Written by the team behind Puzzlify. Puzzlify is our product, so weigh what follows with that in mind. We've tried to make this useful even if you never use it. We're not affiliated with any allotment society, council, community garden or gardening organisation, and nothing here is horticultural, legal or tenancy advice.
Every allotment site has one. The plot neighbour who watered your beans during the heatwave while you were away. The committee member who sorted the water troughs, chased the council about the gate and ran the seed swap. The retired grower two plots down who gave you rhubarb crowns, half a bag of seed potatoes and a lot of advice about slugs. Community gardens have their own versions: the volunteers who turn up every Saturday to weed beds that everyone shares.
October is when the season winds down. The last squash come in, the beds get mulched, the annual meeting and the produce show are done. It's a good moment to say thank you, and here are some ways to do it, including one we make ourselves.
Start with words
The thanks that growers remember is usually simple:
- Say it at the plot. "Thanks for keeping my tomatoes alive in July" over the fence means a lot.
- Be specific. "Your advice about netting the brassicas saved my whole crop" will be remembered far longer than a general thank-you.
- Thank the committee in writing. Allotment committees and community garden coordinators are volunteers, and most of what they hear is complaints. A short message to the secretary, or a note on the site noticeboard, naming what someone did, is rare and welcome.
- Return the favour. Offer to water their plot when they go away next year. On most sites, that is the currency that matters most.
Something from the site, not just from you
If several plot holders want to thank the same person, a joint thank-you from "the plots on the top path" or "everyone at the Saturday garden" usually lands better than a pile of small gifts. A card signed by everyone at the last work party, a shared tray of baking at the AGM, or a digital thank-you everyone can open all work.
When to give it
Natural moments are the end of the growing season, the annual meeting, the produce show, the day a long-serving committee member steps down, or the week you get back from holiday to find your courgettes have been picked, watered and left on your bench.
Why a photo puzzle can fit
A photo jigsaw is a small extra, not a replacement for the words above. It can suit growers because:
- It's made from the season they helped with: the first strawberries, the giant marrow, the plot in full summer, the frost on the bean poles.
- It takes up no space in a shed that is already full of canes, pots and twine.
- It's something to do on a wet winter evening when there's nothing to do on the plot.
- One link can be shared with the whole site, and the leaderboard gives the competitive growers another thing to win besides the longest runner bean.
- Your note appears when the last piece clicks in, so the thanks arrives at the end of a little patient work, which suits gardeners.
Photo ideas (with consent)
Choose a picture that everyone in it would be happy to see shared:
- A harvest spread on the bench: squash, beans, onions, the odd monster courgette
- The plot itself in high summer, from the path
- Your neighbour's plot, taken with their permission, at its best
- The volunteers at the end of a community garden work party
- Close-ups with no people at all: a sunflower, a full watering can, muddy gloves on a fork handle
If children are in the picture, ask their parents. If you're photographing someone else's plot or a shared garden, ask the plot holder or the coordinator first; some sites and community gardens have their own rules about photos.
Getting a good JPG
- Use the original photo from your phone rather than a screenshot or a copy from a social app; it keeps more detail.
- Harvest photos with lots of different colours and shapes make the most satisfying puzzles. A whole plot of green leaves is much harder.
- Landscape photos usually make the most comfortable puzzles; tall portrait shots work too, they just make longer, thinner puzzles.
Privacy
Before you upload, check the photo for:
- Plot numbers and name boards if the person would rather not be identified.
- The site gate, padlock and any combination or key-safe visible in the frame. Crop those out.
- Notices on the board with names, phone numbers or addresses.
- Car number plates in the car park, and house numbers on neighbouring streets.
- Children's faces without their parents' agreement.
Puzzlify puzzles are private links: only people you send the link to can open them, and you can add an optional PIN if you'd like an extra lock.
Choosing the number of pieces
| Pieces | Good for |
|---|---|
| 24–48 | A quick finish on a phone, or someone who doesn't do puzzles |
| 80–130 | A cup-of-tea-in-the-shed puzzle for most adults |
| 252 | A proper winter project for the keen puzzler on the site |
For a thank-you shared with the whole site, a middle size usually works best, so everyone can finish it and the leaderboard stays friendly.
Note ideas
Your note is revealed at the end. Some examples:
- "You kept my plot alive all through August. These beans are half yours. Thank you."
- "To our secretary, from everyone on the top path: thank you for the troughs, the gate and a hundred emails."
- "To the Saturday volunteers: none of this grows without you. See you in spring."
What it costs
Making and previewing a puzzle is free in your browser. You only pay when you publish the link to share it: €3.99 for one puzzle, €8.99 for three, or Puzzlify Plus at €14.99 a year for ten. The people you send it to don't need an account or an app; they just open the link. Your photos are used to make your puzzle and are not used to train AI.
Puzzlify is a digital puzzle only: nothing is printed or posted. It's also not the same as puzzlify.io, Puzzlit, Puzzly or Puzzify, which are different products.
You can try a preview with your own photo on the Puzzlify puzzle maker, and when you're happy, make your plot neighbour's puzzle and share the link.
Other ideas that don't involve us
- Offer to water their plot or turn their compost when they're away next year.
- Save seed from your best plants and give them a labelled packet.
- Give a share of your harvest, or a jar of chutney or jam made from it.
- Volunteer for the next work party or join the committee for a year.
- Nominate them for a local community or "best kept plot" award if your site has one.
- Write a thank-you on the noticeboard or in the site newsletter, naming people who agreed to be named.
Written by the team behind Puzzlify. Not affiliated with any allotment society, council, community garden or gardening organisation. Nothing here is horticultural, legal or tenancy advice.