Grow Your Own Magazine

i got my allotment last november and love it even though its over grown etc i chose it cos its near the gate and the loo (handy for my 3 year old) and as there was a helpful chap on 1 side and 2 overgrown plots on the other but i thought cos they were next to the gate noone would take them wrong!!! a chap has taken the 1 next to the gate so there is a plot in between us and he is pleasent enough but his family are terrible they all shout and swear (including the kids)are noisy and wander over to my plot constantly the kids always bring along a football which naturally ends up in amongst my loveling grown plants(well mainly weeds) i had my 2 little ones with me on wednesday plus my mum and dad and all we could here was their youngsters fing and blinding i had to ask them to keep the langauage down but it didnt really help, its beginning to updset me so do i wait untill the novelty has worn off for the family or complain now?? please help

personally i would have a quiet word in the chaps ear when he's alone just ask him if he could keep his kids in line.if the problem still occurs speak directly to the site manager.

i dont really see my 4 neighbours i see one old boy on a sunday andthe others i havnt seen for over 6 months each and when i do they dont even say hello or any thing they even turned down a brew and a biccy
all the best

__________________
PRESTON NORTH END
xbox gamertag billybobs
add me to your friends list if you got what it takes

to be honest the way his sons talk to him i dont think there is anything he could except not bring them(fingers crossed) they really disrespect him and talk to him like dirt and they arent even in double figures yet!
everyone else is great really friendly and chatty i keep getting gifts eg plants veg eggs etc so no complaints there they even stop me in the street to chat and the chap himself is really nice but when i say the rest of the family a dregs i really mean it
i guess i will have a word and hope that once the novelty wears off they will all stop coming down so often

How about nailing one of the kids to the shed, explaining it's some obscure religious practice and if the other kids don't bahave, there will be another festival next week

__________________
If it ain't broke, don't fix it and if you ain't going to eat it, don't kill it

i think that if it carries on i would have a quiet word with the allotment society our site is very laid back and they dont seem to have many rules but they do stipulate to respect other plotholders and if they're being a nuisance you should have reason to complain esp if they're damaging your plants, to be honest i go to the allotment for a bit of peace and quiet, i would be really hacked off if i had the hassle. good luck with it though!!

Site manager is the way to go...............once they hear/see what's going on they would want to do something about it.
Good luck!

We don't have this problem on our site as all of the children seem really well behaved - although the very first thing one plot holder said to me was a warning about making sure my girls didn't go on other plots! I've since found out that the woman in question is always full of doom and gloom, so I'm not taking it as a personal insult!

However, I can't imagine any plot holder letting their children loose with a football on site - the potential for damage is just too great and I'm sure that even if its not in the terms of your tenancy agreement there would be an understanding that footballs were a no-no.

As for the swearing - I'm with you on this one. I'm no prude but don't swear myself and cringe whenever we are in the company of those who do. I don't want my girls to think that its acceptable to pepper their speech with swear words. It seems that its such an ingrained habit in some people that they can no longer temper their language according to the audience around them. Phew...Rant over

It sounds as though the new plot holder might be a reasonable guy - perhaps a quiet word would work before going to the allotment secretary. You may find that his children have behavioural problems which might explain the lack of understanding and although its no excuse it would at least give him the opportunity to explain what's going on before making the situation too serious...

Good luck what ever you do, sounds terrible.

__________________
Yo an' Bob
Walk lightly on the earth
take only what you need
give all you can
and your produce will be bountifull

Thank you all, just a quick update i went to the plot the other evening and my heart sank when i saw the kids but i have to say when they did start shouting and swearing their dad was telling them off cos the lady was here which i guess is a start i also found out from 1 of the other allotmenteers that he is a single parent of 4 boys (which i have full respeect for)so it sounds like theres a lack of female influence perhaps? i shall just just plod on for a bit longer and hope it sorts its self out if not i will go with norms idea and nail them to the shed!!!!!

What about asking the lads to give you a hand in return for a nice cold drink, maybe that'll help them respect you plot a bit more?

good thinking novice the thought had cossed my mind will give it a try

Let us know how it all pans out for you Safia - I really feel for you and hope that it all works out in the end.

Regarding the playing football and straying onto other people's plots, I would speak to the allotment people. For the foul language I would speak to the adult in charge of the kids and calmly explain that it is out of order and that I don't expect to hear it even once more in the presence of my children. It is actually a criminal offence to use foul language in a public place - for which the foul language users could be arrested, charged or fined (yes, even the children if they are over 10). I would be tempted to remind them of this should it go on.

Of course, it's a delicate balance between keeping people happy, getting along with people and tolerating other people's differences, but having to 'suffer' bad behaviour and language is not acceptable at all and I certainly wouldn't accept it. I would always appeal to someone's better nature with a quiet chat, but if this fails you do have the law on your side!

Kris

Nice one Norm

__________________
good Diggin, Chuffa.

Steady on Norm, you don't want to damage the shed !

Next time the football strays onto your plot - stab it with your fork! ha ha!
Maybe you can get them interested in growing a few pumpkins for halloween? - when they see how easy it is for plants to break maybe they will understand why you get upset about the football. Children usually just need things explaining, just like us adults!
Worth a try

I have to feel for you SAFIA some people are dragged up instead of brought up but that's a diffent ball game isn't it? Sorry for the pun there

I think your neighbour must try really hard and get his sons interested in the allotment and not treat it as a playground because it's not.

Children can be given their own little growing space on a plot and if he can get a sort of growing competition for his boys going it might just be the right encouragement his boys need to keep the language and noise down as kids always need something to occupy their minds.

I have to admit our site seems very friendly although it could be that I ambush all the guys along the track when I see them to pick their brains so to speak, it's amazing what advice and goodies you can receive just having a cheeky smile and laugh...a little really does go a long way! Hel.xxx.

__________________
A cheesy grin wins many a heart!

im with norm.
that way they only uoset people once

we had some of these type of people on our field. they were ousted from the field after damaging a plum tree that had been on the site for over 20 years and it wasn't even on their plot!!

just hope for the best............

__________________
NEW and UPDATED blog:
http://www.matthewriches.co.uk/allotment

I wouldn't even let our kid's play football in the garden because of any resulting damage, certainly not down the allotment. That's what playing fields are for.