Allotment plots often suffer from a variety of pests and diseases, sometimes because of poor plant husbandry by previous plot holders. These problems include onion white rot, pea & bean weevil, pea thrips, slugs, snails, wireworm, greenfly, whitefly, blackfly, mildew, caterpillars, pigeons, mice, cabbage root fly, carrot root fly, potato blackleg, potato root eelworm and Club Root.

Daunting is a word that often comes to mind when a new plot holder first sees their new allotment.  The plot has often reached an advanced state of dereliction before the previous plot holder has given up. Easy to see are the ramshackle shed, the broken glass in the greenhouse, the piles of rubbish and the weeds. 

But often worse are the problems lying below the surface. Lots of sporadic enthusiasm, a lack of real commitment and experience plus poor crop rotation has led to a build-up of soil pests and diseases during the previous tenant’s tenure.