Should I worry about neighbour?

[Si D]

The next plot to mine started just before I did last spring.  He weedkilled the whole plot but only planted one edge of it.  Since then the couch grass has been replaced by knne deep covering of weeds over about 80% of his plot.  I'm not sure if he's lost interest or what but I've not seen him there for months, although I notice the odd thing gets moved around now and then.

Problem is that the prevailing wind blows straight across his plot onto mine, so am I likely to suffer worse from all the weed seed blowing onto my plot than if he'd just left all the unused bits of his plot as couch grass?  I don't want to make a fuss especially if there isn't a real problem there.

I don't claim to have a perfect plot myself, but I realised that I couldn't manage to do the whole thing in one summer and so only cleared half of it which I'm managing to keep on top of, more or less, weeding wise.

[Si D]

[Deb P]

Will the weed seeds bother you more than the couch? Yes indeedy.

I have exactly the same problem, by next door plot neighbour strimms his meadow of dandelions twice a year, just enough to ensure they flower and float through the railings to my plot. I have to keep on top of hoeing or they would take over. We are just deciding on criteria on what constitutes a 'cultivated' plot on our site, I think his will no longer qualify.....hopefully!

[Si D]

thanks for the info, tis as I feared them :-\ 
next thing is how to diplomatically point out the problem to him, made doubly difficult 'cos I never see him  :(

[Kea]

I sympathise as I've had much the same problem for the last 18 months the plots both sides of me have been covered in weeds. Recently someone took over one of the plots but the double plot on the other side the weeds reached 6 foot tall. After they seeded all over my plot for the second season the parish council strimmed it but apparently the plot holders have still retained both plots despite only having been 3 times in 2 years!

Now my problem is that i've been fighting a losing battle and all those weeds (mainly prickly lettuce) have seeded all over my plot two seasons running. I've been suffering from a spine problem the last few months and now my plot looks like the problem. Before I was strimming but at the moment I'm not strong enough to strim. I've been going around taking the flower heads off but this weed seems to be quicker than I am.
I did complain but for a long time was ignored, it was another plot holder who complained that got the plots strimmed. So I would complain vigorously but just be aware you could end up in my current position with all the weeds blown over from the offending plot and it neatly strimmed to the ground.

[caroline7758]

Rather than complain to him, why not mention it to whoever is responsible for the whole site. I bet there are people on the waiting list who'd love to get their hands on it (and on him!)

[Si D]

Unfortunatly we don't have a waiting list as our site is only half full.

Perhaps I shall seek advise from someone on the newly formed committee.  I don't really want to complain as such because, for all I know, he may have started with the best of intentions and then sucummed to some serious health matter or whatever.  But it is a bit annoying that after my efforts to clear my beds, the weed is going to blow back in.

[tin can]

Our previous plot had a vacant plot next to it for a couple of years. Unfortunately most of the weeds seemed to be docks and it took us at least 3 years of thorough weeding to finally get rid of most of the seedlings which grew from the seeds blown in from the next plot.
Next time it became vacant we decided to rent it ourselves and just strimmed it and stuck in a few fruit bushes and trees. ( no waiting list on that site either!)

[Si D]

I wonder if my neighbour reads this forum  :-[

There seems to have been a sudden rash of activity, digging and weed removal over half of his plot.  So problem might solve itself with no awkwardness.