JB just take a step back and look at it from another angle . Its not the worst day its actually the best day because you have worked through it and now things will get better onwards and upwards

JB please be extra careful with all of the glass and maybe metal! Yes, what a nightmare….but just think of just how happy your land is that you are cleaning that junk all away and giving it a second chance to bloom! I can almost feel it give a sigh of relief that you’ve come along ………❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I will always dig over a plot to get rid of rubbish and weeds first. I know digging isn't popular but it has benefits.

How incredibly frustrating! You would think people wanting to grow their own food would be more responsible and not leave a mess like this for others to clean up. On a positive note, you are making major improvements to this plot and educating people on what happens when you mix plastics that degrade like this with organics. Thank you for being so responsible!

JB, I understand the frustration. I am almost a year into clearing my allotment. It was 4 years overgrown and I've only got 2/3s of the way down the plot. I have unearthed about 20 meters of submerged carpet so far, countless large shards of grass, several huge plastic tarps that have shredded off into the soil, metal containers, hundreds of plastic pots, wire everywhere, and I've yet to clear two large derelict sheds that have been cemented into place, along with some random patio doors, a lean-to , more carpet and a kitchen sink! It is demoralising but slow and steady wins the race. In sympathy!

You've got quite a lot of raised beds, so I think putting the dodgy soil/compost on one of them is a reasonable thing to do, as you have a lot of beds to build up, and if the soil does turn out to be weedy, they're confined to just one bed, and you can just put cardboard etc over the top.

Such a shame finding all that crap in that bin. I wonder what else you might find buried below ground. Perhaps its just as well you are making no dig beds. I took over a plot with a big ' compost heap ' took out the top part that looked ok then decided to cover the rest in paving slabs and put my shed on top. Sadly some folk think allotment means personal refuse site.

I find the thought process of bringing all that plastic and polystyrene waste to the allotment in the first place really incomprehensible. My plot wasn't that bad, but it was several builders bags of bits by the time I'd cleared it. Not to mention the three UPVC glass doors, concrete bases for rusted metal pipes, and just piles of rotted wood scrap. Large stuff is annoying but manageable, its the tiny pieces which just get at you for years in the soil!

Awww JB, I totally get it. It’s just so disheartening. I had so much plastic, bits of glass, sharp bits of metal etc over my plot. I’m a fairly relaxed person too, but there is something about it that makes you lose faith in humanity a bit 😫 I would want the person who takes on my plot after me to receive it in the best condition possible. Taking care of the space should be an absolute priority! Such a shame when that doesn’t happen. But you will definitely turn it around & make it amazing 🙌🏻 edit: bloody hell, I paused to comment before I saw the polystyrene bit! I had this exact same issue 😩 bless you. It will ok though, You’ll get it sorted 🙏🏻

I can totally empathise the plot I've taken over is like this.. Broken glass everywhere, polystyrene, bottles, cans, food packaging.. It's so disheartening and it looks like the plot neighbours were using it as a dump too.

I empathise with you... when we moved into our house a couple of years ago we had to hire a massive skip to get rid of all the rubbish that had been dumped in the garden... metal, carpet, a buried tent, buried compost bags and builders bags full of mixed rubbish and compostable material. We spent weeks digging out two plastic compost bins full of rubbish and buried in wood chips and other materials. Haven’t seen you getting so annoyed before but think how good you’ll feel when it’s done! Keep up the good work! Your leeks look amazing bye the way!

Rubarb crowns grow, you could probably spilt that one to double triple the plants. Shouldn't force the same plant every year, why have 4 plants is good to rotate which you force and give the others a few years off to recoveer.

Ahh bless you... this is the realest allotment video out there! I have so many horrors on My allotment I inherited last year too.... I've cut myself off glass, they'res every kind of waste on there. One way I deal with everything is separating nails, cans, pots, plastic, pottery ... into jars and tubs in my shed and use them for art projects in the future.

I use a govee thermometer mate, it saves data and is also bluetooth so you can see how the weather has been daily, weekly, monthly, around £18 om amazon👌

I just move my plants out when it is time and I don’t worry about acclimatising- truth is they will survive and mine grow beautifully without a problem 😊

Now you've made me want to tackle some tidy up in my garden. Most of the snow should melt tomorrow so time for spring cleaning. Atleast any mess I find is probably my fault, the exception being litter near the front sidewalk that people toss on the ground all winter. It can really suck to find mess that someone else left. Try to think on the bright side that the allotment will be so much less polluted when you're done, and a better place for nature and for growing. Good job taking on the tough work!

Hi JB. Sole destroying I know just take your time and you will get there. When you do the sense of achievement at the end will be worth it. A chap who took on his allotment the same time as me found bin bags of polystyrene celling tiles buried on his plot amongst other rubbish. The most worrying thing about it was his plot was the former secretary of the allotments! Another's plot was totally covered with carpet which you could not see for the grass and weeds that had grown through. It took him an age to remove. Now they are both some of the best plots on our site (Including mine of course).🙂

I feel your pain, i dug a hole for a post the other day and pulled out the front half of a bike frame and 2 different size wheels my plot is full of old bits of metal I'm sure people just used allotments as a dump site......Try and stay positive, good luck.

I can’t believe some people, they’ve obviously had the allotment to grow stuff and must realise how hard it will be for the next person trying to get rid of their rubbish. I applaud your tenacity trying to clean it up . I hope for your sake the worst is over and you will create a beautiful space eventually.

That was unforgivable, to have created such a mess then just leave it for the next person to have to sort.😡