[SnooziSuzi]

So we've had our quarterly open meeting today and one of the topics that came up was about overgrown plots.

Now most of the new gardeners at our lotties (me included) are holding down full time jobs as well as raising families and so we do as much as we can at the lottie in every spare minute there is, however some don't and as a result our plots are prone to being slightly rampant.

Of course, the retired 'gentlemen' who also have plots have immaculate gardens with everything in neat rows, all earthed up where appropriate and they sit arround tut tutting the rest of us for the state of ours.

Anyhoo I'm digressing....  One of the younger members asked if anyone had a petrol strimmer because whilst she had tended half of the plot, the other half of weeds was growing faster than she could keep up with.   "you just want to use roundup" said one of the old guys (the chairperson).  Now, Liz doesn't want to use chemicals at all, but have you actually tried getting that through to one of these guys??

She told him that that wasn't how she wanted to do her gardening, so thanks but no thanks and I offered the use of my new petrol strimmer.  "A strimmer's no good" says he "you just want to use a weedkiller on it - get rid of the lot - it'll wash away in the soil soon enough!"  She persisted "thanks, but I don't want to use chemicals".   I pointed out to him that she wanted to do her gardening organically....



"Roundup IS organic!" says he!!!     When I corrected him he just said......

"You want to be more like us modern gardeners!!"


I nearly fell off my chair!  :roll:  

[compostqueen]

some of em only do it to wind folks up. Usually works, the evil devils  
Ours say "put Dursban on it"!  They will have a strimmer I bet

[iwantanallotment]

Sounds like bl**dy mindedness to me - Liz is seen as the ignorant newcomer and 'expected' to adopt their ways. Any other route she takes will be met with rolling of eyes.
I haven't yet seen the film about Round-Up - it's pretty long and not had the time - but if it's as scary as folks say who have seen it, then it ought to be put onto DVD for these folks to watch.
And then let them re-evaluate.
Is this attitude on allotments commonplace btw, ie newcomers and their beliefs/values receive little respect?
If so I think that's sad - because although someone may be new to allotments it does not necessarily mean they are new to gardening and therefore clueless!
By the time I get an allotment I might actually be quite good at growing stuff...albeit in buckets    I can imagine the faces now, when I turn up with 1000 buckets    
Just joking....would actually be fab to have proper beds to grow in.

[woodburner]

"You want to be more like us modern gardeners!!"

You should have told him we're even more up to date than he is and have found out the old ways were best after all.

[She'sinthegarden]

That reminds me of my friend's mum. We were born in the Welsh Valleys in the early 60s. She was the only woman who was breastfeeding in the ward as bottles were the done thing. The midwife looked at her sympathetically and said, "AAh, doing it on the cheap are you, love, never mind" :shock:  
There are things my dad did in his garden - all in the name of progress- that I would never do in mine.

[compostqueen]

yeah me anorl. My dad was quite a sane man normally but was a veggie show grower. Man traps filled with gas tar and razor covered cabbage stalks were his idea of warding off the attentions of his rivals and thieves  

Them were the days  

[ck2day]

Its always the same with any "newcomer" whatever the situation.  I have ponies and even my sister, who hasn't kept neds for the same length of time as me still tries to advise me on what to do.

Tell Liz to stick to her guns and use a strimmer if that is her choice.  It's her plot after all

Claire

[compostqueen]

yeah your plot, your rules  

[muddifoot]

the old boys grew up with ddt on all there food so there not scared of anything but----ME thinks ddt is  the cause of so much demencher and altziemers in our old folks-  mind you thats just my theory--  i'm  not that young could be the reason i can't spell-

[babe]

I have ponies
Claire

think we're going to ned photographic proof of that claire.

are they new forests, i love new forest ponies