The Development of Plot 46
Our Communal Plot
Plot 46 is supplied by the council to the Green Lane Allotments Association as a communal resource. For a while now this has been used as a general dump for all things that tenants didn't want on their own plots. Now that the site has full occupancy and has a cared for look, this plot stands out as being an eyesore and so we are now going to develop it as a useful shared resource. This page will keep you up to date with developments.
The photograph above shows the scale of the task faced. The plot had been used as a dump for manure, poultry waste and wood chippings. Tenants had also used the area to dump materials and rubble not wanted on their own plots.Weeds had grown over the heaps. 
The central area of the plot has been used to store our ever increasing collection of cans - due to be recycled. It is also used as a burning area.
Unfortunately some people (not always tenants - I suspect) have the wrong idea of what really should be burned there and rubbish had collected that really wouldn't burn. Also our can collection area is very makeshift - we need to investigate the acquisition of a 'proper' collection point.
A local tree surgeon delivers wood chippings that tenants use for their paths but as this isn't enclosed, the chipping spread across the car park. This is unsightly but also encourages children to play in the pile. You wouldn't believe what the large logs have been used for. Allotment tenants are a resourceful lot.
This is the part of the plot which will become our storage area. Wooden bays will be constructed for manure, wood chippings and poultry waste.
The area under the pussy willow 'tree' will hopefully be enhanced by the constructed of some raised flower beds which will improve the look of the site from the main entrance.
Joe decided to have a go at strimming down all the weeds and grass but this proved impossible and so instead he set to with his scythe. In Joe's own words it was hard graft. The plot was then raked over and debris was burned by Barry. It was good to have made a start!
We had a skip delivered and Pat, Joe, Martyn and Sue spent an afternoon clearing rubbish off the site. With John's help and Paul acting as foreman the cans were moved to a temporary home by the entrance. Quite a number of tipsy frogs and toads were found hiding under the heap of cans. These were gently removed to an alternative location so that they could 'sleep off' the effects. The plot was beginning to look larger by the minute and offers even more potential.
What we really need now is someone with a JCB to flatten the heaps, so if you have one and live near to Green Lane and would like to do us a favour then please get in touch. Or maybe we can find a really super fit band of helpers to move the heaps for us!! Any takers, just feel free to have a go at any time.
Once the plot is leveled we intend to cover the whole area with weed suppressant material. It is possible that we have enough second hand material on site which was originally used by plotters to keep weeds down whilst clearing their plots. If you have any materials that you can let us have to cover the site, then please speak to Dunni (plot 51) who will be 'in charge' of construction etc.
8 November 2007
The farmer who has been delivering most of our manure came with his bucket and trailer and levelled the plot. He couldn't take away all of the debris and so we still have a heap of soil left behind. At least now the area where we want to construct storage bins has been cleared. It doesn't look very pretty though does it?
11 December 2007
Today we received a cheque from the Primary Care Trust. A bid was put in to them for a Wakefield Healthy Activity Grant. This grant means that we now have some funding available to make a start on the development of this area. There maybe will not be enough to do all that we have planned but it will be good to make a start.
The first job will be to clear the heap of soil left after the leveling and then to lay the weed suppressant membrane. Then we can get started on the construction of the storage bays.
17 February 2008
Today we had help in clearing the heap of rubbish from the plot. The next job is to get down the week suppressant before the weeds start to grow again.
|
April 21 2008
We kept planning to get the plot covered with the weed suppressant membrane but kept being thwarted! It was either too wet or someone kept dumping piles of wood chippings in the way. Well today thanks to Jan, Martyn and Matt we did manage to spread out the membrane but unfortunately we have now discovered that we didn't have enough of it!! Anyone with any surplus please let us know or just pop it on plot 46 and we will spread it out.
Hopefully we can start work on the bays soon. As a temporary measure once the plots is covered with embrane we will cover that with wood chippings. These can be then removed as and when we ned an area to work on - that way we shouldn't have to battle with weeds again!!
The next stage will be to build three storage bays. One for manure, one for wood chippings and one for the recycling cans collection.
|
|
