Katrina’s Allotment Diary
A few weeks ago I hit the jackpot. I found a huge pile of sandstone up for grabs at the allotments as I collected from the communal wood chip pile to make my first path. I had already spoken to Stevie who arranges the deliveries and he said I could take as many as I liked! I didn’t know what I wanted them for at the time so I just loaded my barrow with as much as I could carry. Five, ten, fifteen, then twenty or more I wheeled up a small mountain hill to my allotment.
Two and a half years I’ve had my allotment and I’ve only just begun to lay my first proper paths! I recently made one alongside my strawberry patch & blackberry bush and now I’ve just made a new one cutting straight across the middle of the plot.
I couldn’t help but share my slow-mo video from this evening. I’m a little obsessed with bees, and this one’s enjoying supper inside the foxgloves. 🐝🌿🌸
There’s been a lot of construction and heavy lifting on the allotment these past few weeks and the plot is really starting to look organised! At the weekend I focused on the strawberry patch. I have three beds of plants, one of which is entirely runners from last year’s plants so I’m not expecting much fruit from them in their first season. None the less, all the plants are in bloom and I’m expecting a bountiful harvest. As soon as the flowers drop and fruits begin to form, it’s time to protect them from hungry birds.
I learnt the hard way to not use netting. If you use it m on your allotment please take care not to make it a danger for other animals! Last year a fledgling robin got caught in my strawberry netting and it was an awful experience. Continue reading “Building a Strawberry Cage “
Do you remember back in April, a sharp frost killed off a number of my plants and seeings? Well my fellow Instagram gardeners came to help and sent me free seeds and plants! Huge thanks to Jason for giving me two chilli plants, a tomato cutting AND a tomato plant! I’m so excited to try them, especially since they are all new varieties.
Continue reading “Thank you 💚”
I’ve had my allotment now for two and a half years and yet, there are still areas of the plot that have be left pretty much unmanaged, for various reasons. For a plot the size of mine, (25mx15m) that I work alone, I know I have come a long way from the jungle it once was…but I still long for the whole plot to look some-what tidy/managed. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not after straight lines and precision planting. I just want to feel like I have control over certain areas.
Continue reading “What to do with this Difficult Area…?”
Planting the peas is one of my favourite Spring jobs! The bright green shoots are usually the first of the seedlings that are ready to go into the ground and it gives me a taste of summer, eating fresh peas straight from the pod. Yum! Very few peas have actually made it home, and I don’t think I’ve ever eaten them cooked, but this year I’ll have more than ever. Continue reading “Planting Peas in the Sun.”
I was hoping to update you on my thriving courgette plants, but well… they aren’t any longer. I foolishly forgot that the polytunnel air vent was left open after the hot spell we had. Jack Frost had his wicked way and has taken not just the courgettes, but also my tomatoes and chilli plants too! 😢
I’ve learnt the hard way. Don’t trust the weather forecast when is suggests lows of 3°. The thermometer read -2.2° for last night! If only I brought them home for the night. *sigh*
I know the courgette plants can be re-sown but what about my unusual chilli and tomato seeds? It’s far too late to be sowing chillies now, so I might have to resort to buying plug plants instead. Maybe it isn’t too late to re-sow some tomatoes at home, as I was really looking forward to trying my new varieties, black cherry and honey bee.
It’s Earth Day today and I spent it getting my hands dirty in the soil of my very own piece of earth. I managed to completely dig over the main bed, where I grew far too many potatoes last year. The plan this year is to have a path running through the middle, with two beds on each side.
In between pulling up the weeds and rouge potatoes from the ground, I took time to appreciate all the beautiful colours and shapes around me. The bright tulips and dainty apple blossom, the unfurling leaving of the ferns by the pond. I also took pleasure in the buzz of wildlife on my patch, like (my now friend) blackbird who continues to hunt for worms as I dig the soil right next to him. Then there’s the tadpoles wiggling away in the pond and the vole I spotted scuffeling about the undergrowth of ivy.
Even though the allotment is still a mess, it really is a habitat for all forms of life. I’m so grateful to call it my own even if it isn’t perfect, because the nature benefits from it and so do I.
Happy Earth Day 🌏
Somehow, I’m only just beginning to realise just how rewarding it is to grow your own flowers. Wheather they spring up out the blue, or slowly form beautiful buds from Autumn planted bulbs, the anticipation before their burst into bloom is the sweetest. Continue reading “Spring Flowers in Bloom”
Homegrown Garden 