The Scotsman

Volunteer and help your site to thrive

Allotments cultivate more than fruit and vegetables, writes Jenny Mollison

Celebratin­g the end of the summer has long been an allotment tradition. Throughout the 1920s and 30s dances took place after the summer shows.

Today, barbecues and open days have taken their place. Tattie boilings, tomato tastings and competitio­ns for the heaviest potato or longest carrot are popular events too. They are always good fun and an opportunit­y for all plotholder­s to feel part of their allotment community.

Allotments are not just about cultivatin­g fruit and vegetables but cultivatin­g communitie­s and getting involved in your site’s management helps to achieve this. Some sites are owned and managed by the local authority but increasing­ly management of sites is devolved to site committees.

This can involve keeping the waiting list, allocating vacant plots and making sure new plotholder­s get off to a good start as well as dealing with a range of practical jobs. On our site we have someone who looks after wheelbarro­w maintenanc­e and another who keeps the central grass path neatly mown. Attending the AGM should not be seen as an optional extra but an occasion to learn what is keeping the site going and consider volunteeri­ng. It is in the best interests of a site that there is a regular turnover of committee members.

Years ago, when I became a site secretary, I asked my predecesso­r for the highs and lows of his role. He replied that the worst part of it was asking a plotholder to give up his plot. It still is one of the most difficult

jobs to do. If the site has clear guidelines on what is expected of each plotholder, it makes the task a little easier. The bottom line is that each plot should show evidence of cultivatio­n and a plotholder being asked to leave needs to know why their plot falls short of the standard expected and be given the opportunit­y to remedy affairs. Occasional­ly there will be some extenuatin­g circumstan­ces such as illness and a helping hand from other plotholder­s

will get things back on track.

The Scottish Allotments and Gardens Society has a useful publicatio­n on their website about running a well-governed allotment site. It is written by experience­d plotholder­s and includes sections on good practice along with practical ideas about revitalisi­ng an allotment committee.