What would you do?

[Catrina]

We went up to our lottie last night to water and we are also looking after a neighbours plot whilst they are away on holiday when we noticed another neighbour of hers had a problem with his greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers and all the toms outside (quite a few). They had all collapsed with the heat. We could not see any sign of the family coming to the plot so my OH and I set to and watered everything.

My question is, what would you do, I did not know where they lived, so I could not go and let them know, but I did not want to be seen to be interfering. I have been up this mornign and the toms seem to be recovering but not the cucumbers. I have not seen them to tell them what we did or should I not say anything.

[Finedon.Dandy]

I would leave a little note along the lines of;

I do so hope you are ok and hope you dont mind but I watered a little for you as things seemed to be suffering in this awful heat.

You dont have to say who its from (in case they are a family of grumps and they DO take offence) and its not as if you did it for any credit eh.

I hope you feel good about such a lovely gesture and wish there were more people like you around - hope to see more of you on here C as I would LOVE you to be my friend . *pats new friend on the back*

Have a lovely day.

[zazen999]

If they were close enough neighbours to see that the crops had wilted, I'd also water and tell them next time I saw them. If I had water [I would use their water butt in all honesty]...I do keep a pencil in my basket but not necessarily any paper and you couldn't get that all on a plant label [the only other thing that I could have written on]....

[cheery tree]

hi in my view the only yhing they could say was thank you shame theirs not many people like you

[Pumpkin Becki]

Could you contact the allotment secretary - they must have a list of everyone's contact details? They wouldn't let you have the info (data protection and all that), but would probably contact the plot holder for you.

...and what a lovely thing to do.

[sulis]

Hi there

Just joined this site so forgive me for butting in :S I think that you have done a very admirable thing and wish there were more likeminded people out there.

Happy growing
Kath

[Catrina]

Thank you for all your nice comments I did not expect that, I think I was just worried that they might have thought that I was interfering but I dont think that the plants would have recovered if they had been left much longer. (Too much thinking I think) Even my friends pumpkin and cucumber plant were wilting in the heat and I have been looking after them very carefully. I am going up to the plot tonight to water so I will keep an eye out for them, though I am not sure if I will tell them what we did.

[vikkib]

That was a lovely thing to do Catrina.

If you don't see them for a couple more days it might be a good idea, as Pumpkin Becki says, to speak to the secretary and ask them to pass a message on. They might be ill or unable to get there for all sorts of reasons. They might be worried and not able to get anyone to go and water for them so it might be a great relief for them to hear someone has been kind enough to help them out in their absence!

[Catrina]

Update. Just got back from the plot and have seen the wife of the family as she came to water. I told her what we had done and she thanked me.

[SlugLobber]

She couldn't do anything else, really. I'd be really pleased if somebody watered my stuff for me (shame you're oop North!).

[Flummery]

More power to your watering elbow! If everyone looked out for one another like you have the world would be a happier (and greener!) place! I think you did entirely the right thing.

[cupcake]

What a lovely thing to do!

[Nicos]

You're a real sweetie!!!..it's sad to think we should worry about interfering..well done you!

[Catrina]

I am just glad we saved her plants as I find it upsetting when people take the trouble to grow plants only to neglect them with lack of water. I hate to go to places like B&Q where they have loads of plants for sale and no one takes the effort to water and the plants are all dying. What I get really cross about is that they dont care (B&Q) but what about all the effort the people who have grown these plants from seed thinking that their lovely healthy plants will be bought to grow in someones garden only to find that they are thrown away Sorry rant over I think I need my tea.