I’ve always been an ‘all or nothing’ kind of person. That has often worked in my favour, but occasionally it’s worked against me. Balance is something I’ve been blind to for far too long. When I took on my first allotment plot, I had no idea where it would take me. It gave me a new lease of life, but at the same time I left the old one behind. Confidence is a funny thing. Twelve years ago I had everything – all the trappings of wealth that came with being focused on my professional life. Confidence, and success, breeds confidence and success. The moment you lose either, the cards begin to fall ..read more

It’s been a tough year. The weather has been more wet than dry, slugs abundant and crops failing. Despite this, I’ve continued to spend a great deal of time, and money, on the plot. Always with the ‘bigger picture’, the future – in mind. The allotment has long been a ‘coping’ mechanism for me. Somewhere I could unwind and escape the realities on life. With a non-existent social circle, it’s also been the only place I could go for any kind of social interaction in a context I feel comfortable with. I’ve long since considered myself ‘at peace’ with my own company – never thinking I ‘needed’ to b ..read more

Despite originating over 300 years ago, Tempeh (pronounced ‘tem-pay’) is relatively unknown here in the UK. I personally hadn’t heard of it until recently. That, despite it seemingly being a perfect choice for my lifestyle and diet. Tempeh is billed as an alternative to meat, much like Tofu. Personally, I’ve never liked Tofu, despite trying it numerous times. Unfortunately, a lot of other meat alternatives contain ingredients such as wheat, which I avoid. Tempeh, on the other hand, is not only Vegan, but also Gluten-free and diary-free. Despite this, it still packs a punch with both fibre and ..read more

Now that I finally have a base ready for the allotment shed, the time has come for me to go shopping! Ever since I took on a plot that was big enough for me to have both a greenhouse and a shed, I’ve been evaluating options. I started out planning to get just a standard ‘run of the mill’ 8×6, which is what most people choose for their back garden. Time spent working the plot since I took it on has given me the time to think about what kind of shed will work for me, and what I need it to accomplish. The biggest realisation for me is that an allotment shed needs to accomplish far more than a gar ..read more

The recent weather and crop massacres have made me give serious consideration to how I could alleviate both issues. When there is so much to be done, but it’s simply too wet to do anything, you can’t help but feel the season is slipping away from you. More frustrating is that much of what has been planted has been consumed by birds, slugs and insects. This year, nothing has been saved – if it’s in the ground, it seems to be fair game. It’s clear I need to better protect my crops, regardless of whether history tells me they could be targeted or not. Over the last few days, I’ve given a great de ..read more

Win a Pair of Professional Gardening Gloves & Seed Bundle The seemingly endless downpours we’ve had over the last week have left many gardens and allotments under water. Sheds are being flooded, crops ruined and plans dashed. My Instagram feed is full of people, quite rightly, despairing at the harvesting prospects for this year. So, to brighten up what is otherwise a slightly gloomy period in our growing year, I’ve got a giveaway for you! Earlier this year I purchased some Briers Professional Gardening Gloves. I usually like to do a lot of the usual tasks with bare hands – planting, sowin ..read more

Every year, there are crops I ‘expect’ to be eaten by local wildlife. Slugs will have a munch on the lettuce. Birds will help themselves to berries, and so on. This year, however, everything seems to be fair game. Much of the sweetcorn has been reduced to almost nothing. I’ve lost 70% of my cucumber plants within days of planting out. Pumpkin and Courgette leaves are full of holes.  Even the comfrey has been munched on! The only crop that hasn’t been affected at all is the potatoes – the one crop I don’t use personally (but do grow for the rest of the family). The Culprits Slugs are always an ..read more

Back in March, we created the base for the Greenhouse. The size was largely dictated by both cost and available space. In the end, I went with a 2m by 4.8m base, which will allow me to site a 6ft x 14ft greenhouse, with space left for water butts. Coincidentally, this size also perfectly suited a ‘project pack’ of brick pavers, which are typically around 9.5sqm. Why Brick Pavers for a Greenhouse Base? When it comes to greenhouses, some models are suited to soft ground and others need a firm foundation. A concrete slab or paving slabs are the most common. Laying a concrete slab does require a d ..read more

It’s hard to believe it’s been two months since my last post here! Regular readers will have noted a few little changes here in the meantime, which has kept me busy for a while. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll also have noticed I’ve been busy on the plot itself. In my last post, I mentioned that we’d started the greenhouse base. At that point, we had laid and tampered the MOT. We had yet to level out the sand or lay any of the brick pavers. That work was completed the following week, and despite a few hiccups along the way, the end result looks superb. Fellow plot holders seem bemused at ..read more

To say I’ve been busy would be an understatement! Between an increased workload on the ‘day job’, a hive of activity on the plot, and lots of things happening ‘behind the scenes’ for this site, I’ve barely had a moment to breathe! I’m all too aware that posts on here have been sparse, but that should change very soon – stay tuned! On the plot, the second tunnel has been erected – in a different, but better, position than I originally planned. More on that in my next post in a few days. I’ve also purchased some staging for that, rather than building my own as I did for the first one. I’m kind o ..read more