Visitors at an allotment open day

Two original fictional non-fiction texts for reading practice.

Text A: an organiser’s report

Visitors were the reason we opened the gate, not an interruption to a normal gardening day. Several plot holders were surprised by how long people stayed beside an ordinary bed of beans. Questions about supports and watering led to conversations that would never have happened over the fence.

We invited visitors to pick from the marked demonstration row. Most asked before taking anything, even when the sign said they could. Children often noticed insects that adults had walked past, and their questions encouraged our volunteers to explain things without relying on gardening terms. A few people arrived expecting to buy vegetables and were disappointed that the day was mainly about learning, but the entrance volunteer could usually explain that before they walked round.

The main difficulty was the crowd near the narrow gate. We will spread arrival times next year. That is a practical adjustment, not a reason to close the site. Some visitors have since offered to help with the communal path, and one family returned with a labelled packet of seeds from their own garden. The exchange has continued beyond the afternoon.

Text B: a plot holder’s reflection

I enjoyed talking to people who had never seen vegetables growing, but an open day needs clearer limits than ours had. A visitor pulled a plant from my row to show a child its roots. I do not think she meant to damage anything; she had mistaken a working plot for a demonstration area. Good intentions did not put the plant back.

Other visitors were very considerate. Several stayed on the paths and asked before taking photographs, particularly where plot holders were included. Their interest made me realise how little of our work is visible from outside. One conversation about compost was more useful than the formal talk, because the visitor described a problem I had never considered.

My concern is not that visitors should be kept away. It is that the organiser's welcome must include explaining what belongs to whom and where an invitation to touch actually applies. We also need somewhere for groups to wait without blocking people carrying tools. A smaller, well-guided visit could offer more conversation than a large crowd left to interpret the site for itself.

Compare what the two writers say about visitors at allotment open days. Make it clear which text you are using.