Topic: is this the place for a rant?

[persecuted unlimited]

Hope you get it sorted, tell the nosey woman to back off, its your plot now and you will garden it the way you want to, and remind her the apples this year, next year and any other year are yours.

[Kea]

They do need pruning.
I was kneeling down weeding one day and my new (now ex)  plot neighbour arrived and started picking raspberries from some stray canes on her,plot. Then she reached over and started picking,mine so I made some noise and stick my head up.....she jumped about 3 ft in the air. I pretended I hadn't seen. Some people really are cheeky. Your woman seems to think she has the right to pick apples on your plot!

[Digeroo]

If the trees are missing Rita then mine are as well.      I have done better than most on the apple front but still only a small fraction of the norm.   The bees were just no where to be seen.  It was too dry, cold, wet, windy....

It is your plot now.  I would quietly ignore this person.   I am sure that if Rita's ghost is around she would be appreciating the work you are putting into the plot.

Rant away, we like a good rant.

[picman]

This is one of the reasons our council ban fruit trees grown on plots.

[antipodes]

Those are apple trees? they are blimmin' HUGE!  No wonder they need a bit of TLC. My friend has an old apple tree, it had been neglected. She pruned it back hard last year, fungus treated it and this year it gave a wonderful harvest (was a bit better here in france than in the UK). It definitely needed it, and the tree looked much healthier afterwards, even if it was smaller!

Really, what a shame to start off with an argument! She seems miffed that someone has taken over her friend's allotment, but that's just life. Everyone had their own ways of working. And yes I agree she was helping herself! Of course you could have been a very nice person and said "Did Rita give you some apples? Next harvest time I will be sure to leave you a bag and carry on the tradition" but she she has been such a miserable old cow, she has done herself (as my dad used to say!). And she shouldn't be taking them without asking...

[Robert_Brenchley]

Bramleys are known for biennial bearing, which could be the problem. This year I got a decent crop off my other apples, and nothing from the Bramley. Last year branches were bent double under the weight of the crop. Next year I plan to thin the crop to try to discourage it. If the tree exhausts itself by producing too much one year, it takes a year off then overcrops again in the third year.

[Digeroo]

Just found your gallery.  Not sure how to find other peoples galleries easily.

They are huge.   We have a height limit of trees in our lotties we are only allowed trees on dwarf root stock.

I have a huge Discovery in my garden, which is huge and it takes a lot of moisture from the surrounding soil.   This year is the first for many many years it has not been dripping.  It is a tip bearer so difficult to prune without cutting off next years fruit.

[Nora42]

thanks to all who looked at my gallery yes they are huge arn't they but I am going to leave it to our Trust who told me the apple trees belong to them and so they are responsible . I don't know when they will come to do the work but I hope they cut them back quite hard or propose to do that over two or three years. The funny thing is that the site manager told me when I had taken on the polot to prune them down to 2 meters in height I asked if if that had always been the rule because if it had he certainly had not been enforcing it. and in our contracts we are not allowed to plant fruit trees either but as I mentioned these allotments have been on the go since about 1912/1913 not sure how old the apple trees are on the allotment not that old I think. the Grenadier cooker in my back garden is thought to be about 100 years old and has always been well pruned.
Nora.

[Gordonmull]

What a total nutcase. Well done to excercise your restraint. You did better than I would have done!

Totally freak the freak out. Tell her you were at a seance over the weekend and the previous allotments holder came to you and said that the trees were fine but her allotment was a bad example to all and she's going to haunt her for life. Move her tools about when she's not looking, mention her (previous holder) frequently talking to you through your pet cat, etc. Pillocks like that will swallow anything if you deliver it sincerely enough. Utilise her crazy superstition and she'll soon be scared to talk to you. Might mention you're a white witch and the trees have told you not to cut them down since it will bring a curse on the whole site. Ah, the possibilities are endless

[Gordonmull]

Aaargh site won't let me modify. Sorry to OP I for some reason had my reply as if you were NOT wanting to cut the trees. Apologies for confusion.

BTW you could also tell her you can hear the trees crying because their roots are too far from their branches :)

[Aden Roller]

I think it's different when people ask first.....

Last year my two plum trees were dripping with fruit and along came an elderly couple to ask if they could have enough for a fruit pie. I was pleased to be able to send them off with 3/4 of a carrier-bag full.

Had I found anyone helping themselves they wouldn't have walked away so comfortably. 

[antipodes]

I think it's different when people ask first.....

I am a bit cheeky like that - I saw this year that my neighbour was going to chuck out some things (beetroots that had been a bit chewed), so I rather boldly asked if he would mind if I had them. He gave me not only the ones he was chucking, but a few more (despite my protests) plus a few courgettes and a thyme plant!!! I try to offer him some things in exchange but usually it's something he won't eat!  He did accept some lettuce plants this spring and some sprouting brocooli to see what it was like.
But it would not be right to take things without asking - on our site it is strictly forbidden anyway (but some people seem to do it as people have had things missing).

[Aden Roller]

Once in a blue-moon (so not very often!) I walk across my neighbour's plot along his grass path to get to the shared water tap which is on the far edge of is plot on the main path. It's mainly when I'm tired and want to fill my kettle without the long walk around the end.

Every time I do I feel very slightly cheeky and guilty even though I am on a grass path as it's not mine. We very strictly respect other peoples plots...which I think is as it should be.

[cornykev]

I love your idea Gordon, would I have some fun with her over halloween.   

[davyw1]

I would wait for her return and stand glaring at the tree holding out a chainsaw.I may have problems holding back my laughter tho

[Strawberrygirl]

Nothing worse than taking on a new plot and then getting snide remarks from the neighbours. We took on a new plot in Aug, the previous tennant had now worked it for 18 months so it was in a sorry state.  There were lots of fruit bushes that we had to cut back and we did get several comments from neighbours that weren't rude but you got hint of an undertone. 

It amazes me how some ppl can be so bitchy!  Surely we are all old enough and ugly enough (well some of us) not to be nasty to our fellow man!  Life is too short