Allotments 6 - Risk Assessment

In all manner of business "risk assessment" is a common buzz term which is a bit like "health and safety". This post ponders on the the allotment site manager's approach to risk assessment in the the yearly cycle of events.
My interest was triggered by a report in the Sunday Times that some of London's London planes (trees not aircraft) have a fungus. It seems there may be some risk of branches breaking and falling out of the trees' canopies! Nowadays London tends to give me a sore head but not from falling branches!

As winter approaches the site manager might like to consider the likes of:

•  inspections for an assessment of risks;
• a plan to avoid or mitigate events likely to cause injury or damage;
• the extent to which insurances should be takewn or changed;
• etc.

Beating the Bounds:
A check of the boundary may reveal evidence of wind or weather damage, unauthorised access, damage by animals, adverse possession (unlikely), etc.  Any finds should result in a plan to deal with the problems promptly - covering:

• repairs to the fence or walls;
• a longer term maintenance plan;
• a letter to any person in unauthorised possession;
• etc.

Walking the Baulks and Ways:
A visual check from the baulks and ways will show problems caused by nature and the allotmenteers - including:

• hanging or fallen branches, ie trees which are on-site or off-site;
• damaged surfaces of baulks or ways;
• fallen or overhanging obstructions from gardening operations by members;
• damaged piped-water pipes;
• overgrown allotments;
• excessive weeds about to shed seeds;
• accumulations of rubbish;
• etc.

Actions required might include: a) a bonfire to get rid of waste timber (keep the ash as fertiliser); b) a skip or trips to the recycling centre to be rid of metals and other recyclables; c) polite letters to members holding problem plots; d) the bulk purchase of water butts, compost bins; e) the purchase of a strimmer and lawn mower,  f) etc. 

Policy Perambulation:

An initial or later annual walk around the policy etc documents of the allotment association (or council's documents and files) will give insight into the need for change. The documents are likely to include the following:

• the abstracts of the Conveyance deeds and/ or Agreement documents;
• the Constitution of any representative association of the allotmenteers;
• management policy as shown by / in standing orders and other policy documents
• any insurance policies;
• etc.

Hopefully no issues will arise but incidents in the recent past may require policy to be changed.

Allotments 1 - Baulks or Balks - Tidying Stones and Weeds and a Hump (Update No 1 - 28 December 2011)

I spent part of a morning a few months' ago tidying the grass "baulks" or "balks" around my allotment. They are the narrow strips of path between adjoining allotments which need to be kept tidy and free from stones and weeds.


If pebbles or stones are left on the surface any mowing operation is fraught with danger! Damaged mower blades are the Committee's main concern but mine is a fast moving stone at hip height or lower! Having suffered one blow on the thigh I was tempted to dig out my cricket box but now spend a few minutes in lifting any stray or dislodged stones.


Weeds and long grasses are another problem. Many years' ago I was on the South Downs (before it became a National Park) when the group's botanist guide indicated a square metre and announced there were about 400 plants therein. My allotment's balks seem to have 'millions' of grasses and weeds of the flowering type. In a never ending saga of year-long weed control today's task was to gather as many as possible - seed heads, dying flowers... whole plants.


As a child I have fond memories of family blackberry 'hunts'. Now I grow my own or try to do so. This year the crop is promising. The original rows were raised from a hedgerow infestation several years ago. They need attention but I have four relatively neat rows.


From the field next door the cousins are still trying to join their relatives on my plot. They send tendrils from the hedegrow which is another scratchy danger. Also, they attempt Colditz-like escapes by coming under the balk and popping up in the allotment - but not in neat rows.

A few weeks ago one of the baulks became "humped" with an ants' nest. Having removed it, it was soon colonised with weeds but now (12/2011) must be the time to remove them. The hump was noticed long before it was removed but when one of my infrequent mowing of the baulk took place the mower almost became airborne - hence the subsequent removal. Will the ants return?