Allotment elves or ... ?

[timnsal]

Day 2 today 8)

Spent about an hour at the allotment yesterday, thought I'd make a start, and dug a very small area out.

Went back this evening to find my small area had mysteriously and very precisely doubled in size. Also a yellow plastic bin had appeared on the plot, and a wheelbarrow alongside it :o

So now I'm confused. Do I have very kind and helpful neighbours? Or has there been a mistake somewhere and someone else thinks it's their plot? It has been unused for several years, and is 'officially' classed as overgrown, although it isn't actually too bad.

There was nobody else on the site when I got there.

Any advice would be welcome.
Thanks

Sally

[timnsal]

[Mimi]

I cant give any advise Sally but what ever you are doing ..your doing it right. ;) I would just keep hoping that when ever you are not there ....the elf is  ;) ;D

[Roy Bham UK]

We had a similar incident on our allotment last year, whereby someone dug another ones plot in error, twas simply solved by the other one digging the same area of the plonkers plot ;D

[delboy]

I prefer the national elf service myself, and the waiting lists are officially shorter than ever..

[Mimi]

;D

[amphibian]

I would try to find out what has happened asap. Especially if there is anything that can be harvested on your plot. At my site there are lots of unused plots, and everyone helps themselves to the fruit growing on them, unfortunately someone harvested all my fruit last year after I had take over the plot. It is a good idea to establish that a mistake has not occurred before any issues develop.

[cowellen]

the same thing happened to me....

2nd day on the plot -a water butt appeared

3rd day a wheelbarrow...

and yesterday some fence posts and  black plastic...

all thanks to the elves ;)

[waggi]

if anyone has read my thred about the council messing up with my plot and me loosing it

i erge you to find out what is happening

in case some nice people take all your hard work

do it now before it may be to late

waggi

[Lady of the Land]

Do sort out problem ASAP, contact council or whoever runs plots/ask other plotties- ones who go down regularly/ leave a note tied to stake.

Had the same problem. Initial problem establishing which plot. Plot divided into two and only taking on a half. Asked other plotties who told me the plot the elderly chap I was taking over from, but just to be sure contacted the gentleman himself, actually ended up taking him down to allotment to definitely check as his directions were not clear. Therefore really felt sure, cleared out the old shed put on lock.Started digging and short while afterwards found out someone else thought they had been given that plot. to make matters worse I knew this person via work, and as had dug a fare amount by this time I was reluctant to give this half up. Fortunately she decided to start on the other half.

Eventually established the chap whose plot I had taken over from was on one half of the allotment while council had him registered on the other. The other half was empty. Which had led to all the confusion. It took alot of effort to establish this, the other half was being dug by someone else entirely which made things even more confusing.

Have now taken on this other half as it was given up last year.

[growmore]

Sounds very confusing ..We meet our new tennants on the plot and point out the boundaries etc to them ...Can You  not  leave a note Timnsall  in a poly bag  on a stick placed in where You have dug to? ..Be a shame to be digging some one else's plot ... cheers ..Jim

[timnsal]

Haven't had chance to go back yet, what with visitors and son's birthday intervening. Wasn't quite dedicated enough to brave the hailstones on Sunday :-[

I'll ask on the site next time I'm there, and give the secretary a call. She showed me all the plots last week, and the boundaries are fairly clear.

It seems very strange, that it should have been untouched for several years, and then suddenly have someone else after it the day after I started digging. Still, I've only done a couple of hours so far, so no big deal if there has been a mix up. I'll just go back to plan A and ask for one of the recently vacated plots instead.

Thanks for all the suggestions :D

Sally

[timnsal]

Still not worked out who the phantom digger is. I'm definitely on the right plot, and the secretary has no idea who it might be, or why.

The dustbin which was covering the rhubarb has now migrated to the next plot. As has the wheelbarrow. But more of my plot had been dug. If it was the nextdoor neighbour wanting to expand, the plot on his other side is vacant, and worked only a couple of years ago.

Will try leaving a note, as soon as I remember to take something to write on/with.

Sally

[amphibian]

This is weird but I have just had a similar incident. I arrived at my allotment the other day to find the top half of my plot marked out along it boundaries with canes, and most of my items tidied into a corner. Now our council mark plots like this so that when people look around they know which ones are vacant.

So I got home and called the council, and they said they did not do it, and no-one has asked to look around.

I later discovered teh canes used were my ones.

It worried me as I thought the council had just given away half my plot.

[timnsal]

:o They must be getting restless. Hope you convinced the council it wasn't available.

I'm fairly sure now that it's the person from the next plot, as the tools and things which are on my plot one day are on that one the next time I come down. I still haven't met them and I'm not sure what they're playing at. This time they'd dug up a section of the path between the two plots ???

I want to start planting - I've got potatoes waiting to go in - but I'm a bit worried they might be disturbed. Should I risk it?

Sally

[katynewbie]

Sally, have you thought of writing a note and pinning it to a cane or something obvious on your plot to explain the whole thing to the "elf" or maybe a note to next door plottie asking if they have seen anything? It would drive me mad!!! Think you should do something before you put spuds in, just to make sure.

Good Luck!!

[tabbycat]

have just read this and am now paranoid!

will be up and down to the plot first thing (with confused & complaining children in tow) to check that it's untouched! haven't seen it since sat and am now imagining all sorts!  :o

tabbycat

ps: am technically challeged - how do u all get those little yellow faces into your messages?

[tabbycat]

have now seen the little yellow face in my last reply..... question answered... u have website elves that magically draw them! ;D

[timnsal]

;D They seem to be getting everywhere.

I haven't been down since Friday, so the elves have probably taken over by now. Couldn't challenge them at the moment, having had no voice for a couple of days. The family seem to be enjoying the quiet :-X

Sally

[Kea]

I have had these sort of problems as well with people moving stuff, taking stuff and thinking they could move the pegs around. I've now just about fenced off my bit except I lost a fence post to the neighbour who thought it was put in by the council so they incorporated it into their compost bin!

[amphibian]

Well the plot thickens. I turned up at the allotment today to find my compost bin had moved, it had been moved right up to the top part of my plot and a big number 5 painted on it. My plot is number 4, and number 5 is the empty one next door.

Unfortunately they have also sprayed the top half of  my plot with weedkiller and destroyed my blackberries (cultivar with the best berries ever).

So whatever you do don't ignore elves.

The council didn't put the canes out though, the lost lady did, she used them to mark 'her' plot's paths before spraying and digging. Pity she had the wrong plot the whole time.

The council have called her, she must be heart broken because my plot is lovely, and 5 is a tiny little irregular sliver of ground.

I'm an organic grower, so I am not happy that my plot has been sprayed with chemicals, but hey ho...

At least she dug it over for me.