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Katrina’s Allotment Diary

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Hello from Nottingham, UK

Recent Posts

  • Mini Apple Turnovers
  • Sensei Secateurs – Garden Tool Review
  • Minted Pea & Ham Soup
  • Volunteering at RHS Chatsworth Flower Show
  • April Allotment Tour Video
  • TOP 10 Seed Choices with Suttons

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The carrots are now fully protected! 🙌🏻🥕I already soaked the soil with nematodes a few weeks ago and that should have killed off any overwintered carrot fly larvae. Today I finished setting up the mesh barrier to stop any carrot flies from entering and laying their eggs in the soil. The mesh is super fine and was #gifted to me when I worked with @lovewilko earlier in the year on their gardening campaign. I pushed bamboo canes around the edges and used some cute pegs to secure the mesh to the @birdiesgardenproducts raised bed! 😆I was a bit late to sow my carrots but they’re coming through fine and I’ll hopefully have a pest-free crop come autumn! 🥕🧡 . #growyourown #organicgardening #carrotbed #carrotfly #growwhatyoueat #homegrown #gardening #gardenerslife #dowhatyoulove #allotmentlife #gardenersofinstagram #allotment
Welcome to the world little tomato! 🍅The Sungold variety has set the first truss of fruits which means its time for me to start feeding them! Aha, Feedy Friday has returned. 🙌🏻 I like to give my plants a weekly or fortnightly drench using an organic liquid seaweed liquid feed to help them grow and set even more fruit! How are your tomato plants looking? ☺️🍅
There’s a teeny, tiny chance that at 30-something plants I may have over done it with the chillies this year. 😬 I can’t help it. There are just so many varieties to try, with unusual colours and shapes! This purple cayenne is a favourite for colour and general culinary usefulness! It will grow a green chilli that will ripen to a deep purple that can be dried, ground into a power or simply chopped and added to dishes for a medium heat that’s much more tolerable than some of the other varieties I’m growing! 🌶🔥💜
Have you ever actually seen a ladybird eat aphids before? They’re quite ferocious little beasts! My newly planted ‘Generous Gardener’ rose was swarming with aphids where the lush new shoots were appearing. I happened across ladybird and moved him onto it. Oh what a feast it had! 🐞 . #chemicalfree #organicgardening #naturalpredator #wildlife #pesticidefreezone #gardening #allotment #nature #wildlifephotography #macro #100mm #canon #shootprime
I had the best time at Gardener’s World Live yesterday! Maddy and I shopped until we dropped, took inspiration from the show gardens and ate a scrumptious fish and chip lunch 😋 The highlight had to be seeing the Revelation Show Garden, which was designed, planted and built by over 70 horticulture students of @derbycollege including myself, Maddy (@sowedgier) and Pippa! The drift wood horses made such a dramatic entrance and people were even queuing up to walk through the garden. I’m off to visit the allotment this afternoon to plant my new goodies from the show. I hope that you’re having a lovely weekend too! 😁🌿🛍 . @bbcgwlive #bbcgardenersworldlive #showgarden #gardeninspirations #gardening #horticulture #gardeners #rhsstudent
*sigh* looks like it’s another wet day! 🌧 It’s been pouring with rain for almost an entire week now. Sure, we did really need it but, it’s getting a bit silly now 😅 I’m desperate to get some weeding done on the allotment but I won’t be there tomorrow as I’m off to @bbcgwlive with @sowedgier! I hope the rain subsides so that we can enjoy the ‘Revelation’ show garden that we have been working on as part of our horticulture studies at @derbycollege 👩🏻‍🌾 Who else is visiting the show? 😃Happy Friday!
Inside the polytunnel the tomatoes are all planted and supported by string! 🍅 I promised you a video to explain my polytunnel set up and it’s now ready to watch on my YouTube channel.📽 In this how-to video I also share my tips on how to prevent blight, explain my direct watering technique and share the companion plants I use to repel plant-damaging insects. 🌼💦 Find the link in my profile when you’re ready to watch! 💚 . #polytunnel #allotment #tomatoes #growyourownfood #vlog #allotmentlife #gardenersofinstagram #organicgardening #greenfingers #homegrown #ediblegarden
I’ve fallen pretty hard for this girl. She isn’t an edible but she does eat things! 👀 Meet Judith, her full name is Sarracenia x Judith Hindle and she’s a carnivorous pitcher plant! The striking markings on these plants have always drawn me towards them at garden shows. It was at RHS Chatsworth that I finally took the plunge and bought my first carnivorous plant! I was so surprised to hear that these will happily grow in my polytunnel all year round. What I assumed was a tropical, warm weather and high humidity loving plant is actually incorrect. The Sarracenias group are from North America and actually require a cold spell in winter to start their dormant period. A sugary nectar is secreted along the top of the tube which lures flies into the trap. I’m a bit concerned that a bee might fall into the trap so I’ll be closely monitoring the plant and I’ll move it into the sunniest bay window of my home if necessary. Thank you to Peter at @wackswickedplants for answering all my questions! These plants are actually pretty easy to care for by the sounds of it. They need lots of light, a cold winter, rainwater and lots of it! These plants naturally live in boggy conditions so they are best kept in a tray of rain water at all times. I’m rather excited by my new plant adventure! What are your thoughts on carnivorous plants? 🧛🏻‍♂️ . #feedmeseymour #sarracenia #sarraceniajudithhindle #carnivorousplants #pitcherplant #polytunnel #allotment #garden #plantlover
🌸The RHS Chatsworth Flower Show has come to an end and I came back to reality when I returned to work this morning after an epic week of volunteering. It was such a joy to return to Chatsworth Flower Show for the second year running to help to set up the show and work within the RHS feature garden. I met so many friendly RHS volunteers, garden designers, RHS staff, plant nurseries and visitors to the show who I enthused with at great lengths within the feature garden, ‘RHS Garden for Wildlife: Wild Woven’. The garden, designed by @s.hockenhull (pictured), shows the number of ways you can invite and support a diverse range of animals in your garden by providing water, nectar and shelter. I was in my element engaging in conversation with the visitors discussing composting, wormeries, wildflowers and ponds. A lot of people were interested to hear about my tiny Belfast sink pond, and I actively encouraged people to install one of their own, no matter what the size! I can’t believe that it’s all over for another year. I just want to say a huge thank you to the RHS team, Sharon for your support and everybody who recognised me and came up to say hello! Congratulations to all of the garden designers, especially @emilysgardendiary and thank you to everyone who was involved in putting on such a gorgeous show! Take a look at my saved Chatsworth highlights if you want to see more! 💜 . #rhsvolunteer #rhschatsworth #volunteerweek @the_rhs @chatsworthofficial #flowershow #gardendesign #rhsvolunteers #chatsworthflowershow
I love these funky looking ‘Yin Yang’ beans. ☯️ They’re a dwarf French kidney bean that you can use fresh or dried! I threw some in the ground this afternoon after I realised all my other beans are up but not these as I forgot to sow them! 🤦🏻‍♀️ . #growyourown #seeds #beans #yinyangbeans #growwhatyoueat #allotment #eatfresh #allotmentlife #gardening #growyourownfood #ediblegarden
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© Katrina Harrison aka Homegrown.Garden, 2014. Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited. Excepts and links may be used, provided that full an clear credit is given to Katrina Harrison, aka Homegrown.Garden with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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