ALLOTMENT LIFE!!! HELP!!

Allotment looking good you must be doing something right I to have had no luck with Rhubarb so continue to barter with neighbours for some of theirs...As for the annoying man he is maybe happy in his misery you never know...it takes all types!!!!I,m a bit new to veg growing myself so really can,t be of much help just wanted to say enjoyed your pics and good luck . Happy gardening:))

The tap washer on your butt may have rotted. They have to be renewed every 6 months. This happened to me I know how annoying it is. I swopped the butt for a compost bin as I would forget to renew the washer. Best fit another washer now whilst the wet weather is with us. Or ask local council if they have reject wheelie bins for free, the tops get broken on the lorry machinery.
I have 4. In the heat wave last year they were being stolen on our field, so I dug mine into huge holes, (had a job to climb out,) and said "Now push that over and pinch it !"
Maybe the rhubarb crowns were not deep enough ? I split some by chopping with my spade, every bit grew.
Dont buy any more of those plastic cloches, the plastic goes rotten after 3 winters, and they dont let the rain in. I am saving the supports, which are worth the money, and renewing them with the green mesh which can be fitted using a domestic sewing machine. It lets in the rain, provides shade for plants in hot weather, and has lasted 3 winters without rotting.
The strange man may have 'learning difficulties' - they tend to go to allotment fields. Dont worry about him.

thanks for both of your comments really lovely getting feedback... dorothy the water butt brand new!!!! so was a little sceptical as clearly the 40 yr plus brigade do not like newcomers to the plots!!!

Why on earth don't they encourage new people, maybe they've had bad experiences you'll soo show'em .......its looking lovely at the moment

yes very pleased we work fulltime and only took it on just before christmas!!

Hi LG your plot looks just fab you have worked hard. I wrote a blog about mending the water butt and in the end we got rid of it to a nice lass for her allotment! Mind you at the moment we have enough water to go water skiing on the lawn, crazy seasons we are having! Its funny I lost two new rhubarb plants not long after planting last year so thats something else I am not bothering with! Dont know why, but they usually like plenty of water! As to your 'man', maybe offer him some produce once its ready and that might make him happy, has he got his own allotment? Its funny that folk dont take to change isnt it? I would smile even more and say a hearty big hello to all, surely thats what gardening is all about in a community situation!

Ah yes, thats how I got caught. Didnt think the water butt I bought had been standing in the GC yard for months ! I filled it for a reserve supply from my main water butt. When I went to draw off it was empty. Best to fit a new washer immediately when taken home. You seem to have been caught the same way.

Dont give anyone your produce. You will be derided by fellow plot holders. The old chap will come back for more when you are not there !

Years ago produce was disappearing in the night on a local allotment field. Everyone was upset. So they set up a night watch. Two men sat in a hut which overlooked the field. At 2 a.m. they saw a man walking along the roadway carrying a cauliflower. They jumped out shouting, then had a shock. It was a man who had had a plot for 30 years, and had just packed up. They thought he was their friend.