JackMcH's Allotment

I don't know about Jack's allotment but my one is only about 3 miles from his and both are owned by Fife Council. Certainly on our allotments, and I suspect Jacks, each is enclosed by fencing and a locked gate at each allotment, within the outer security fence and gates. The allotment holder has to supply their own padlock to ensure their allotment is secure. This means there are forty odd different padlocks each with a different key so having a rota is almost impossible, unless people give spare keys up, something that people are reluctant to do. It is only really a hard core of about 5-6 plotholders who are regularly seen on the allotment and they will probably take their holidays around about the same time as Jack. Some people do pass a key to others to water their plants but most do not.

 

Down here in South Torfaen all sites have mains water. However, we are now setting up a water harvesting programme. On our site, we have 9 x 1000litre tanks already set up and running, we have another 5 tanks in place and are due to be up and running before the end of March. We also have another few tanks waiting to be placed. Water is harvested off shed rooves and, as a back up, from a nearby stream.

 

Our allotments have a walled garden 20' high along with a single entrance gate the same height
Before you get there though you have a solid barrier across the entrance road about 100 yards away, However we all have "A" Key a single Fife Council Key, that opens all other parts
the Library, the toilets the greenhouses, the machine store

Watering is one stand pipe tap to each four allotments, and holidays are covered by your buddies,
Off course it is down to the person, some of the hooray Henry's (I have an allotment all organic you know) do not offer help so do not get it in return
Myself (though I do have mobility problems) have several much older allotmenteers who do more than I could ever ask for it is a fine line though

One turned over two of my large beds, so at Crimbo I popped a £50 garden voucher into his shed, He went ballistic, saying I should never have done that as he did it for me not for reward
On reflection I can see his point, that it could now make him obliged to do it again
THAT WAS NOT MY INTENTION AT ALL

My watering post was a bit erroneous, as I was meaning my plants at home not at the allotment

Regards All Jack McH

 

In the words of Judge Judy (I would like to be her!) "No good deed goes unpunished"! Poor Jack it never fails to amaze me how often I say or do something meaning 1 thing and someone takes it completely the other/wrong way.
Hope you have managed to take advantage of the glorious last few days we've had. I have been collecting vast quantites of firewood and broken my car in the process so have spent most of today trying to source a 2nd hand shock absorber without success so my wee bus can be driven again. A new Subaru 1 costs well over £300. Hell's teeth the whole car isn't worth an awful lot more than that.

 

Ah you need Russel auto salvage glenrothes,I will PM you

Jack

 

Once you have sourced one if you need it fitted, I can refer you to Kerbside Motors :-)

Jack

 

Have you any family members that could pop in Jack? Think I might have a slight problem with this myself.. I'm off for 2 weeks end of May

 

Jack are you still operating a single key gate at Balbirnie ? We have been changed to a combination lock on the main gates and were led to believe this was happening on all Council allotments.

 

Still single key, reason I believe is it is not just the allotmenteers that need access, but Fife council staff, for various visits to outbuildings and storage, hot houses

They can control who has got or who has lost a key, they can not control anything if the combi code has been passed on IMHO

 

I understand re. Council staff, we have the same here, However, we were told ALL Fife allotments were going over to this system as the single key was too expensive and did not ensure security as there were so many copies made and in circulation therefore compromising security. Interesting that Balbirnie have not gone over to this system.

 

It would not cost them for keys, Each key holder has to pay a £10 returnable deposit, for the one Yale type key
An average person could not get this type of yale key cut (I worked with key and locks for 30 years), and if someone has lost a key then they know who do they not, and they would only be compromising their own allotments if they had given it to A.N.Other

 

We didn't have to pay a deposit for our keys to the main gates but had to supply our own padlock for our allotment gate. The keys issued, believe it or not, open ALL the council padlocks on ALL council allotments As for getting them cut I managed to get 2 spares cut easily without any questions, in an establishment in Glenrothes. I know these open other allotments as I have a friend on another allotment and it opened all their council-fit padlocks (and some council gated locks near Stenton). We had a break in last year where all the padlock were missing, and all three gates left open, obviously opened by someone with a key but luckily only a small amount of damage was caused. When we were given replacements - guess what, our keys were able to open the new padlocks.

 

How are things going at Balbirnie Jack ?

 

Quite well actually, had our annual money collection yesterday, after we have paid rent we are all requested to chuck £5 into the allotment kitty, (pays for a BBQ after the summer clean up, and general things)
We are getting a larger water supply pipe, Previously it was a garden hose supply to six stand pipes, so at the end of the line you did not have much flow, I am quite well off as I have the stand pipe at my gate, we are to get larger supply
They have removed the toilet block due to a dodgy floor, supplied a chemical toilet but are putting in a new toilet block shortly

I am all ready for the new season, lots of stuff planted, but have had a set back with my Brassicas, my seedlings died off yesterday, so I am having to go to Freuchie for some plants

Hope your Lotty is well and you are on your way

Regards Jack McH

 

Glad everything bar the Brassicas are doing well @Jack McHammocklashing . Just as well you have a good water supply, we haven't had 1 drop of rain since the 1st week in March and I doubt you only being about 10 miles away from me will be much different. It's so dry the grass has only been cut once this season (good) the horse however is getting pretty cross as not much in his field (bad) and god knows what the price of Hay will be if the incredibly dry spell continues (bad again).
Hope you Pink Firs are doing better than mine. i eventually planted the seed Potatoes about 2 weeks ago despite there being B all signs of life. I have 1 showing through and nowt from the rest, maybe the seed Potatoes were just no good?