hi Marie...

my perfect community garden neighbour would be those who talk, share, laugh and are as passionate and committed to community agriculture as I am... they would respect that one person's mess is another's treasure trove of just-what-they-need, but that such a "mess" would be left out of the common areas, so really just taking responsibility for their stuff so it doen't get in others' way.

Worst neighbour? would have to be someone who does the opposite of the above :-) and more... noisy, tramples your plot to get to theirs... doesn't follow the garden rules i.e. if it's a spray free or chemical free environment... and stuff like that.

cheers
leah

I've had all of these:

best -- stops to chat for 5 minutes (not half an hour, unless we're both working), shares tips and plants, gets excited when I point out the fluorescent purple broccoli that just sprouted, tries different techniques and is interested in sharing information, keeps plot and path well mulched, always something interesting growing in the garden so worth a detour

good -- says hi and knows my name, keeps the plot tended, pulls weeds in the path and plot so that weed seeds don't spread to my plot, feels free to e-mail me to keep an eye on watering when out of town for a week

also good -- very chatty and interesting to talk to, but stops to chat for half an hour or more! so I end up avoiding them the next time I see them so that I can get some work done

bad -- comes to garden only to harvest, does not keep paths weeded, always in too much of a hurry to say hi, not interested in learning how to garden -- just plops plants in the ground and disappears for weeks at a time, lets the tomatoes and cucumbers rot on the vine, never pulls weeds, plants only in summer (in year-round gardening climate!), is not mindful of water use

worst -- uses poisons in organic garden, keeps garden so unkempt that rats hide out there, refuses to follow simple garden rules and acts as if rules don't apply, is rude, steals or damages my plants, does not maintain garden plot

Good neighbor -- someone who cares about the "community" part of gardening. They keep their weeds from invading other plots, they take part in service projects and common area maintenance.