A losing battle ......

[Farmer_Gyles]

the arthritis is making it difficult to get things done and haven't been getting up the allotment as much as i need to .......
the pigeons have had all the brassicas - even the ones i planted the other day and netted (the netting came away)
the sweetcorn is not even 2ft high and it's gone to seed
the carrots and beetroot are lost in the weeds
the peas all died
the raspberries have dried out and the fruit is no good
lost 1 of the 4 cucumbers i planted the other day
got 3 rows of spuds i can't dig up
the strawberries look dead
the pumpkins look like they're on the way out too
all i have left now are 10 celery, 4 courgettes, 3 cucumbers and maybe the pumpkins, plus the fruit that was already there before i took the plot

almost a year of hard work gone to waste .......

on the plus side, i discovered a blackcurrant bush under the weeds .......

only another 6 weeks before my hospital appointment ...........

[bobleponge]

Well there you go then FG, a plus side. And you can ask Su and her mate to help you out when she has time.
I'm sure the arthritis doesnt make anything easy, but anything you can do on your plot is a battle won.
Cheer up fella, life aint all bad.
Petit a petit le oiseau fait son nid, as they say where I live.

[Incy]

Oh dear FG, you are having a tough time!
As Bob said there is the plus side of finding a blackcurrant bush.
Hopefully they will be able to help once you have your hospital appointment. 6 weeks may seem ages but it will be here before you know it.
Shame none of my family live in Purley anymore I'm sure one of them would have been willing to give you a hand if they did. Is Su coming to visit anytime soon?
Maybe you could get your son to do at least some watering for you. Mine's 11 and loves that bit of gardening (there is a risk of getting wet though) possibly offer a reward for his help.....?
I hope you are feeling better soon.
Take care

[allotmentlady]

Oh dear FG :-( seems we are in the boat, except my crops were destroyed and stolen by the person I shared the lottie with!

There is always next year isnt there? Wish I was closer so I could come help, mind ya, ask around I am sure there are others who will want to help. Hope your feeling better soon xx

[Lottieval]

FG, so sorry to hear your problems, it's so dispiriting when you've been looking forward to so much. Won't anyone else on your lottie site help? The old chap (well he's about 4-5 yrs older than me) next to my plot has been ill and in hospital, so I've weeded most of his plot which was brimming with willow herb and groundsel, I've done it to help him but there is an upside for me in that those weeds will not flower and seed all over my plot. He's a nice old guy and his plot is his life, he'd be devastated if he could no longer do it. Have you told people on your site about your predicament?

[bluemoon]

I know it's probably no consolation now, but arthritis is always worse in hot weather you might feel a little better as the temperatures cool.

[squashysu]

Oh dear FG :-( seems we are in the boat, except my crops were destroyed and stolen by the person I shared the lottie with!

There is always next year isnt there? Wish I was closer so I could come help, mind ya, ask around I am sure there are others who will want to help. Hope your feeling better soon xx

OMG thats terrible AL and no on, i am sure i will find the whole story soon x

And FG bloody hell you helped and i cant help you as i cant get to you and your lottie everyday or i would!!! cant anyone help you like the nice bloke next door! all it is is a watering!!! not fair is it, sorry! why not scrap the lottie , get son to dig up the spuds, and work on your garden stuff instead!!!

[Alice]

I hope you feel better soon Farmer Giles.

Could you speak to the lottie committee and ask them to see if there is anyone on the waiting list who would be willing to come in and share with you now. Maybe some of this years work could still be salvaged.

[dexterdoglancashire]

Sorry to hear your news FG. I just wish I was closer to I could help.

Grapes have already suggested anything I can thing of. Good luck.

[Snadger]

Cheer up FG you're beginning to sound like Victor Meldrew!

[SarzWix]

FG, this year so far I have lost 2 batches of sweetcorn, 2 cucumber plants, 2 courgette plants, 2 batches of leeks, 5 trays of salad, half the peas, a third of the onions have bolted, most of my salad potatoes are looking very iffy in their pots, I didn't get my carrots in the ground sown til about a week ago and the ones in deep pots have all died, only 6 parsnips have survived, and my greenhouse crops are constantly gasping for water...
(I've been on crutches for 7 months now and looking like another month or so before I can chuck them away...)

Tis heartbreaking in some ways, but then, they're only plants - I haven't died "There's always next year" is what I keep telling myself...

Try a soggy newspaper/cardboard/straw mulch round and over everything you can, get the Scouts down there to help out (make it count towards a badge!) and get some of your non-virtual friends to help out one weekend - bribe them with beers if necessary!

Most importantly - DON'T DESPAIR! Worst comes to worst, get the Roundup out and start again next year

[HeyWayne]

Hope the arthrytis (sp?) eases soon. I have no idea how that must feel but I understand frustration.

You have my sympathies dude, I hope something gets sorted soon.

[di]

Sorry it's all going so bladdy pear shaped for you!.....you've got ten more celery than me!
I know it doesn't help a lot with this year,but like Sarah said,there's always next year to plan for...sure by then you'll have found coping methods & hopefully relief from the arthritis.
If you can get someone to lend a hand doing either a quick clear~up or covering the ground with cardboard or wet newspaper,I find squash the ultimate lazy/at present unable gardeners companion.As long as you pop a cane to remind you where to water they really don't need copious amounts of watering plus the added advantage that once they've got going they don't allow room for many weeds to grow.It's not too late to get a few plants now & maybe getting the Scouts in to help plant them & look after them aint such a bad one...you could then donate any surplus squash to them to either sell on a raise a bit of cash for their funds or let them have one for Halloween.
I know you must be in a lot of pain & obviously particularly down about the plot,but try to look at it as a temporary blip that you will overcome!Maybe use your time this year looking into minimal effort ways of gardening for next year.
All the best & hope things pick up for you soon!x

[snohare]

Your brassica patch is manured with lovely phosphate rich fertiliser for next year.
You've learned a little bit more about growing sweetcorn.
Some of your beetroot or carrots will still be there - meantime, the soil is not losing moisture and nitrates through being bare.
The peas don't have to be watered all the time now - but you weren't going to manage to get there regularly enough to pick them anyway, were you ? At least they might have fixed some nitrogen.
You've still got three cucumbers and three rows of tatties, which don't need to be dug up straight away. You can always offer a tithe to someone for doing that job.
A good dose of rain and there is every chance that what you think is on the way out will recover enough to give something. But regardless, the work you have put into getting organised, clearing weeds, preparing the soil over the last year, is not wasted - the dividend has merely been delayed.
Yes, hope deferred makes the heart sick, but now is your chance to plan really intensively for the future, read up online, buy/make gadgets...
I know what it is like to be living in hope of that magical hospital fix, and watching the world go past you at a demoralising speed. Chronic pain, frustration and NSAIDs are all things that will make you feel depressed, but keep going even when it feels like you are taking steps backwards; don't trust your feelings on this one FG, it is just another lousy part of being and feeling ill !