I am on a waiting list for my own allotment, but have been asked if i would like to share with an existing allotment holder. Is this a good idea , if so what do you recommend i should watch out for? Thanks

I wouldn't recommend it.In more than 40 years as an allotment gardener,I've known countless friendships ruined by two men sharing an allotment.Constant arguments about who is putting more work or money in,if there's just one cabbage for the weekend,who gets it,etc.If you are splitting the plot down the middle,with your own clearly defined area and your own plants,it might work.

We share our site with some good family friends. Initially we took on the site and asked for their help (a good 30 years of gardening over us), but it's easier to share. They were going to take a percentage of the plot but we now just share it all. And in less than 9 months, with 4 peoples owrk rather than 2, we've gone from seriously overgrown and neglected to 9 decent size beds, good irrigation, and a huge sense of achievement.

I am on a waiting list for my own allotment,

Don't know where you live but..... THere appear to be lots of unused allotments at Meersbrook (End of Meersbrook Road)

just waiting for one on the Rodney Hill site Loxley.

Don't know where you live but..... THere appear to be lots of unused allotments at Meersbrook (End of Meersbrook Road)

A new committee is forming soon at the Heeley & Meersbrook site (meeting this Sunday) and I think it's the most important issue to get sorted at this site. I think all the plots are now rented so that they are not actually available to people who might work them. Hopefully change is in the air.

I think plot sharing is a good idea if you physically split the plot and have different sections as your own. I suppose there could be issues if only one person is down as the tenant - could they in theory throw you off and claim it all for themselves once you've got it in a good state. If you could get in with someone you trust then hopefully this wouldn't happen.

Otherwise is it possible to ask the allotment office to split some of the bigger plots into two and give one a new number, creating more smaller plots. At least that way you'd be the named tenant and be paying rent with all the associated rights.

This is something else we're planning on discussing at the Heeley & Meersbrook site with John Martin (some of the plots are huge)