Gardening Chat

Hi folks, As a tree surgery company we always have excess woodchips available for free which can be delivered. Excellent for paths etc. South glasgow only though. tel 07888731807

I have an allotment at bellahouston it was burned down on sat 19th dec 2009 along with another plot. On sat 23rd jan 2010 a further 3 have been burned to the ground we are all gutted. Some folk are leaving we urgently need a new fence security is bad can anyone help with this matter.

Here is a poem written by my brother regarding the allotment!
It is titled...
Voice of the people?

For years gone by they worked the ground
Growing onion sets and potatoes
Cabbage, lettuce and great big leeks
Not to mention big red tomatoes

It brought such joy to many a soul
Therapeutic by all accounts
It gave a sense of achievement
To many in different amounts

They loved their garden allotments
A wee haven that gave them peace
Their hands got dirty from honest toil
Now the Council was making them cease

The land they worked belonged to them
Council officials wanted more cash
They took the joy from common folk
Left it lying in a great pile of ash

Oh they spared another plot of land
Long scarred by rubble and weeds
If the people want an allotment
They should buy the title deeds

I always thought democracy
Was about the peoples choice
Now it seems its only for those
Who speak with the Councils voice

Heather - tools store. We had a crime prevention officer visit & advise last Feb - happy to give u report. We have a secure container on site. However I was v intereste by the arrangement at Fairlie where all equipment is communal

Beechgrove Potting Shed, BBC Radio Scotland�s gardening phone-in programme, is looking for callers who would like their gardening problems solved by a panel of experts.

We have a range of expert gardeners who can answer your questions, including Carole Baxter, Jim McColl and Donald McBean.

The show transmits Sundays between 12.05pm and 1pm on BBC Radio Scotland, 92-95 FM, and you can call free during that time on 0500 92 95 00.

Or send us an email at beechgrovepottingshed@bbc.co.uk

Thanks

Denise

Hello fellow Celts. Just wondering if anyone would like to visit our Gardeners CHAT-SHED down here in Wales. Packed with gardening and allotment info. It's a brand new site and is a social networking sister site to Aberaeron Allotment Association's main site. The address is: www,gardenerschat-shed.net. Hope to meet you there and share some company.

Gwilym.

Hi! I am currently doing some research for my 4th year Product Design Engineering project at the University of Strathclyde and would like to hear from you!

I am looking into secure storage for small gardens and allotments. So would like to know if you keep your tools on site and if so where do you keep them, and how safe you feel they are. Any photos would also be useful, can be sent to heather.whitty@strath.ac.uk

Thanks!

Hi, I own a fledgling business called gardenbymail.co.uk supplying vegetable seed, and I am trying to set-up a system whereby allotment associations buy from me at a discounted price, and then sell on to make profit for the assoc, or for charity. The deal would be: 10% off plus 2 free pkts for all orders over £10. The code is: 10PC+2FPKTS

I have already contacted the forum moderator about this just a few minutes ago, what does everyone else think about this? Please bear in mind my prices are already VERY cheap.

Perhaps you could all take a look at gardenbymail.co.uk and see what you think?

Hamiltonhill Allotment Association is running a gardening club( a fun way of getting communal work done ). The club is open to local people,families, people on the waiting list, friends of the Allotment and anyone interested in being a part of our community.Doors open every Saturday between 2-4pm Tea and coffee provided .
Good news I have found some free wood for my raised beds. I contacting the demolition workers near the Allotment and they gave me some support beams. Still have to make the beds.
Thank you for developing this site. It is a great asset to the Allotment community.
Happy Plotting.
Mary

Robert - maybe you are getting a bit repetitive? I am very sympathetic to your enormous difficulties, but I think some of the things you are saying are very hurtful to people like Liz, Betty, Eric, Judy..... who give their time for no financial reward, but because they really care about allotment gardening. Remember it is partly thanks to GAF that we have gone from a position where Glasgow City was actively trying to shut down allotments to one where we have an official allotment officer - even if he has limited resources.
I am against censorship, but I am the one who decides what goes on this page and unless you have something new to say, or other members object, I am not going to post anything further from you on this subject.

burned out allotments ,holes in the fence thouand s of pounds worth of damage caused . council has 2.2 million pounds in res3 funding etc etc if ali d wants a full on debate on this then bring it on .
then again it was me robert gray that founded glasgow flagship education allotment called bugs you might have heard of it .
its bringsd such joy to all 360 school kids to whom i teach . oh dear ali d must work for the council or maybe shes not had her allotment burned to the ground yet maybe she would understand about the suffering of the young and old in glasgows allotments but of coarse thats me being negative and thats so wrong to bring up key issues like this .

Anyone who has a garden shed that they can donate to Nick (see below) can send an 'enquiry' to this site and then I will pass that information on to Nick

Glasgow Allotment Forum is run by people who give up their own time in order to support allotment holders across the city and their meetings provide a means of liasing with the council's allotments officer for any allotment holder, with records held in the minutes of all matters raised. It is therefore extremely unfair to criticise what they do. It has held many events and activities that have been enjoyable, therefore while it may not have satisfied the requirements of Mr Gray, perhaps this is because it serves a majority view rather than a minority one.
I do find the previous comments negative, and as with all those who choose to 'rant' in such a negative fashion, it somewhat switches the listener, or in this case reader, off, which I am sure is not the outcome of choice.
Perhaps Mr Gray, before uttering or writing such comments, you could attempt to look at each negative and provide a solution to make it a positive. In the current economic climate, it seems you think there is a golden pot of never ending money at the council's disposal. In case you didn't know, allotments (and Parks) are not an essential service, and therefore can be subject to the heaviest cuts in funding when times are hard.
Smell the coffee Mr Gray! Do what all the private sites do, raise your own funds for your improvements and stop bleating to the council and any other poor sod that has to listen.

We are doing a project at Glasgow University (creating a garden in the theatre space) and we need a used garden shed 6' x 4' shiplapped . We can pay for it and pick it up. Perhaps some one wants to upgrade and would be willing to get rid of their present one.
Please contact me with any possibilities.

Thanks Nick

GAF has being running for how long and what has it done i keep being told it takes time by the time anything is done ill be dead the forum needs a complete overhaul from top to bottom in the meantime landservices just sit back and do as little as possable they have the money they just dont want to spend it on there sites. The sheer stress of all this does not make having an allotment worth while anymore . Why does it take landservices years to repair a fence while we are burned out of the place its about the time the rest of the council allotment allotment holders took a stand to whom many i no have suffered at the hands of anti socail allotment holders while land services sit back and condone such behavour by there inactions some one is going to be killed before something is done . WHY AS PLOT HOLDERS ARE WE FORCED TO FIND FUNDING FOR A COUNCIL SITE WE ARE BEING USED TO MAKE PROFIT FOR THE COUNCIL HOW MANY ALLOTMENT SITES HAS KENNY BOYLE VISTED.

I think it has to be remembered that some plotholders and their committees are strong enough to fight for their needs. However others, such as Oatlands, needed the support of something bigger and GAF was the obvious choice. Nobody gets it right all the time but through GAF we can work together to get it right some of the time.
I share your frustration Robert but if you have tried everything else then why not try GAF?
Margaret

An allotment forum with its finger up its own arse serverly middle class blinkered we are under siege in our council alloments with gaf firmly in bed with the council just like sags if your not middle class there just not interested in key allotment isssues . nothing more than abuffer bewteen the council and allotment holders who are which are burned out of there allotments of coarse this is negative letts brush it under the carpet of coarse. gaf nothing more than a talking shop nothing more nothing less.

CCA, has been undertaking a Guerilla Gardening project, and as a result of this has a number of plants (mainly runner beans) left over that need good homes. They plan to leave them for pick up from the venue:
Centre for Contemporary Arts
350 Sauchiehall Street
Glasgow
Tel: 0141 352 4900
Watch this site for the exact date and time of the give-away, I'll put it here as soon as I know

Mary - it may not be free but you could try the wood recycling centre behind Kelvinhall Underground Station. Their web site is http://www.glasgowwoodrecycling.org.uk/
They sell raised beds - but might also be prepared to give you ideas

Fellow plotters,
Do you know where I can get FREE wood to make high raised beds.
best Wishes,
Mary

Does anyone know where I can get rotted manure near Glasgow or Paisley?

What do you think I should be doing in November