Allotment Wars

[PLUMPUDDING]

Our allotment site was council run and didn't have a committee, so there wasn't any feuding, but a chap who managed to get an allotment on our site said he had abandoned his Sheffield allotment as the committee was like the mafia. If they took a dislike to anyone they made their life hell. He kept having everything stolen or uprooted and trampled on, and he was sure it was another allotment holder as no one else was having any problems and there were no signs of a break-in. He even started going round car boot sales on Sundays to see if he recognised any of his plants on sale.

The programme was a glimpse at what can go on, but they were padding it out rather with the silly women trying to catch their intruder.

[oldherbaceous]

I think i would have got caught in there shed, just to see what they would have done with me....

I did watch it, but thought it was very flat, and just people being people.

[Bren]

I watched it, not all allotments are like the ones they visited, I've been on this one since Jan. 1990, we get broken into every now and then mainly looking for power tools cultivators they leave the garden tools alone, a few had beans and onions taken I had some chrysanths roots/stools taken about 4 years ago just when I was ready to take cuttings.
Shallot man was right a few sad men especially the one who said he wouldn't enter a show again sour grapes.
Bren

[Monika]

I have not seen the programme, but from all your comments it sounds as if there was "trouble at t'mill" . But you without allotments, rest assured, not all allotments are like that! We have no problems, no break-ins, no thefts, no bossy committee and we have had this lotti for about 25 years! All is peace here except for rabbits, pheasants, pigeons and occasional deer.

[haggis]

I watched this today as I am at home nursing a cold. I thought it was very sad and painted a pretty poor picture of allotment life.
There are some difficult people on all sites but parading problems in front of the camera is all a bit exhibitionist.
Having said that, a proposal to have a veg competition at our site was voted down because when it was tried years ago it caused so much strife.
Re the green shed. I caused enough consternation on our site by painting my shed green. If I had it all done up inside like the one on the programme I think some of our older members would have a coronary. I didn't see any tools or boots in the fancy shed - maybe they have another shed for gardening stuff?
Roll on the return of the Beechgrove Garden so that we can see some good gardening telly.

[Piglet6]

Ben was being 'victimised'/'bullied' because the longer-standing members noticed his plot was extremely fertile (excellent for growing his pumpkins), and they wanted to get their grubby little hands on it for themselves. That's why they were trying their best to get rid of him.

I've only watched half of the programme so far but am quite shocked at the behaviour. Surely people can at least be civil to one another.

[vegpatchmum]

It was the apparent lack of 'vegetables for the table" growing that shocked us the most (if you see what I mean). The whole emphasis seemed to be on a few Competition growers and the 1000's of allotmenteers that grow for the table were conspicuous by their absence ..... but that is may be a damning reflection of the character of the people they did feature who seem to have more concern for appearances than the actual growing itself.

The overall impression was of people not too far removed from the playground, despite their years and in fact the children I garden with in our school club have a far better and more mature attitude than those 'grown-ups' featured last night.

Sadly, I think this program has done nothing for grow-your-own gardeners in general and allotment gardeners in particular and will probably have put off a lot of potential gardeners to boot.

VPM
x

[robo]

sorry but the impression i got was a program thats was drawn out boring script written rubbish just more cheap television

[glallotments]

I did wonder about Ben's story as it would have been good to see what the others said. The committee had reallocated it so it can't have been that they wanted it.

As for committees being the mafia. I was chair of our committee for a while until I was subjected to a lot of foul mouthed abuse and became the victim of a smear campaign. The main'bully' has two plots which are grassed over and he keeps pigeons on the ungrassed part. No cultivation at all.

We weren't running the site the council were and we were trying to raise funding to improve security - our sin was trying to get people to lock the new gates that our fund raising had supplied. Just a handful of troublemakers made life very unpleasant - the committee had enough and quit so now no committee, no fund raising and no improved security.

When I complained to the council about the bully boy techniques I was told that I would be unwise to make a formal complaint as it could lead to more trouble and me having to leave!

[Smithyveg]

I grow to show and was approached by the researchers to appear on this programme this time last year. Their initial email made it clear to me they were only interested in conflict and despite their attempts at reassurance I declined. I'm glad I did as the programme was a poor excuse for a piece of TV and a total waste of licence payers money.

I'm a member of the National Vegetable Society and we all swap seeds, plants and advice in an attempt to help our competitors beat us. For me it's all about friendship and at our Branch and national Championships I meet up with friends the length and breadth of the country, and the banter carries on into the night at social functions.

Are we sad? Definitely not. Are we a bit weird? Maybe. But it is enjoyable trying to grow 5lb onions, carrots 6' long and potatoes with perfect skin finishes. Contrary to popular belief all show veg is perfectly edible and the NVS unofficial motto is if you wouldn't eat it you don't show it. The exploits of the two old idiots from Newcastle are far, far from the norm and not a true representation of the majority of veg shows and their exhibitors I can assure you.

[Chantal]

sorry but the impression i got was a program thats was drawn out boring script written rubbish just more cheap television

With you all the way Robo, I thought the whole thing was pathetic and most of the people featured even more so. A total waste of an hour

[vegpatchmum]

Welcome to the boards Smithyveg

VPM
x

[FelixLeiter]

Television programmes like this show what they want to show. Smithyveg, I applaud you for not taking part. My experience with allotmenting over the years has been nothing but positive. There was always a community spirit prevailed between our neighbours, swapping seeds, seedlings and surplus, and friendship. Compare Allotment Wars to a documentary that was shown about 10 years ago now chronicling a group of exhibition growers in London and their preparations for their annual show. They were all rivals, but they were entirely convivial with each other throughout. Made you proud to be British.

These contrasting programmes, though, do make me reflect on my notion that the world could be a better place if everyone could just put their spare energies into raising a few carrots now and again. But maybe I'm naive: there do seem to be quite a few allotment jihadists out there.

[glallotments]

Although I agree that the programme wasn't good, I do think that life on allotment sites can be viewed through rose tinted glasses.

We have some lovely people on our site but we also have the ones who like to have their own way and stir things up. It's like where any group of people are in a relatively confined space.

I guess the secret to a peaceful life is to learn which people belong to which group and behave accordingly towards them. Basically what I have ;learned is to keep my head below the parapet and stay away from the limelight.

From discussions with other allotmenteers around the country our experiences aren't exceptional.

[Piglet6]

having seen the rest of the programme, I agree that it couldn't have been because the committee wanted the plot for themselves as they had re-allocated it. This is the reason Ben gave at the beginning of the programme.

It was definitely a weird one. One of the committee members said he was "a nuisance and a trouble-maker". Surely we couldn't have heard ALL of the story to this. However, it was more than a little frightening when they locked themselves all inside the site (having changed the locks so Ben's key no longer worked!), and wouldn't let him go. What exactly were they going to do? Veeeeerrrrry strange!