Rental plot gardening is the Gaza Strip of horticulture. Water is at a premium and if you protest too much you get bulldozed. It' s unconventional warfare. Those of us who rent plots, whether in state parks or on abandoned city lots, understand that spring means conflict. It is survival of the loudest.
Talk is the main crop among rental gardeners.
As soon as the ground is turned, the trash talk starts. The first thing you have to watch out for are the guys who successfully grew exotic things such as peanuts or artichokes last season. They are bullies. Don't worry about the University of Delaware master gardeners. We all suspect each other of lying and theft, and therefore get quite paranoid by harvest time.