[Jamboian]

 Hi All! Our veg Garden backs onto a council owned allotment site, our nearest neighbour through the fence has two beds of spuds, one which is blighted beyond belief, the other well on it's way. We've not seen them for about three weeks, spoke to them today and they just laughed and said they would cut down the worst ones sometime soon and it's o.k cos the others are Roosters and they are blight resistant She really did blow a rasp. Are allotment sites not run by some sort of committee, and if so should they not have some powers over disease control. I am not a lottie member but I have a large veggie patch and I'm very very P*****d off about this. do I complain to our excuse for a council.

P.s We have taken every step possible to control our blight probs, Member of the Potato Council, reported Infection, cut down Halum, Disposed properly,

Sorry folks just a bit miffed, Need plot hugs!

Love and Luck Ian

[Aunt Sally]

I would definitely contact the council to complain.  That allotment holder showed a very cavalier attitude and should be put right about how to be a better neighbour.

[grinling]

Allotmenter  does not realise that it can go down into the spuds, hence why the stems are cut off!! Also that they are infecting tomato plants in the allotment.
You could speak to the committee, but they might say they have no powers over this, but might have words about how to treat the neighbours nicely.
If the allotments are burning very often, you can complain over that.
Potatoes up here are blighted in the farmers field, so prob won't bother with main crop up here.

[LilacSandy]

Plot  <<<<< hugs >>>>> plus as Aunt Sally says, complain to the council allotment officer, the committee have no powers.

They should realise that it can affect everyone in the area, it is bad enough that it will effect you and everyone on the allotment site but it could mean that they could also spread to some poor farmer and wipe out crops worth thousands of pounds. 

[Jamboian]

Ha! she said the spuds were fine, I'm just hacked of cos we took a very responsible attitude to the whole blight problem and are only under our own rules, I take my Allotment chat and spirit from you guy's, sorry again about the moanin! Will call the useless ones in office on Monday

Like I said we are not on an allotment site we grow  on a large garden next to an allotment site
We grow to eat and enjoy the highs and lows

[LilacSandy]

You are not moaning Jamboian, you are just quite rightly taking offence to a very selfish response to your enquiry.  There are two ways at looking at this, they may be too stupid to understand what devastation there delay in destroying the halams may cause, or they just do not care, either way you should complain to the council and I am sure that everyone here on the site will back you all the way.

[angelavdavis]

Whilst not against our allotment rules, our allotment has a code of conduct in addition to the Ts and Cs which include clearing diseased foliage responsibly to minimise cross infection to other plots, clearing weeds before seeding occurs and cutting grass on shared paths on a regular basis. 

I must admit, frustratingly, that I would estimate that one third of plot holders follow the code of conduct.

I think community mindedness should fall high on allotment agendas, but it doesn't seem to work that way sadly.

[Ian_A]

I must admit, frustratingly, that I would estimate that one third of plot holders follow the code of conduct.

yes similar. Sadly some of the worst offenders on our site are committee members who have been there for donkeys years: one of whom that comes to mind goes around on a regular basis with a notepad jotting down things that are not done well by plot holders, and then will proceed to either "have a word" with the said plot holder if they are there, or else write a letter to them to get things sorted.

Yet this chap has seriously blighted spuds on his plot which, when pointed out, was met with an "oh well, most people have got blight anyway" attitude.

And another committe member had scores of strawberry runners that have crept significantly onto my friend's plot. Yethe had the cheek to write to my friend who had taken it upon herself to remove those runners that had gone and attached themselves onto her plot.

One would have thought that committe members particularly would lead the way with community spirit.......

[sunshineband]

You are not alone in your furious frustration, Jamboian... we have the same probelm at our site, with folk that shove a few spuds in, don't turn up for yonks and their crops are badly blighted.

The council is not really that interested here I'm afraid, and the disease problem is just perpetuated.


{{{{hugs}}}}}}} 'cos I know just how you feel

[Jamboian]

Thanks for all the love  I had a look today and would you believe it? diseased halum cut down on one bed and well cut back on the other, a small victory but a victory none the less.

Be of good cheer Ian

[BabbyAnn]

and it's o.k cos the others are Roosters and they are blight resistant

  Cobblers - Rooster are most definitely not blight resistant, if anything, I would say very susceptible from past experience. 

Glad to read there has been some action taken in the meantime, but the next question is where has the diseased foliage been put?

[Goosegirl]

Is it not true that anything plant-wise that encroaches onto a neightbour's garden can be cut off as long as it is returned to said neighbour? I thought I had lost all my pots due to blight as, when I cut the haulms off, the stems were yucky! So far, our spuds are fine, so a bit of hope for your produce, but a big raspberry to others who maintain such a cavalier and no -care attitude.