Since settling in there are some interesting characters. One women has three
plots and pays £75 a year for all three and has never actually got one
finished, she is a potterer and because she is paying her fee and not really
doing much else the association are loathe to kick her off and lose money.
she scratches at a patch of earth about six foot square within a mountain of
weeds and no one has very seen her grow anything as she spends all her time
just picking at little weeds.

Another has little tiny beds in a jungle of grass, There are the old school
dig it all, paths an all every winter and are spotless, others have a rough
patch in a corner and some just hoard wood and other crap and not really do
much with it.
and yes I have met the plot "Know all Know nothing"
Very interesting and certainly no allotment stereotypes as yet
Col.

Colin Jacobs wrote:

Since settling in there are some interesting characters. One women has three
plots and pays £75 a year for all three and has never actually got one
finished, she is a potterer and because she is paying her fee and not really
doing much else the association are loathe to kick her off and lose money.
she scratches at a patch of earth about six foot square within a mountain of
weeds and no one has very seen her grow anything as she spends all her time
just picking at little weeds.

Another has little tiny beds in a jungle of grass, There are the old school
dig it all, paths an all every winter and are spotless, others have a rough
patch in a corner and some just hoard wood and other crap and not really do
much with it.
and yes I have met the plot "Know all Know nothing"
Very interesting and certainly no allotment stereotypes as yet
Col.

Interesting. You seem to have an allotmenteering authority who are
completely relaxed in their attitude and very different to the one we
have in Luton.

Ours is very strict: there's this guy who comes around every Saturday
morning to check on who's here and who's not. Leave a few square yards
weeded over and uncultivated and you get a letter in the post. Three
such warnings and your plot gets confiscated! If you wanted to put your
foot down, ours would be a good example to follow ;-)

AA
http://www.myspace.com/aa_spaceagent

"Colin Jacobs" wrote
Since settling in there are some interesting characters. One women has
three
plots and pays £75 a year for all three and has never actually got one
finished, she is a potterer and because she is paying her fee and not
really
doing much else the association are loathe to kick her off and lose money.
she scratches at a patch of earth about six foot square within a mountain
of
weeds and no one has very seen her grow anything as she spends all her
time
just picking at little weeds.

Another has little tiny beds in a jungle of grass, There are the old
school
dig it all, paths an all every winter and are spotless, others have a
rough
patch in a corner and some just hoard wood and other crap and not really
do
much with it.
and yes I have met the plot "Know all Know nothing"
Very interesting and certainly no allotment stereotypes as yet

I remember when I started, everyone had good suggestions but whilst always
being polite I soon realised I had to look at their plot and veg before
deciding if I should take serious note of their comments.

We have one lady paying for a plot that she originally set out as a fruit
garden, buying/planting expensive plants, but hasn't actually done anything
on it for years. Now everything is overgrown with nettles and brambles and
another allotment holder helps himself to the apricots etc. but still she
pays????
Another man pays for a plot (or possibly two now), pays people to clear
weeds and dig/rotovate, drops plants off in pots, then lets it gets
overgrown again and the untended still potted plants die, and then the cycle
goes round again?
No accounting for folks!

--
Regards
Bob H
17mls W. of London.UK

jane wrote:
On Mon, 18 Dec 2006 22:28:13 -0000, "Bob Hobden"
wrote:

~
~"Colin Jacobs" wrote

snipped

I think part of the fun of allotmenteering is peoplewatching. We have
some characters too! I suspect I'm one of them...

We have gone, in the past four years, from about half to 2/3 full to a
waiting list, thanks to having an Open Day and basically saying,
"yoohoo we're here!" to the town. So folk aren't cut as much slack as
previously; I think we're going to get a new tenancy agreement which
will lay down terms for cultivation levels and tidiness, and lay down
the terms for plot repossession in case of persistent neglect.

Of course the more folk you attract, the better, as it means there's a
greater chance of someone being there at all times and thus there's
less time for vandals to be able to do something on the QT.

I'd love to have an allotment, but I don't have the time to care for it.
Maybe later. However, another view is that if allotments were 'recovered' by
local authoritys, we would get yet more housing, and less 'green' areas. So,
if you do have an allotment, do keep it going in a growing condition.
--
ßôyþëtë
(Wilibald Cotton of Overhill)