Annoying Neighbour

[Angry Janice]

I am in my second year of allotmenting, though it's my first proper year. Everyone on the plot is lovely, except for the people next to me. A loud bickering woman and her lightfingerer mother who scours the plots when no one is looking picking away like she has the right. If I find her on my plot once more and they'll find her buried in it.

They stand there, shaking their heads and saying "Shame, oh such a shame" when I moved a par tree into a better position, when I pruned the fig tree, they comment and watch everything, like I am alternative television.

So I decided to fence them out. I'm growing a wall of runner beans and sun flowers down that entire side. However, yesterday when they were watering, the old woman threw her hosepipe all over my young beans, saw what she had done, didn't move it, just dragged it about. Does anyone have any ideas for subtly blocking these people out quickly?

Please bear in mind, I do not own a gun.

[Glutton4...]

No, sorry, can't help. But I am seething on your behalf!

[zazen999]

What do other people on the plot think when they find out she has been picking off their plots? It would create outrage on ours and we'd be onto the parish council blokey pronto!

[Incy]

Personally, if someone did that to my beans and I saw it.....subtlety would have nothing to do with it.
I think you should be blunt and tell her to stay off your plot and respect your plants.
You might also want to report her 'picking' to the committee....
Good luck.

[Suky]

I agree with Incy. Be polite but firm and also make sure your steward/committee are told.
I am more likely to find stuff left on my plot, my neighbours think I don't know what I am doing and leave me plants and seeds to 'help'.

[jackie j]

Anyone found to be taking crops or anything else on our sites gets a telling off drom the committee, which in turn if it keeps on happening is kicked off. You must tell the committe what she / they are doing, ask them what they intend to do about it but anything they do MUST be in writing to the neighbours.

[WendyC]

Definitely let the allotment committee know. There must be something in your lease agreement about pilfering. I don't think you need to be subtle about it either. If they are that blatant about stealing then I don't think you beat about the bush. I had a neighbour with a Jack Russell that was allowed to wander onto plots - even though it was on a long lead. It sometimes left "presents" on plots too. Fortunately never on my plot. Has moved on now. Phew! Good luck and don't let them put you off.

[Angry Janice]

Her family are friends with several other plot holders so they turn a blind eye and I think they just write it off as one of her 'quirks'. However, today I was there and noticed that others had started watching her like a hawk when she went on one of her wanders so it looks like it has been noticed. I will bring it up however.

I also took her to the snapped plant and said "You did that with your hosepipe, yesterday. I watced you do it." She actually shrugged flippantly and pretended to be deaf or not to understand.

I plan to hosepipe her the second she sets foot on my plot.

[Glutton4...]

I think a Super-Soaker is called for!

[SarzWix]

Aaah, the joys of being on a site with fences between plots...

Sorry to hear of your woes Janice, hope you can manage to find a solution that doesn't include murder I would definitely second what others have said - speak to someone 'official' about it. It's a standard clause in most site rules that you stay off other people's plots unless invited, and causing damage and/or pilfering is grounds for eviction on our site.

[Alison]

There's certainly nothing in our Contract which talks about other plots other than that you should respect your neighbours without definition. This sounds like overstepping the respect clause but I don't think we'd have much comeback other than speaking to them directly. Thankfully the only reason people do go onto each other's plots is when invited or as I did last week, to return a runaway chicken to it's rightful home

[Flummery]

There are times when people on our site pick from other plots, but that's by invitation. I had a massive glut of gooseberries last year and told a friend she could take some. She has miles too much chard and invites me regularly to pick it for the chickens. However, it doesn't sound like this is the case for you. If other people are watching her closely it's been noticed. It needs reporting.

[Glutton4...]

Leccy fence and a Cattle-prod!

[Florence Fennel]

Janice it looks to me like you are doing the other plot holders a favour. Could it be that they have been a little afraid of reporting her? Go for it girl, you're doing the right thing (but don't resort to violence). She's probably so shocked that someone is standing up to her that she'll stop. Hope so. Good luck.

[Angry Janice]

She wasn't there today so it was enjoyable from start to finish, except for the winds and the fact I realised that not a single person on my allotment is attractive. I'm never going to get married again at this rate.