Southside Community Centre. 
 
In his first presentation as the incoming Chair, Stuart McKenzie (centre back row sixth from the left) laid out some guidelines that he hopes the committee will be able to emphasize successfully in the coming year. 
 
You can read his summary of that presentation, called ‘Future Directions’, below.  A series of profiles of these committee members will follow in the near future, and you can read the first of these here also.    

FEDAGA future directions

To reinerate the objectives of the Federation:-
a. The co-ordination of Allotment and Garden Associations and their work in all its branches.
b. The protection of their interests (especially of their security of tenure in the case of Allotments Associations).
c. The improvement of their conditions.
d. To stimulate interest in and to encourage a commitment towards horticulture in allotments and gardens.
e. To purchase, on a co-operative basis, supplies for the use of the members of the Federation.

We will therefore…­­­

Provide help and advice to all associations on request using the previous experiences of our membership. We will not deal directly with CEC. Sites will be encouraged to do so, via Councillors as necessary.

Strategy for future of allotments will be discussed with CEC as required. More involvement from more site reps will be sought to enable a broader influence.

Add interest to allotment growing via initiatives such as SASA potato partnership, visits to shows, visits to places of interest, social events, our show

Negotiate bulk purchasing opportunities; e.g. seeds, potatoes and onions. Machinery?

Distribute a monthly newsletter, website, blog - Beyond the notice board…interesting/stimulating.

Explore how we reinstate the CEC/Plotholder Forum to allow plotholders a voice with the Allotment Service.

Recognise that we will always have substandard plots on sites but concentrate efforts to minimise impact on neighbouring plots by actions through site committees; clear ups, pest proofing etc.

Invite the Allotment Officer back to meetings, treat him with respect.

Stop complaining about rents, we live with what we’re charged but get the best value we can.

We will not…

Confront the Allotment service, it simply doesn’t work. Far better site reps/councillors.

Concern ourselves with new allotment site provision other than offering advice to groups wanting to establish new sites as part of the Community Empowerment Act. New sites will become members as they wish to enjoy the benefits I’ve outlined.