It appears as though the owners of these gardens fall into three general categories.
First, there are the aging couples who have been caring for their plots for generations.
The “foreigners” who tend to grow more vegetables than cultivate flowers or rock garden landscapes. They also tend to throw a lot of barbeques parties for friends and families.
And last, but not least, there is the New Generation. These are young adults with children who live in apartments in the city and want a place for their children can run and play in. This group have a distinct disregard about adhering to the garden co-op’s rules and guidelines.
A few of my friends belong to the later two categories. They love their garden plots. Yet, as in all subcultures, they have to bear with certain tensions, broken commitments, pet peeves, and a thorny competitiveness for the benefit of the masses. Finding a balance between personal freedom and civic compliance is their nirvana.
These garden co-ops can be seen as a microcosm of what it is like to live in Germany.
And there I was thinking that all such co-ops were about garden-gnomes and tending your lawn with nail-scissors. And of course about rules. I didn't know that there were different sub-cultures.
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