So in the vain of this irk-y feeling I am going to moan, oh yes my friend, it is time to get something off my chest.
As I shared (with fanfare), we are now into our 5th season on the Lottie and all is going quiet well for the Gaults. But there is something that has been annoying me for quite some time now, something that has been getting up my nose, under my skin and rubbing me up the wrong way... THIS! >> There are so many people that have seemingly become bored with their soil 'toy' after so long and have let their plots go to gardening Hell!! To be honest I am fuming, really rather red in the face and though a non-violent person I could happily smack some butts!
Look at these examples, only the ones that surround our own plot! There is a waiting list for crying out loud and people have these in this state! ARRRGHHHHH. I know that any reader of my blog will be angry too and I thank you for your collective empathy for my present state.
We are naturally getting all the weeds of the day on our plots because of these plots and my hayfever (which up til now has been in check) is going mad with all this grass that has just been left to go to seed. I feel like getting tape from the Police and cordoning off these plots as crime scenes!
If that wasn't bad enough the green fly and aphids have returned in force. Yes I could squish them betwixt my fingers but seriously, with this many on one rose, it would be a green goo bath and I am just not strong enough in the tummy for that. Plus, there are no worms, none and only a smattering of ladybirds - they have abandoned us, left us to fight for ourselves and oh, woe is me!!
 |
| the Honeysuckle was sprayed with something - look how pretty it is now though! |
Boiled and crushed with added homegrown garlic and peas - yummy!
We have some similar plots on our site - thankfully not alongside ours although that hasn'r always been the case. It does seem that once new plotters see that it isn't does a matter of clearing a plot once for ever many give up in the face of hard work. I think having an allotment for some is an idealistic notion.
ReplyDeleteCarrie, order yourself some green lacewing eggs, a mantis egg case, and some ladybugs. Between the three of those beneficial bugs, you will get rid of alot of bad bugs. I don't know if you can get FELS NAPTHA soap there, it is an old timey bar soap, but I shave it off and dilute it in a jar of water, only part of one bar needed for a liter or more of water, and we use that on our plants, too. If you cannot find a bar of such, please let me know and I will send you one! Those weeds make me mad, too!!
ReplyDeleteSue - you have hit the nail on the head! That is exactly it; people jump into these ventures because it's fashionable or on TV and doesn't look hard and they know that really they ought to go organic and grow their own BUT it is hard work and takes dedication. It makes me so sad though that we only have to pay per year, so if you can see it doesn't fit yours livestyle, let someone else have the land.
ReplyDeleteLisa - WOW, seriously impressed with your solutions :) I shall look into all that and thank you so much. I don't think we have that soap here but I'll check the old timey shoppe up in the country at the weekend xxxxx
ReplyDeleteCarrie did you see the photos on my facebook page today? baby blue tits eating the greenfly in our garden :D
ReplyDeleteWill your allotment society get in touch with the people who aren't working on their plots? It doesn't seem fair
Rose - YES, didn't I leave a comment? I must have been jealous :) We had a family of Blue Tits that made their home in a bird box I made *cough cough* 2 years ago and they really helped but where are they now! No loyalty ahahah.
ReplyDeleteI would have thought that the Council would have done something, I keep my fingers crossed but if people pay on time, I doubt they care :( NO it isn't fair! But then again we couldn't even keep the plot holders assocaition going (so much bickering) that it's as much our fault I guess.... :(
There's plots like that on my site, and which the council continually do nothing about which is so annoying.
ReplyDeletePlenty of black, green and whitefly here as well.
Those potatoes look so delicious that I'm a touch envious! Flighty xx
Plots like that drive me bonkers! I have been waiting so long for a plot that I fear I've forgotten everything I learned growing vegetables and raising chickens in the family garden as a child. I don't have a garden or even a balcony to grow on :(
ReplyDelete