How much does your plot cost?

[Aberdeenplotter]

I understand where you are coming from Alison but it is still not a valid comparison. you walk out of the gym with its lovely facilities and you leave your responsibility behind. When taking on an allotments,you take on an ongoing obligation with no similarity at all in the facilities provided.

[Alison]

okies. My main point is that the benefits from an allotment come from the graft the allotment holder puts in. Without the graft, there is no prospect at all of a return.

I always think of mine in comparison to gym membership. Have spent a fortune on them in the past (both council and privately run) with no return as I just didn't go. I now pay a small percentage of that price and get massively more benefit to my physical and mental health before I harvest anything to eat.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Do councils on the mainland have a statutory duty to provide allotments? It doesn't sound like they're running them for profit.

Definite absolute obligation to provide allotments in Scotland. The rent has to be the fair rent. They can't just pluck a rent outofthe air.

[WPG]

Hi Wendy - yes, I too tend to think in the 'what else could I get for my money' sort of way. I gave up my £400 gym membership to pay for the allotment, and tbh I think all the digging and lugging wheelbarrows around has got me fitter than the gym ever did.

Mind you.....400 bars of chocolate......sounds tempting!!

Reading through these posts though does make me somewhat jealous, it sounds like allotments are much more available than in N Ireland. I'm not sure why that is - maybe because our councils have very limited responsibilities for leisure over here. Do councils on the mainland have a statutory duty to provide allotments? It doesn't sound like they're running them for profit.

[Aberdeenplotter]

What I was trying to say was that you could spend a pound a day and have nothing to show for it, whereas with an allotment you do. Yes I know you have to spend more on it than the rent.

okies. My main point is that the benefits from an allotment come from the graft the allotment holder puts in. Without the graft, there is no prospect at all of a return.

[WendyC]

What I was trying to say was that you could spend a pound a day and have nothing to show for it, whereas with an allotment you do. Yes I know you have to spend more on it than the rent.

[Aberdeenplotter]

That's expensive compared to some but it's a little over a pound a day. Not much you can do with a pound, even a chocolate bar is about that these days.

Sorry Wendy, you can't compare a bar of chocolate with ground for growing vegetables. You can enjoy your bar of chocolate without doing anything else. To get a return from an allotment you have to work damned hard and you also have to spend more.

The Sheriff Principal in my court case(sorry if I'm getting boring with the references to this)when bawling out the Solicitor for the local Council said you can't seriously be saying you can compare growing potatoes with going for a swim.

A bit of a reality check needed.

Also, you mention just over a pound a day. We don't use our allotments 24/7/365. Can't even get on to them in the winter weather.

[WendyC]

That's expensive compared to some but it's a little over a pound a day. Not much you can do with a pound, even a chocolate bar is about that these days.

[WPG]

Try not to laugh...I pay £400 pa for a 200 square metre plot. It's on a private site- good security, own tap, free manure, facilities on site, social events etc, so to me it's money well spent. I waited on the council list for over five years before 'going private' and I'm still nowhere near the top of the council list.

[Likac66]

Ours is charged per square yd - something like 14p per square yd. Mine is 180 sq yds so works out at about £22 for the year plus £3 membership and £20 key deposit.

There is a discount for pensioners and unemployed - I think half price.

We have water and a toilet, a shop on Sunday mornings and some community areas, including a pond and picnic tables. Full security fencing and you can order seed potatoes, manure and other things through the shop.

[susieq100]

I paid £58 last year - it will certainly be more than that this time! Also have to pay £10 deposit for a key because the site is fenced - reasonably securely. There is water that you can use to fill butts - only a couple of taps for the whole site (70+ plots). No other facilities. The site secretary is very good and can organise compost, manure, chippings etc but we have to pay.

[mrgrower]

Should have been £56 however the site was re-designated from an allotment to a comunal growing area whatever that means? Anyway it costs me £10 per year that covers society membership and insurance. I've not had a contract yet though???

We have water not on at the moment though.

But no way of getting compost to site as it's behind houses with access that is wide enough to drive a car down then a sharp turn which means you can't get a trailer etc round.

MG

[binley100]

This has just totally confused me, I have not idea what pole or rod or perch means but if those are yearly prices they seem really really cheap.

http://www.thecalculatorsite.com/con...quare-feet.php

[Aberdeenplotter]

Aberdeen for 2011-12 was as below
Full 300m2 £77 concession £38.50
3/4 225m2 £57.75 concession £28.88
1/2 150m2 £38.50 concession £19.25
Micro Plot 50m2 £11 No Concession

as far as I understand rate has been increased for 2012-13 by 2.5%. Take the size with a pinch of salt. The size given is not correct.

[FoxHillGardener]

£50 a year for what I was told is 5 rods. It measures about 19.6m by 7.4m. We have mains fed water troughs, a compost toilet and a high fence. No deliveries of free anything