This week in the garden it feels like I've looked away for a day or two and everything has completely changed. Flowers that were tight buds are in full bloom, seedlings that weren't even above the soil are suddenly inches tall, and there's blossom everywhere you look.I keep grabbing the kids and saying things like "look, last time we checked this wasn't here!". I'm compelled to share the magic with anyone who'll lend me their ear, and so ...
Digging, Sowing, Dodging the Rain
This week the reinforcements arrived at the allotment, and I don't mean Lily with her tiny trowel - dad arrived with his big spade!Gardening and my dad have gone together for as long as I can remember. He had an allotment when I was little and still has a vegetable plot in his immaculate garden. I love it when he comes down to give me a hand at the allotment, I always learn loads and it’s great to spend some time gardening peacefully side ...
The planting begins…
My seed order arrived this week. Do you think I’ve overdone it a little?!In my defence I fully intend to plant everything I’ve ordered, but I can already tell we’re going to struggle to find room for everything. It’s the same every year, I always end up juggling what goes where - you’d think I’d learn but apparently not! I’d rather this than not have enough plants though, I can’t handle the idea of big patches of ground that aren’t ...
Help! We’ve Got An Allotment
Getting that phone call or email telling you that you’ve reached the top of the allotment waiting list can be a bit of a surprise. If you’re anything like me, you’ll have put your name down ages ago, been warned it could be a few years before you hear anything, then promptly got on with raising a young family and almost forgot all about it. Then comes the call or email and before you know it, you’re being shown your new plot and quizzed on what ...
5. How Does Your Garden Grow?
This week’s post comes from our allotment. Having not made it down there since November I’ve been badly missing my visits; obviously because of the lack of gardening time, but also because they provide perfect calm time where I can gather my thoughts and slow things down a little. So when my first child-free day of the new year came around this week I was there like a shot!It was cold and as you’d expect in early January not much is ...
A family allotment adventure
When we first set foot on our allotment we were ready for a new family adventure. We were full of enthusiasm and grand plans for our little plot, but we were also a busy family with limited time and knowledge. We knew we wouldn’t get everything right first time but we were determined to have fun trying!Here’s a visual record of our first few months. I think it shows how a plot can be developed, but it’s also a great introduction to what my ...