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Flummoxed neighbor demands to swap sides of shared garden when she sees that couple's plants are growing better than hers: '[We] spent a lot of money on new fresh soil, plant food, everything. Spent countless hours tilling and making it great for growing'

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    "AITAH for telling my neighbor she can’t have my side of the garden"

    My partner and I live in a multi-family home with 4 separate units. We have a large backyard with a two-sided garden. Of note, my partner and I are the newest tenants to the house. Last year, my partner wanted to grow vegetables in the garden. He talked with the one other neighbor who uses the garden. The other neighbor told him that she wanted a specific side, so my partner took the other side. We, my partner and I spent a lot of money on new fresh soil, plant
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    Cheezburger Image 10533256448
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    food, everything. Spent countless hours. tilling and making it great for growing. We did a great job. Our neighbor did not do such a great job. She did not buy fresh soil and nutrients like we did. She was constantly blaming her lack of growth and our success on the amount of sunlight. They are literally a foot apart. There is no difference in the sunlight. Fast forward to this year and we see her setting up on our side of the
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    garden. We approached her and said that we did not agree that she can just claim our side, as we put so much time and money into it already. Not to mention the fact that she was the one who decided what side she wanted to begin with. We got into a big argument. Landlord thinks we should alternate sides every year as a resolution. We disagree. AITAH?
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    Update: We took our soil and put it in various planters that we will keep next to our area of the house. Neighbor can have both sides of the garden, but cannot have the soil we paid for and cultivated. She looks the other way whenever she sees one of us now.
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    Luxodad Landlord thinks we should alternate sides every year as a resolution. Ask the landlord who will pay for the materials and labour you put into your half. It seems that if you alternate, you will do all the work and spend all that money to improve both sides, while the neighbour harvests the benefits.
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    biscuitboi967 If you have to alternate, you don't spend any money gardening this year. The landlord and your co- tenant get no benefit from your work. There will be "hers" and empty space. If you WANT fresh veggies, get some larger buckets and grow a container garden. Which you can move from side to side each year - and take with you when you leave. Maybe put your soil in them RIGHT NOW.
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    roxywalker Hard pass. As a gardener myself I would absolutely not give over my side of what I have already nurtured and cultivated. She has a lot of nerve just moving in on a space that she thinks will yield her a better result when in fact, it won't because the issue is her lack of effort. If you yield to her demands, you will be starting from scratch with a parcel that will be more work for you because you will have to basically fix what she did didn't bother to do. I'd tell them both that you
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    FairyFartDaydreams NTA tell the landlord when she pays you for all the soil amendments then she can switch but you have poured too much money into the side you are using
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    fairyhalf-breed 80 She wants to switch every year? Okay. Plant grass seed in the plot and use buckets and totes to plant in. That side doesn't get enough sun, right? So you had to put them in raised beds so they'd get light. Stop contributing money to a plot that can be taken away. Keep all your effort in your containers. Maybe when she sees you're not "fixing" her side and still getting a great harvest, that she's the problem. The grass seed and weight from the totes will make that side a pain
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    PrairieGrrl5263 Make the switch to container gardening. Fill your containers with the soil you have already purchased and replace with contractor grade dirt if your landlord requires it.
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    messageinthebox Remove your soil from that half and let her plant her veggies. Then place the soil back when you plant your veggies.
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    Agoraphobe961 NTA. Pull up your dirt and get the moveable planter beds (Wayfair has some galvanized ones for like $50) so the garden stays yours no matter what side of the yard you're on and if you inevitably move out.
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    QBee_TNToms_Mom NTA. Landlord suggested alternating so you would work the other side and it would be as good as the other. Stand your ground or tell her she can pay for all the new soil, fertilizer and labor it will take to bring HER side up to par. Cash up front.
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    Cheezburger Image 10533255680

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