Allotment Fairy

[Stacey Steve]

Now I know I'm a cantancerous old sod but we have had the usual crop of new starters at the allotment site and my mate & I have tried to give help, offering plants, strimming etc.

We have heard all the plans for how these plots are going to be next year, including a person who said to me "well my runners are going to be better than yours" (honestly)

Some of these people are now saying "Well I thought the council would have..."done this or that

Now I know I will never get the allotment fairy to come and dig my plot, she will never do the weeding, she has never planted problem free plants or told the slugs that they are naughty.

I'm sure they have put 50p pieces under a slab for her.

Unfortunately I have had to do all the work myself and put in the time.

Sorry but I'm starting have some of these starters drive me up the wall. They talk to me as is it was easy for me.

GROUSE OVER (open bottle of wine and chill)

[bluemoon]

Don't worry, SS. The first time the allotment fairy has a fortnight off and the weeds reappear these people usually run away and are never seen again. Don't know what I've done to upset her, but she's never done a plot of mine either.

[RedThorn]

better that the allotment fairy didn't help the 2 of you out as she a vindictive cantankerous ol' cow and will drop you when you need her most

That said, I wish they'd hurry up and get tired as they're keeping me from getting my lottie....I started in my garden and built up to a fair amount of beds, as I did not feel it right to go on the list if I did not keep it up as now had 2 full seasons under the belt and know what I'm letting myself in for!

[zazen999]

Don't worry, time will tell.

We used to stay behind at work years ago to wash the latex [honest!], and all the knives and plates that we used to use when we tested mud for a living......the youngies would be out the door on the dot of 5. They would always wonder how everything got tidied up and cleaned overnight - so we used to say it was Miss Marple. Miss Marple came to exist in quite a few of their little worlds; one even asked if she was coming to the Christmas do one year.

Sheesh.

[SarzWix]

So far all the new ones on our site this year are doing a cracking job No moaners or whiners or slackers, yet. It's very refreshing. Most of the plots are fully cleared, a couple are in the process. They put mine to shame after the dodgy year I've had...

[FionaH]

I have to confess to having a garden fairy last weekend. Take one 18 year old lad and a desire to show off his new found prowess with a mattock! Dug over my spud bed in no time all the while announcing that "the ground was much harder in Kenya ya know"

Cost me a crate of beer mind you
Drunken fairy anyone???

[organic]

Fiona
That sounds like a well-spent crate to me if you didn't fancy the digging.


My plot had a bit of a fairy... the guy who gave up this half of his plot had some paving flags a huge tank of some sort and about a ton or more of manure on the end of my side.

After I got the keys it was just over a week before I was able to make a start, by then the secretary and someone else had shifted the flags, tank and manure to his side. I'm on my own now though. Gotta weed, dig, and (not looking forwards to this bit quite as much) move the existing path that is now up the outside of my plot so it goes between our plots. On the plus side I'll gain about 1'6" (just shy of half a metre for the metrically inclined) on my plot width that way.

[Snadger]

We have no allotment fairies..........I'll just leave it at that methinks!

[Two_Sheds]

lol @ Snadger

[bubblewrap]

Had one of these "new" starters who took on the plot next to mine in September last year.
Said he was a "Garden designer" didn't he.(Paper & Computer bod)
He's bloody hopeless he's been down about 3 times dug a couple a squares about 10' x 10' repaired the shed & emigrated ( I think) the plot is now in a worse sate than when he took it on.
I have dug up 2 buckets of cooch grass roots that have invaded my plot from his over the last 2 days.
The best of it is he is only a young un being about 30 years old & living about 5 -10 mins walk from the site .
Still I have "complained(moaned) to the council so with a bit of luck?????

[Two_Sheds]

Had one of these "new" starters who took on the plot next to mine in September last year.
Said he was a "Garden designer" didn't he.

Lol.
I got one of those next to me at my old plot (it was a joint effort, several different adults involved, but the whole was less than the sum of its parts)

they set up a beautiful new greenhouse, then left it empty because they couldn't visit it every day to water and everything died.

they put up lovely wooden raised beds (and a picnic bench), which are now abandoned and covered in grass.

they built a beautiful fence all around the plot, but left a No Man's Land of 9" between their fence and mine ... without digging out the brambles, bindweed and nettles. The weeds have gone mad, and you now can't reach them.

It's a real shame

[organic]

they built a beautiful fence all around the plot, but left a No Man's Land of 9" between their fence and mine ... without digging out the brambles, bindweed and nettles. The weeds have gone mad, and you now can't reach them.

It's a real shame

And there is the reason that when I picked up the keys for the gates at our site, I was shown to the plot and told "no fences". One plot is separated from the next by a very low concrete edging (looks like edge-on flags or something) and that's the lot.

While pretty fences would look lovely, I've gotta say I think it's a good idea. Some of the plots that got fences before the rules changed look quite messy with all the weed-boarders.

[Alison]

I'm a newbie on our site, almost a year now and havn't expected anybody to do anything for me, nor would I have wanted anybody to, so satifying looking out the shed and seeing loads of my own work!

Re the fence thing, most of our plots have fences (partly to keep excaping chooks off!) but there is no gap between plots so no trap for weeds, prefer it that way as it marks the edges well.

[Pumpkin Becki]

havn't expected anybody to do anything for me, nor would I have wanted anybody to .

Hear hear Alison. We turned our allotment from rough sheep pasture to a productive plot, with raised beds and everything all on our own. Our landlord (its a private allotment) did mark the plot with chestnut fencing posts for us, but we installed or own (rabbit and sheep proof) fencing, gates, beds, compost heap...well, everything, ourselves. Its so much more fulfilling to stand back and know we did all that.

[Alison]

You reckon that the allotment fairy is up to no good with the tree fairy? Are they compatible and what would be the result of this union?