Kitchen Garden Forum

Does anyone else have a problem with uninvited wanderers poking around their plots?
I'm moving some trellis to one side of my plot as a not so subtle hint to a fellow plot holder that strolling across my plot is not the way to his plot. The communal paths run round the edges of plots not across them! He has plots each side of me on which he grows a fine crop of weeds. He lives just behind the site so makes regular forays across the allotment looking at what everyone is growing and possibly helping himself although we haven't proved it. He did say to a friend of mine that he'd pick some of my redcurrants as I had so many! My friend told him in no uncertain terms that he couldn't do that.
Yesterday I said hello to a couple I hadn't seen before, asked if they were looking at the vacant plots. They told me they'd just been allocated one on the other side of 'wandering man' and blow me if they didn't start walking across other plots poking about as they walked back down to the gate.
I can feel an email to the Parish Council coming on....

Very maddening. Aren't you allowed to put a small fence round your plot?
How about a line of the sheep fencing along one or both sides and say it is a plant support because it is great for growing peas, squashes, flowers and anything that climbs.

At least this would interrupt his line of wandering and he would obviously be deliberately going on to your plot if he strayed.

It is maddening, I find myself taking a mental note of my plot before I leave so that I can check when I go back! I hate being suspicious of fellow plot holders but there you go. We're not supposed to fence which is why my trellis will be growing loganberries, I'm hoping it will be enough to put him off. On my brother's site they can fence as there is a rabbit problem. I can always borrow the other half's stealth cam that he uses to get night time pics of wildlife.... could be interesting viewing.

Hi MW. We used to have the same problem. Our plot is a corner one and hadn't been worked for four years when we took it, so people had just got used to taking a short cut straight across. We thought the "path" through the head high wilderness of weeds was a foxy thing at first. It was only after we cleared it all that we discovered it was other plot holders.....there was a distinct set of human footprints .....right across where we had planted crops.

Fortunately, we are allowed fences and we quickly cobbled together a boundary fence all the way round. The Wanderer must have been very determined cos he/she climbed over the back fence, trampled the rhubarb and again walked across our newly planted crops. No excuse at all for this sort of behaviour.

I put up a notice, saying "this plot is now taken so please stop walking across it and damaging our crops."
My husband added to it that they wouldn't be able to walk if he caught them but I scrubbed that bit out..
It did stop, thankfully...though sometimes produce is taken.

Have you got an Allotment Society? If so have a word with the Secretary, or go to the AGM and bring the subject up there.

We dont have wanderers as such but did have potatoes dug up and taken last year but I was told by 3 people who the vermin was and I did take action, if I was you I would put up a couple of signs ''keep off private '' that sort of thing is the culprit is coming on your plot to help himself then there is only one course of action

And that is, twist, bend and break......

Dear OH...yes, that was my husbands' plan......

I'm sure the folk over the road in the new flats find we are the new green grocer! They regularly visit my plot as it is 5 rows back & they can't be seen from the road, but it doesn't stop the front row being attacked from time to time as road not busy at night - read that as cars using it go too fast!
I left a note saying - If you must nick my stuff don't tread all over my other beds & break the fence - open the gate - it is just a twisty wire keeping it closed! You know what - they now abide by my rules - still have stuff nicked but no damage to other stuff! Last year they even put the hulums of the spuds they nicked on the compost!

Westi

O my goodness Westi, what a tolerant person you are! I think I'd have done the twist, bend, break at that point.

Email has gone to the Parish Council clerk to ask if a general reminder of plot etiquette, only tread on your own plot, could go out. I'll see what happens.

MW

I think I would sit on your compost bin all night with a pick axe shaft in my hands ive always had patience of a saint but the temper of the devil

Yes, I think my husband would have been doing the same....I'd probably be having to bake a cake with a file in it if the "wanderings" hadn't stopped....

I was visited again last night - kids I expect as all they did was empty the crate I had on the floor in the shed with tomato feed & a few old gloves & netting in it. No crops touched, although my neighbours are becoming very suspicious of another plot holder who has been sighted in other plot rows & they have had individual things taken, just 1 cabbage etc.

Police advised so they will visit as they always do bless them. It may well be this individual who is nicking my stuff so will see.

Westi

Well the parish council clerk has sent round a reminder that not only must all plot holders maintain a good path 3' wide around their plot but that nobody should access another holders plot without invitation.
My goodness, you should have seen the activity this morning as people tried to sort their paths out! Main culprit of wandering made no appearance....

MW

We have had a spate of breakins on our allotment of late, this week I had a small lock up I made broken into they stole a small generator but left my new tiller untouched last night I had my shed broken into they helped them selves to a electric tiller and a petrol strimmer as well as a plastic can of petrol only for the fact I am flying out early in the morning I would have spent the next few nights in my shed along with my vermin control staff I will get my revenge eventually

Sorry to read that Robo, they really are lowlife, and deserve what they might get.