Welcome to new members

Kettering Allotments Society

Welcome to Kettering Allotments

Welcome to Kettering Allotments, on behalf of the committee we warmly welcome you to our allotment society and the pleasures of allotment gardening. We hope you enjoy your plot. Here are a few points from the committee. We hope you find them helpful.

1. New members have a probationary period of six months. If you decide that allotments are not for you or do not cultivate the land sufficiently during this period the tenancy may be terminated forthwith and the plot re-let to someone on our waiting list. After the probation is completed, then 3 months of non-cultivation may lead to eviction.


2. Most of our communication is by email. Our monthly newsletter is on WordPress.com and our website at www.ketteringallotments.co.uk contains our rules, policies and other information. We really value any contact, questions from our members, so please keep in touch.
 Our Facebook group is open to members, but please answer all of the the membership questions or you will not be able to join. Scroll down and check all questions have been answered.

3. Our field stewards are the committee’s representatives and your first point of contact for face-to-face queries. Please keep your field stewards informed and updated.


4. Our rules cover many issues and questions. The list of rules would be too long if every possibility were listed, so there is greater detail in our policy documents, eg cultivation policy, health and safety, keeping poultry, water use, vermin control, bonfires, etc. 


5. Please remember that the underlying theme behind all the above is that allotment land is for cultivation (growing crops). If a member is not cultivating 75% of their land, then stewards and the committee will invoke rules 20, 39 & 40 and evict (end the tenancy). The other principle is to avoid harm - to yourself (safety), to others and to the environment. Harmful actions are prohibited and may lead to disciplinary measures.


6. Rainwater collection is a priority. We encourage all members to collect rainwater in barrels and tanks for use in dry spells. This will reduce the environmental damage of using mains water and also reduce our water bills. We may be able to put you in touch with suppliers of water tanks for collecting rain.


7. Waste management is another significant expense we need to reduce. Skips are expensive and not environmentally friendly so we expect all tenants to take any non-compostable waste home for recycling or disposal. We have introduced a deposit system for new members. The deposit will be returned when the tenancy ends if the plot is left in good condition with no rubbish or other non- compostable waste remaining. See our allotment waste management policy for more details.

Kind regards

Signed on behalf of the committee of Kettering Allotments Society