I’ve been able to tick a few major things from the to-do list this week. One of which was to find and pick up some free manure. Not one of the nicest of jobs, but it needed to be done. My allotment soil isn’t particularly poor in quality in fact it’s very rich, to the point that my neighbour jealously shows everyone how dark it is. So I’m very grateful to have such fertile ground, but I know must look after and replenish the soil if I am to be rewarded with bumper crops later in the year. Continue reading “Black Gold!”→
Last year I attempted to grow a couple of chilli plants from seed with little success. Reasons why? I started them too late and didn’t give them enough light and heat. Spring last year wasn’t particularly warm which didn’t help matters and even summer wasn’t hot for very long.
Anyway. Lessons learnt (chillies won’t develop grow well in a shed, no matter how many windows it has) this year I’m growing chillies again but I hope to get their growing conditions right. A few weeks ago I picked up a mini greenhouse from Wilkinsons on offer for £25, as a temporary measure until I get a polytunnel – I’ll save that for a later post! The greenhouse isn’t up yet so and it’s still too cold out, so I started some seeds off in a propagator at home. Continue reading “Let’s Talk Chillies…”→
Before unloading a bunch of heavy stuff from my car to the allotment the other day, I stopped to photograph some daffodils in the hedgerow along the main path. I could hear a key jingling as I was crouched on the ground taking photos, when the gate next to me suddenly swung open and for the first time, I met Cyril. Continue reading “Cyril”→
It’s been a freakishly mild, wet winter – in fact the warmest since records began in 1659! This explains the confused flowers and trees that don’t know if its winter or Spring. We’ve had daffodils flowering together with snowdrops and crocuses as early as February, and even the cherry blossom is in bloom despite the late cold snap.
I’m excited for a new growing season, which will be my second year at St. Ann’s Allotments in Nottingham, UK. So decided to start this blog to keep track of my progress, log observations, share useful tips and the mistakes I’ve learnt from, as a beginner gardener. I’m also a photographer, so expect to see lots of photograph of people I’ve met, the seedlings sprouting, and gallery posts of my plot – 152a where I’ll be growing all kinds of fruits, vegetables, flowers and shrubs.
I feel very lucky to have my allotment at the renowned site at St. Ann’s because it’s thought to be the biggest and oldest in all of Europe. It’s an incredibly beautiful space, with around 500 plots set over 75 acres of land, over a hill that’s right in the city centre – not that you would believe it. The Grade II listed site holds a lot of history and hidden treasures that I look forward to sharing.
How are things on my allotment now? Well it’s not very pretty as I’ve got a lots of odd-jobs to be done and wooden debris to remove. What’s kept me busy is all the digging! Not just turning over the soil, but preparing new areas from ground that was not preciously used. I’m going to have a lot more growing space than I did last year – since it was my first year I was busy clearing all the debris and weeds. But I’m feeling pretty organised and keen to get growing!
Homegrown Garden 