Topic: Allotment chums

[Mrs Ava]

Talking to a couple of different plot holders today, I mentioned how lovely their strawbs were and they have both offered me all of their runners in the autumn!  Old Jack is sorting out his pots and is going to grow me between 30 and 50 in pots!!  They are both different varieties, his are smaller and have a sharper flavour, where as Lorettas, my neighbours, are huge and sugar sweet!  How cool is that and how generous!  This time next year I shall me buying clotted cream like it is going out of style!  :P :P :P

[jo2]

Allotment people do generally seem very nice (when they aren't laughing at us trying to clear our mad impulse second plot!)  Today I've been given a whole row of lovely baby leeks. :)

[tim]

Essex is 'the' place for strawberries? = Tim

[Wicker]

So true, EJ, today I received 10 celeriac, an indoor cucumber,a tray of Italian mixed lettuce, 2 bags of broad beans (which I don;t grow) and 4 sunflowers while we shared out a tray of Cos lettuce seedlings, 6 cabbage, 8 brussels sprouts, 4 calabrese and yet more tomato shoots which Mr W pots up.

Fair Trade is Great.

[Hot_Potato]

In my limited time as a lottie holder....I've made two wonderful new friends (one I share the shed with) and both have helped 'rough dig' some of my plot for me....last night whilst watering mine and some of my neighbours plot - he's not too well at present - met another luvly old chap, who I think is now in his 80's but still works about a third of his plot, he seemed nice too......however.....on the other side of me....the allotment is kept - very nicely I might add and they also have 2 others  2 or 3 away the other side of my two friendly neighbours....now when he comes up on his own, which isn't very often he does speak but when they both come....they never speak, she wont even look at me....it's so hurtful, I don't understand it.....she spoke the very first time I saw her but not since!!!....I feel so intimidated that on one occasion, she hastened my returning home!!...how awful is that :(

[fred]

Hot_Potato

They may lack confidence in their ability on the allotment and so are avoiding a conversation where they may feel inadequate

Make some positive statements about their plot over a few weeks to break the ice

Hope this helps :D

[Hot_Potato]

Oh Fred.....how sweet of you to try to cheer me up about this one little 'glitch' in my otherwise very happy new experiences as a lottie holder....

BUT.....there's no way they feel inadequate!....they're both professional people and have been lottie holders for many years and everything on their 3 allotments is just fantastic....wonderful veg. and flowers and fruit trees pruned that look regimental!....I'm afraid I feel they're laughing at my very slow and somewhat clumbersome efforts but surely this has got to be better than a lottie covered with carpet!...I did talk to them both the very first time I saw them.....and have made every effort to speak to her again, she just walks straight past me and refuses to look my way....

I'm a very friendly person and can't understand these snubs  :'(

[fred]

Hot_Potato

Just put it out of your mind

They obviously don't see it as a social activity which I feel is one of the greatest benifits (As well as the pickings)

Remember enjoy the fullfilment you get from your allotment and don't feel intimidated

Just tut every time you see a weed on their plot :D

[Les_Woof]

H-P

Really you shouldn't worry about it, we have had our plot now for a few months and are in there most weekends and evenings and in that time we have only spoken to one of our neighbours, this is probably only because his plot is near to ur house and we keep an eye out for vandlas/thieves/etc for him (didn't see them getting into our shed though!!!!).

I once went for a stroll around the site, which isn't really like most sites all of our lotties are actuall seperated by quite tall fences/hedges so to see a neighbour you must catch them on the path or go into their lottie, to see if there were any folks around to get some initial advise off of before we started on our plot, I came across a couple of plots with people in them and tried to say hello, make conversation, etcetera.  

All I got was a cursory hello, I asked for some advise and if I get have a look at their lottie to see how to set mine out and they replied no, no, go on you shouldn't be on here, this is private property. And off they trotted to their sheds to hide.

About 6 weeks later when I was having a brief chat with my one and only lottie chum, he said that one of the lottie holders around the corner said to him that some strange man was lurking around the site in a shirt and tie asking for help on what to do with an allotment.

Well that strange man was me, straight from work to pick up the key from the council and have an excited look about to see what was on offer.

I didn't let on that I was the strange geezer.

It doesn't really bother me now cos I have loads of lottie chums on here and to be honest since we had the break-in into the sheds then anyone being nosey enough to climb up the fence to have a sneeky peek shouldn't really be there and they will get told the same as I did those many months ago, but not in my usually elegant tones.

 :) :)

Take care all

les

[Hot_Potato]

Oh Les....your message has in some ways made me feel so much better!!....but - really sorry you were met with such hostility  :o now that would have upset me big time!! - makes my little grouse seem so childish!! and in fact I've wondered for a long time if I should even mention it on here - wish I hadn't now!

Generally speaking, all other people I've met or seen either walking, cycling or driving by my plot...(I'm near the main entrance, which is locked) and after locking the gate up again, they usually drive around to wherever their plot is - it's a big site, sort of a huge L shape.... wave as they go by and some - who walk up cut thru the paths sometimes carrying things....stop & chat, so it's only these two who 'get me hot & bothered' but going to take Fred's advice & just 'tut' at them (or something like that!!  ;D)

I've never seen allotments set out the way you describe yours altho looking at some of the pictures posted in here sometimes, notice some do have fences of some sort around them....

How awful having your shed broken into, especially when it's obviously well hidden - was it just yours vandalised or others too?....seems to me you're doing a great service for your  chum keeping an eye on his lottie as well as your own (in spite of the break-in) but you can't be watching the whole of the time!!

You had me giggling tho when I read
"some strange man was lurking around the site in a shirt and tie asking for help on what to do with an allotment." - think I'd have kept quiet too  ;)....

It's so good to exchange some of our experiences on here....thanks to everyone for your encouragement - H.P.

[aquilegia]

HP - don't take it personally. I often find I go into a meditation-like trance when I'm gardening and don't even talk to Mr Aqui when he's out there with me. I just get so into my little world of plants and things that I can't talk to anyone (other than the plants). Or maybe she's really shy. (I am that as well!) Have you tried speaking to them? maybe they think you don't want to speak to them?

[Ceri]

Me - I'd take the opposite take - prepare some airy throw away chatty comments you can waft in their direction as you/they go past whilst being very busy doing something plotty so if they don't reply you don't get left feeling silly.

That way, if she is truly shy she doesn't need to be mortified that another human being spoke to her, and if she's just rude, well you've immediately gained the moral high-ground. (moral high-ground being a nice warm place that keeps you snug and smug at night!)  If it is just rudeness, it won't be long until you get guarded comments from other plotters so you'll know its just not you!

[legless]

on our site you can sort of tell who you can talk to and who you can't. we've got a fair sprinkling of friendly people who are really lovely - they do tease and take the mickey but after a while its become clear that they don't mean anything by it and now i get compliments (on my lottie  ;) ) too.

you get a hello out of the less friendly ones but then they turn back to what they are doing, so you don't try and get any further.

on the whole i think its a friendly place to be. its interesting though that even though our plots are quite far apart debs and i both seem to get on best with the same people.