Rapid Returns, Future Folly

Attention All Allotment Members

Topsoil Delivery 10 a.m Saturday 23^rd

Bring your Spades and Wheelbarrows

The Committee

“Oh, great!” said Scott to Barry. “I’ve been waiting for this for weeks. All that veg I’ve dug up. I compost what I can, but there’s no way I can stop the soil level sinking over time.”

So pleased was Scott that he organised 7-year-old Beth and 4-year-old Ashley to bring their own little barrows. Anticipation was high as the tractor appeared at the gates, dragging its 10-tonne load. But when Scott noticed the logo on the trailer, he felt as if a balloon had just been punctured.

Instead of ‘Orton Organics’, the logo announced itself as ‘Fastfeast Farms Ltd’, same as the last delivery two years – and four years – previously.

“Hey, Barry, tell me I haven’t gone mad,” he said to his friend. “At our AGM, didn’t we decide to buy from a sustainable farm this year? As I remember, the soil we got last time wasn’t clean. I’ve spent ages digging couch grass and bindweed out of my patch. And I’m not convinced it was particularly good growing soil. I bet it was laced several times over with NPK fertiliser. I can remember ten years ago when I first took my allotment, everything grew twice as large. Now I’m having to buy organic supplements to stop the soil becoming infertile.”  

With Scott’s children in tow, they made a beeline to Gerald, the Committee’s secretary, and asked their question. Gerald coughed and looked away.       

Barry was a little less polite. “C’mon, Gerald, we need an answer. Why haven’t you done what we agreed at the AGM?” he demanded. Gerald cleared his throat.

“Yes, the resolution was all very good in theory,” he said, “but when we priced up the Orton Organic topsoil, it would have cost half as much again as Fastfeast. Some of our members have been complaining about the subs, so The Committee decided to reconsider our decision. It’ll be popular with those who are hard-pressed. We set a sum of money aside for soil improvement and look how much we’ve got for it!”  

With a sweep of the arm, he pointed proudly towards the browny grey mass that had just been deposited on an unused plot.

 “You mean you’ve spent all our funds on this stuff?” asked an exasperated Scott. “Don’t you realise the general quality of the allotment’s soil’s under threat? What you’ve done is completely undemocratic! And in the long run, it’ll cost us all a heck of a lot more to garden well.”

“Ah, yes,” came the reply, “but soil quality won’t be a problem until five years from now. I don’t suppose I’ll be on the Committee by then…Anyway, plotholders who want to find their own means of improving the soil are always welcome to make their own investments.”

“Ey? Aren’t you worried that the whole allotment’s eventually going to become unviable to garden?” asked Barry.

“Not at all, “ smirked Gerald, “I’ll be long gone by then. Leave that problem to the next generation!”

-o-O-o-

Maybe you’ve guessed? The Conservative government’s decision to water down its climate change pledges, to delay implementing solutions already identified, is little short of a national scandal. ‘Maxing out’ on our oil and gas reserves is utterly inexcusable.

A certain proportion of the electorate will be pleased that the challenge of adapting to climate change has been shelved for later. But in the long run, the cost of inaction will far outweigh that of taking the urgent measures that need to come now. We are borrowing from our children’s future, no less.

If you feel like I do, please open this link from Friends of the Earth, https://foe.uk/zdqd7 (yes, I trust its genuineness and security)   and send a message to Rishi Sunak ahead of the COP28 summit. Thank you.

[Image from Pixabay]