Do you grow soft fruit or leafy veg in your garden or allotment? If the answer is yes, chances are you know the pain of trying to protect it from hungry wildlife! Since getting our allotment three years ago, we've tried to grow lettuces, cabbages and broccoli in our raised beds. Every year, the local pigeons have a good old feast before the plants get really established; we've tried using netting, but we've never managed to get the supports ...
Tips for installing a raised bed this spring
If you're looking for inspiration on spring garden projects, this guest post from gardening and home repair enthusiast David Miller exploring the world of raised bed gardening is a great place to start. Heading towards spring and the return of warm weather, it’s always fun to think of the different ways we can work to improve our gardens. Whether it’s something as simple as planting a few new bulbs, or something as involved as constructing a ...
Hard landscaping: getting it right in your garden design
When it comes to designing your garden, the main element that often springs to mind is the plants themselves. It’s very tempting when planning a new garden layout to get carried away designing borders, choosing plants, shrubs and trees, and looking ahead to when everything is blooming nicely. This is all time well spent, but if you’re going to create a successful garden it’s crucial to also give careful thought to the hard landscaping. Hard ...
An unruly Summer allotment
It's been a while since I shared any pictures of our allotment. This hasn't been deliberate, I just haven't got myself organised! I feel like I've been behind the whole way with the allotment this year. Last year I had the plot rotavated in early Spring, which meant I was good to go with the planting nice and early. This year however there's a greenhouse slap bang in the middle of the plot, a few raised beds and some permanent fruit canes, ...
Raised bed rejuvenation
I think we’ve all got a spot in our garden that niggles at us. This week I’ve been tackling the one that’s been niggling at me for about 5 years now! We don’t have a garden at the front of our house, but there is a small raised bed which we look out onto from the lounge. This bed was home to a very stubborn ivy which was always engulfing the gatepost, and the soil was constantly escaping through the stones onto the drive. I wanted to ...
How Does Your Community Garden Grow?
This week we’ve been exploring the Arkwright Meadows Community Garden in Nottingham. Situated very close to the city centre, this previously unloved playing field has been completely transformed into a fabulous outdoor space that the local community now cherish. My kids love to come here because there’s lots to explore and they like comparing the crops with our own at the allotment. Here it really is all about bringing local ...
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 ...
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 ...