My Garden

We have an allotment, and until this year I have really enjoyed being there and growing things. Eating what you have grown yourself, from seed, is incredibly satisfying (not to mention cheaper than paying Mr. Tesco for it!)

During this year, whilst I have been doing my access course at college, I have found I have had less and less time to spend there, which makes me feel so guilty.

When the invoice arrived in March for this year’s rent I decided to give up half the plot to make it more manageable, and also to give it over to Mr. B to take care of.

As a result we haven’t been bogged down with veggies. This is for 2 main reasons;

1. We did nothing with the plot during last autumn and in the early part of this year, and I didn’t sow any seeds in the seed trays so nothing was ready to go in
2. Mr. B is an amateur gardener (like I was 3 years ago) and as a result doesn’t know his kohl rabi from his hogweed! Hopefully next year we will get some more results.

In his defence I should add that Mr. B has managed to bring home some potatoes, 1 radish (!?!?) and some leeks, lettuce and onions (hang on though those last 3 were given to him by other plot holders!)

So back to my garden, it is very small and is used by all 5 of us to varying degrees - from the 4 year old who whizzes up and down on her scooter, through the 8 year old who occasionally joins in and at other times reads, the 17 year old who sometimes ventures out to sunbathe, me to hang the washing out and Mr.B to make a mess and cut down my plants in the name of strimming! We also have a cat who likes to invite his mates around to poo in it!

I was missing my home grown veggies and decided to utilise what little space we have, admittedly too late to grow things from seed I took the cheats option and bought some ‘plugs’ from the garden centre.

WOW! I made the right choice; the plants have been doing incredibly well. The lemon balm smells gorgeous, we now have cucumbers growing, runners making an appearance, pumpkins flowering and pepper and chilli plants putting in an effort. Even the aubergine and melon plants are trying to do something. The carrots are looking bushy (although not sure if anything orange is happening underneath) and the cut and come again lettuces are abundant (so maybe 12 heads was quite a lot – although middle child has discovered a liking for it!). On Thursday I added some climbing French beans to the collection – which I am hoping Mr.B will plant for me against the garage wall whilst I am away in Wales (which is where I am doing this blog entry from, a lovely Travelodge room in Merthyr Tydfil! – whilst the littlies sleep) and some lovage which I still need to find a home for.

So feast your eyes on my plants (and weeds!),

admire my lavender (planted in a row under the washing line so as the rotary dryer goes round it brushes against the flower heads letting off a lovely scent),

wonder at the snap dragons (very pretty colours)
and admire my wee froglets (nurtured from a dollop of spawn, gathered from the allotment pond and placed in a tank in the garden, about a dozen froglets taken back to plot pond, along with about a dozen tadpoles sprouting legs and getting ready to be frogs!)