A year on the allotment: April 2016

April is the time when the growing season begins in earnest on the allotment. Suddenly the place becomes a hive of activity with plot-holders digging, rotivating and make a start on planting crops...

Whilst we've done plenty of digging and rotivating, crops are still thin on the ground at the moment. We pulled out the last of our leeks at the start of April. Yes, I know they look like spring onions, but trust me, they are leeks. They actually tasted really delicious.

This April has been particularly cold, so we're behind with planting certain things out. Only the other day I had to do a double take when I saw snow and hail falling outside my kitchen window. Here's hoping May is going to be warmer so that we can catch up with seed planting.

I have planted out some parsnip plug plants, but they look a bit battered in the cold and wet weather we've been having recently. Hopefully they will perk up once some sun hits them. We also have onions and garlic happily growing away. I managed to put in two rows of spuds, but will wait until May to put more in.

We've rotivated most of the open beds on our plot ready for planting. Magoo loves to help with raking the soil, although she often declares that "it's hard work", and she's not wrong. Watering is her favourite activity, but we have to guide her away from the cans. More water is something we certainly don't need at the moment. I'm thinking of putting aside a 'muddy area' where she can pour water and stomp about in her wellies to her hearts content...

One job ticked off the list this month was painting the shed. Magoo and her cousin did a sterling job of painting most of the wood before they got fed up and started to play hide and seek. Magoo's cousin chose the colour of the paint and I think it looks fantastic, it lifts the whole plot.

Over the past year we've struggled to keep the surrounding grass from invading our beds. Mr M and Magoo have worked hard this month putting edging wood around the plot. Hopefully this will help to hold back the invasive grasses that can swamp us if we're not careful.

We've also found a great source of cheap woodchip from our local disused quarry. There is a tree surgeon who runs his business from the quarry and there's always a huge pile of woodchip for sale. You can fill a large garden waste bag for just £2, which is a bargain. We've covered the main path running up the middle of our plot so far. We plan to use the woodchip around the whole plot as a mulch to keep weeds and grass to a minimum. Lets hope it works!

April has been busy month for prepping the plot and we've got lots of jobs done in the lighter evenings. We just need a warm spell in May to get some crop growing underway.

This week I am linking up with these lovely blogs:

Country Kids over on www.coombemill.com

How Does Your Garden Grow? over on gemmagarner.com

Making Home over on www.mrscraftyb.co.uk

A year on the allotment: March 2016

March has been a busy time on the allotment. We've been visting the plot three or more times each week. There's loads to do, mainly digging and tidying up after the cold Winter months. Everyone is waiting for the soil to warm up before the planting gets into full swing.

Despite the soil being cold and wet for most crops, we did manage to plant some garlic and onions. Magoo enjoyed breaking the bulbs up into individual cloves. Planting garlic and onions is the perfect gardening job for little fingers.

Whilst we were busy planting the garlic and onions, Mr. M was cracking on with the digging. I'm glad he enjoys it so much because it's back breaking work, especially when the soil is so damp.

Once the planting was finished, we stopped for our all important picnic lunchbreak. Chunky sandwiches and tea from a flask taste so much better in the Spring sunshine.

After lunch Mr. M carried on with the digging, closely supervised by Magoo. Plus there was a robin keeping a close eye of proceedings. He darted down and ate one or two fat worms as they were dug up. It's so nice to see these beautiful native birds up close.

At this time of year the allotment gets regular deliveries of horse manure. Large mounds of the stuff appear from time to time and everyone is welcome to help themselves to it. We filled our wheelbarrow and started spreading the muck onto freshly dug soil. Magoo didn't need to be asked twice to get involved with the 'poo throwing' as she called it. We all agreed she is a pretty good dung flinger.

In other exciting news, we finally have a new shed. In my February post I explained how Storm Imogen turned our old allotment shed into firewood. Mr. M and my brother worked for over six hours last weekend putting it together. They are more fiddly to construct than you'd think. It's lovely to have a shed on the plot again and it looks great...we just need to paint it now.

This week I'm linking up with these lovely blogs:

"How Does Your Garden Grow" over on the beautiful mammasaurus.co.uk

"Point + Shoot" over on youbabymemummy.com and www.snowingindoors.com

"Making Home" over on mrscraftyb.co.uk

"Whatever the Weather" over on lifeunexpected.co.uk and monkeyandmouse.co.uk

"Share with Me" over on letstalkmommy.com

"Blogger Club UK" over on www.cuddlefairy.com and mudpiefridays.com

"Country Kids" over on www.coombemill.com

A Year on the Allotment: January 2016

Do you know that old song "January" by Pilot? I have it stuck in my head on a permanent loop. Mainly thanks to the fact Mr. M walks around the house singing it: "January, sick and tired you've been hanging on me". And that pretty much sums up January, it hangs on you, like a grey coat you can't wait to shake off. As far as the allotment goes, January is a grim month.

I'm not going to lie, we're mainly fair-weather visitors to our plot. Some hardy souls have dug over and fully prepared their plots by now. We're not in that league. This January has been mainly damp and mild, so we haven't had those crisp, sunny but cold days to get out and about. Yep, January, you've been hanging on me that's for sure.
We took a walk down the allotment last week on a grey Sunday afternoon. Sometimes you just have to get out whatever the weather is doing. The allotment is in a sorry state. The battered old shed is leaning more that the Tower of Pisa, the grass has crept in and taken hold again, our purple sprouting broccoli looks moth-eaten and it's all a bit dank to be honest.
But in the spirit of optimism and looking forward, I've tried to think of some positives:
1) January is nearly over. Spring is getting closer.
2) It's 8 weeks until the clocks go forward and we get lighter evenings again. That means some precious after-school time on the plot with Magoo.
3) February means digging and preparing the plot. It's pretty cathartic, sloughing off the Winter drabness and turning over fresh soil ready for Spring seedlings.
4) This is a good time to give the plot an overhaul. Mr. M wants to make some raised beds out of recycled wood and we probably need to pull the sorry-looking shed down.
5) Magoo found a pretty, empty snail shell. Which is exactly how I like my snail shells - vacant. Slimy things.
6) Pleasantly surprised the leeks are still growing. They looked liked chives when we put them in, so didn't really expect them to cling on.
7) It's soon time to start planting some seeds. One of my favourite gardening activities.
8) We always try to grow something new each year. So we'll have to think about the crop we'd like to try in 2016.
9) My Mum has started to chit some potatoes already. Eating new potatoes that have only been out of the ground a short while is one of Summer's best foodie treats.
10) Did I mention Spring is nearly here?

If you've got an allotment, you might want to see some of the jobs The National Allotment Society suggest you do in January. It doesn't mention sitting on the sofa, eating chocolate and looking at seed catalogues...but it should do.
And if you've never heard the Pilot song, here it is. Think of it as my gift to you!
I am linking up with the beautiful "How Does Your Garden Grow" #HDYGG over on mammasaurus.co.uk

"The List" over on youbabymemummy.com and www.mrandmrstplusthree.com
"Country Kids" over on www.coombemill.com
"Happy Days Linky" over on www.whatkatysaid.com and www.quitefranklyshesaid.com
"The Mad Midweek Blog Hop" over on superbusymum.net
"Share With Me" over on www.letstalkmommy.com
"Whatever the Weather" over on monkeyandmouse.co.uk and www.lifeunexpected.co.uk

Five ways an allotment makes family life better

As I write this on a cold and wet January day, the prospect of Spring and Summer seem very far off. But, if you have an allotment or garden, this is the time to start planning for the coming months. March and April are the key time for starting seeds off in order to get a bumper harvest in late-Summer and Autumn. Sitting with seed catalogues is one of life’s simple pleasures on dark Winter evenings. As well as looking forwards, it’s good to reflect on the previous growing season. In this post I want to write about the past twelve months on our allotment and the positive contribution it made to family life.

1) Better understanding of food production
If there’s one thing having an allotment teaches you is how hard food production is. There are so many things working against you, pests, weather and poor soil. You feel really proud if you can manage to get a decent crop of anything. We’re so used to walking into any supermarket and filling our trolleys with washed and packaged food that we underestimate our global and domestic food producers. They produce field after field of fresh produce for us to consume.
Anyone who has read my wonky parsnips post will know how hard it was for us to grow a handful of this particular veg…let alone tonnes of the things. Since having our plot, I have a new found respect for farmers and the less than 'perfect' veg we waste every year. We want our daughter to feel connected to at least some of the food she eats. That’s why having an allotment is great. Last year our potatoes were hands down the best thing we grew. We were eating fresh spuds for at least three months. Yes, it’s hard work and sometimes you just want to throw in the towel and head off to the shops to buy fruit and veg. But when you can succeed in making something grow it’s amazing. Watching Magoo’s face as we dug up handfuls of golden new potatoes makes all the hard work worthwhile.

2) Health and Wellbeing
Technically speaking the plot belongs to my Mum. But it is a lot of work for one person and she was struggling to maintain the soil and plants. One of the main reasons we started to help on the allotment was because my husband thought it would be ‘good exercise’. He started to dig over the plot in February and March of last year and it was probably the hardest workout he’d ever done.
Not only is it great for your fitness, it’s good for your mental health. Over time it became more than just a green-gym, it became a sanctuary for us as a family. We love walking off the main road and into the tranquillity of the allotment site. You can hear birds singing, admire other people’s plots and watch the seasons change. Recently I blogged about the bench we installed on our plot. The wooden seat has a strong personal connection for me and the addition of the bench has created a lovely place to sit down and unwind.

3) Nurturing and patience
In a world obsessed with instant gratification, maintaining an allotment is the complete opposite of this. In a face paced world, tending a plot teaches us about the slow process behind growing our food. Plants have to be nurtured and cared for. From the very beginning Magoo loved to water the plants on our plot. Although we all watered, in her eyes she was the ‘Chief Waterer’. She took an active role in caring for our crops and it made the act of harvesting even more rewarding for her.

4) Fresh produce with low food miles
When the allotment is in peak production phase we sometimes eat meals that have come entirely from our plot and back garden. As I said above, we didn’t buy potatoes from a shop for over three months. We’re a long way off being self-sufficient, but the allotment supplements our weekly shop. If we can reduce the amount of food that has to be transported to us, then that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned. As the National Allotment Society say: “no longer will you be talking about food miles, but instead food metres”. Apart from low food miles, fresh produce tastes better. We eat strawberries and sugarsnap peas straight from the plant. Our plates are filled with potatoes and beans that were in the ground less than an hour ago. Harvesting delicious, fresh food is simply the best part of having an allotment.

5) Part of a community
We are all guilty of living insular lives. Sitting in the bubble of living rooms, driving in our cars or using public transport with headphones on experiencing the world through tablets and screens. In my opinion, allotments are one of last true community spaces we have. They are open to all, affordable and act as a green space in urban environments. On our allotment we see young families, retirees and adults with learning disabilities working with the Brandon Trust. Over the past twelve months, Magoo has experienced being in a community space with other people working around us. Most people say ‘hello’ as you walk by, others stop for a longer chat to pass on tips or advice and our neighbours often pass on surplus produce. Last year a newcomer to the allotment built an amazing chicken coop with upcycled materials and filled it with hens. I think one of my favourite photos from the past twelve months is this shot of Magoo holding an egg given to her by the plot holder. She was so protective of it, like it was a precious treat, rather than something that comes out of a box. Again it taught her more about where food comes from. It also shows Magoo how sharing resources is still important in our society.

These are ways I think an allotment can help to make family life better. But, there are many more I haven’t mentioned: camaraderie, biodiversity, socialisation, upcycling, thriftiness and creating havens for bees…to name just a few…
You don’t just have to take my word for it. Have a read of this piece by the National Allotment Society to see their take on the benefits of allotments.
This week I am linking up with these lovely blogs:
"How Does Your Garden Grow" over on mammasaurus.co.uk
"Made for Kids" over on www.theresourcefulmama.com
"Magic Moments" over on theoliversmadhouse.co.uk
"Let Kids Be Kids" over on letkidsbekids.co.uk
"Country Kids" over on www.coombemill.com
"Whatever the Weather" over on monkeyandmouse.co.uk and www.lifeunexpected.co.uk
"Happy Days Linky" over on www.whatkatysaid.com and www.quitefranklyshesaid.com
"Share With Me" over on www.letstalkmommy.com

December on the Allotment: wonky parsnips

Way back in March I had this idea that I wanted to eat homegrown parsnips on Christmas Day. In the world of allotments you have to plan what you want to eat months before you actually get to eat a certain vegetable. I visited a local plant nursery and bought myself some parsnip seedlings. I didn't expect these tiny plants to grow into these incredibly wonky parsnips...

I planted them out in a raised bed in March. They looked so tiny, that I thought the slugs and snails would devour them overnight. As a precaution, I covered the surrounding soil with broken egg shells to deter the munching molluscs. Apart from watering them, they have just been left to get on with it. Nine months later and they are still there, uneaten by the bugs. So on Saturday we made a trip to the allotment to harvest them with Magoo.

Now I know people who are experts at growing vegetables will be horrified by my curly parsnips. On reflection, I think they should not have been grown in a raised bed. We didn't prepare the soil very well in our raised beds this year. I know that when root veg hit something hard like a stone, they grow away from it and end up twisted.

A few weeks ago I was watching Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's War on Waste. They highlighted the mountains of vegetables rejected by supermarkets because they aren't 'perfect'. In particular, they visited a farmer who grew parsnips. This particular Norfolk farm had to bin 20 tonnes of freshly dug parsnips because they were deemed 'wonky'.

I think if a supermarket buyer saw my parsnips, they would pass out. We've all been trained by the supermarkets to expect our veg to be free from mud and perfectly formed. Some of the things we grow on our allotment are pretty odd looking, but shouldn't it be more about what things taste like?

I haven't been put off growing parsnips. In fact, I will definitely be planting more next March. This time we will dig a deeper trench in the main beds of the allotment. This will give the parsnips a chance to grow bigger. I'm not bothered about the shape of them, but it would be nice to have some larger ones.

Having said all that, I am proud of my first crop of parsnips. We roasted them last Sunday and ate them with some slow cooked beef. And do you know what? They tasted bloomin' delicious.

This week I am linking up with these lovely blogs:

Whatever the weather hosted by lifeunexpected.co.uk and monkeyandmouse.co.uk

Country Kids over on the lovely Coombe Mill blog

Let Kids Be Kids over on letkidsbekids.co.uk

How Does Your Garden Grow? over on mammasaurus.co.uk

November on the allotment: sunshine, sunflowers and our memory bench

The weather over the weekend was glorious. There was beautiful warm sunshine & a mellow stillness in the air that you only seem to get in Autumn. We thought we'd make the most of the weather & try to make a dent in the weeds on our plot. The more work we do now, the less back-breaking preparation will be needed in Spring. That's the plan anyway...

I blogged back in early September about our huge sunflowers. They are now way past their best. We wanted to clear the area so we can plant a green manure crop over the Winter. I have never seen sunflowers with such robust stalks. It was like felling trees. Our loaded wheelbarrow was destined for the communal compost heap, but a neighbouring plot holder asked if she could have the seed heads for her bird feeders. Nice to know nothing goes to waste on an allotment...
Magoo helped my Mum to dig up the last of the beetroot & load up the wheelbarrow with weeds. Magoo loves walking back & forth to the communal compost heap, she likes to look at all the other plots. She was particularly jealous of some huge pumpkins growing in a raised bed. They are on our 'to do' list for next Spring...would be great to carve our own homegrown pumpkins next Halloween.


Magoo took full advantage of the wooden bench we've recently installed on our plot. This particular bench is special to us because it came from my Granny's garden. My Gran grew up in a poor mining community in Wales & everyone was far too busy working to take pleasure from gardening. She then spent over forty years living in a first floor flat in Clifton in Bristol. So when my Gran moved to her bungalow in the early 1980s, she was overjoyed to finally have a garden. We would often sit on this bench at the end of her garden drinking tea & enjoying the sunshine. My Gran sadly passed away in late Decemeber 2014 & her bungalow has recently sold to a new owner. I was really keen to rehome the bench on our plot. So now when we want to take a break from weeding or digging, we can sit down & remember how much she loved gardening.

This week I'm linking up with:
Whatever the Weather over on monkeyandmouse.co.uk & www.lifeunexpected.co.uk
How Does Your Garden Grow #HDYGG over on mammasaurus.co.uk
Point + Shoot over on youbabymemummy.com and Snowing Indoors
Country Kids over on www.coombemill.com
Let Kids Be Kids over on letkidsbekids.co.uk

July on the allotment, enjoying tasty spuds and beautiful broad beans

It's July and our allotment is in full swing. After all the digging and rotivating, we're now enjoying the fruits of our labour. The past few weeks have consisted of blazing sunshine and heavy downpours - perfect growing conditions for vegetables and flowers. Sadly also perfect growing conditions for weeds. At the moment the veg are winning the battle over the weeds, but it's a close-run thing.
One of the things I look forward to most is getting the first crop of potatoes out of the ground. Some time ago Magoo appointed herself as chief-potato waterer. She has done a sterling job and takes full ownership of the crop. She wants to see each and every potato come out of the ground. I can't really blame her, there's something magical about putting one seed potato in a trench and then digging out a cluster of tasty new potatoes a few weeks later.


Magoo loves fishing out each potato from the soil, even the teeny tiny ones. Getting your hands in the earth is what it's all about.
Once we're home she loves to wash and prepare the vegetables we've bought home. Magoo set to work with scrubbing the potaoes ready for our evening meal. She is lucky to have the experience of seeing her food travel from ground to plate in a matter of hours.


We also picked the last of the broad beans. It's the first year we've grown them and they have been really tasty. The only problem we had was the plants became covered in black fly. My Mum used an organic spray on them which helped alot. But I've read that you can squish them off with your fingers or blast the black fly off with water. We will definitely grow them next year, but will get on top of the black fly earlier.
We need to leave the broad bean plants in the ground for a while because they perform the clever trick of fixing nitrogen into the soil. Anything that boosts soil quality without chemicals gets a thumbs up from me.

Again Magoo likes to prepare the beans. We love to pop the pods open together and pick the beans out of their fluffy jackets. One of the things I love about broad beans is the downy beds Mother Nature gives them to grow in. I think that's why broad beans are such a great crop to grow with children. The whole preparation process is so tactile.


As one crop comes to an end we can start to put in a new one. We've taken out all the garlic and planted purple sprouting in it's place. Crops on the horizon are peas, runner beans, squash and courgettes - they are getting bigger day by day. We're also growing some pumpkins for Halloween. Well, you have to plan ahead when you've got an allotment...

I'm linking up with these amazing blogs:
Country Kids #countrykids over on the www.coombemill.com blog.
"How Does Your Garden Grow" over on the beautiful mammasaurus.co.uk blog

#ordinarymoments over on www.mummydaddyandmemakesthree.co.uk
Let Kids be Kids over on letkidsbekids.co.uk
Image of the Week over on www.trulymadlykids.co.uk
Magic Moments over on theoliversmadhouse.co.uk

A Year on the Allotment: February

This month on the allotment it's all about the digging. And the weeding.

The plot has been a bit neglected recently with illness in the family and my Mum breaking her arm.

It doesn't take long for weeds and grass to make inroads into the allotment.

There's only one way to prepare a plot and that's to dig it.

Luckily Mr. M is on a health drive and sees digging as part of his keep fit regime...which is lucky as there's tons of it to do.

We all pitched in, Magoo weeded the raised bed & I dug the flower section.

We went prepared with sandwiches, chocolate and crisps and ate a picnic in the sunshine.

There aren't many things that can top a hot cuppa from a flask. Simple pleasures.

We listened to the birds singing and waved at the people sitting on the trains passing by.

We peered at "massive" worms.

Magoo's use of the word "massive" has to be taken with a pinch of salt.

We also went to have a nose at the chickens on a neighbour's plot.

He kindly gave us three fresh eggs, which Magoo carried back to our home as if they were the crown jewels.

When we downed tools, we were dirty and tired, but we'd made some progress with preparing the plot.

I think three sets of muddy gloves and muddy boots are a sign of a day well spent...

I'm linking up with these lovely blogs Country Kids, #ordinarymoments over on www.mummydaddyandmemakesthree.co.uk, The Outdoor Play party over on http://mudmudmarvellousmud.com, #magicmoments on theoliversmadhouse.co.uk, Image of the Week #iotw www.trulymadlykids.co.uk, How Does Your Garden Grow over on www.mammasaurus.co.uk