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| Our neighbours 'wildlife garden' |
One hot topic amongst the
allotment holders in our field
this summer has been what to do about those of our number who seem to have
given up and whose plots, so lovingly tended at first, have run to seed. Where
there should be rows of beans and sweetcorn are swathes of nettles, thistles
and other nasties, just waiting for the right moment to take flight and infect
our beds. It’s just not fair, but there doesn’t seem to be anything that can be
done.
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| By the path divided |
I remember my dad taking a flame gun to tenacious
weeds in our orchard. Dangerous, possibly, but highly effective. Well, I’d like
to do the same to the plot next to us, which threatens to engulf us any minute -
but there are probably rules against that.
If you do find a way of dealing with this, please may I plagiarise it? The plot next door to 3A is exactly as you describe and I look forward to a spring punctuated by sow thistle and cow parsley in abundance competing with the nettles, dock and thistles that are endemic. I toyed with the idea of a flame gun but allotmenteering isn't supposed to be such fun and as all of my beds are raised and surrounded by wooden sides, it might be a tad dodgy.
ReplyDeleteIt's doubly a shame as my "new best friend" Brian has the plot butting on to the offending 2A and would love to take it over. Still, the rental year ends in October so the council clerk should be pulling on the strings in the next few weeks. Good luck with yours.