Carly (Container Team – Tiptree) has begun another ‘Get Growing’ project by applying for her very own allotment. She has kindly agreed to share her story with us. Her son Albi will also be helping out so the allotment is ready for growing flowers and vegetables. Getting your children involved will teach them plenty about gardening and how to grow their own.

Planning

“I applied for an allotment which Albi and myself are super excited about. I have already drawn up a plan of where I would like to plant all my flowers and vegetables. Also, we have decorated some pebbles so we know which area is planted with the varieties.

When Albi and I were having to isolate because poor Albi got Covid we decided to try and make some potting benches out of old pallets and potato chitting trays. This is the end result ready for our new allotment.”

Getting Started

“We have started to clear the allotment site which has been left to overgrow. It’s an exciting opportunity to be able to make it the way we would like it.”

Our first day (above)

Our second day (above)

“I uncovered a bee’s nest yesterday at the allotment as I was clearing some overgrowth. I’m going to adapter crate so that it’s frost-free and waterproof just to protect their nest in the hope that they can stay there happily and we can work around them. I just love bees I’m happy they are here.”

Click here to see a video of the bee’s nest.

New Greenhouse

“Our next plan of action is to make a couple of raised beds which is a bit of a quick fix but means we can get some things in the ground in time for spring. I’m going to plant a load of bulbs such as daffodils, tulips, etc into the raised beds which will be finished first.

Then I’m going to use some of our heavy-duty weed matting to create some pathways in-between the beds to give the plot a bit of structure and work from there.

We have been given the greenhouse for free, it has some broken glass which we are going to replace with safety glass or possibly Perspex.

My dad and son Finley are going to be making a little bit of decking off the side of the shed so we have somewhere to sit and have a cup of tea.”

Jobs for the weekend:

• My daughter Lilli-Ann is on shed painting duty
• My son Finley  is on rotavating duty
• Little Albi is going to help his dad make the raised beds

The Next Steps

November Update

“As autumn hits the plot work is slowing down a bit due to weather but mainly the lack of light after work. However, we have cleared the ground ready for the fifth raised bed to hopefully go down in between Christmas and New Year when we have some time off work.

I’ve put in a small wildflower bed (where the arrow is pointing) as I can’t put a big raised bed there because the shed door will hit it.

The T-shed is getting full now, I have put in a spider plant as they can withstand cold temperatures. Also, on the right hand side is a fatsia japonica, they’re often used as a conservatory plant so I’ve put one of them in to green the place up!

Once the final raised beds are put in I will be finishing the woodchip pathways.

I treated myself to one of Perrywood’s blue tit houses, I really love it and I think it suits the T-shed really well.

 

I’ve recently treated myself to this vintage stove so we can enjoy a nice cup of tea and maybe a soup during the winter months at the allotment. I’m secretly hoping Father Christmas will bring me a new greenhouse, as the glass in the old one is unsafe, so we can start sowing as soon as possible.

Now all we have to do is wait until the new year when we can start sowing our seeds and actually get some plants in the ground.”

January Update

 

“My new greenhouse is up! I’m going to start off sowing my vegetable seeds in my house where it’s warm and as soon as the temperature rises I’m going to transplant everything into the greenhouse. Then eventually I’ll plant them into the raised beds, it will certainly be trial and error as the only things I’ve ever grown are tomatoes and chilies so I will be learning as I go. I think I’m starting to annoy all the Nursery team and Managers by constantly asking them growing questions.

 

I got some free bricks and pallets so I made a fire pit and two armchairs. I’m really pleased with how they turned out especially as it was all free and recycled.

Albi has been taking part in the School Bird Watch this month and has also been spotting some at the allotment.

I’ve moved my potting shed from home so that I can use it to plant up.

It’s been really great to get outdoors even in the winter to get the allotment ready for the sowing season. I can’t wait for my plants to grow and try new flower and vegetable varieties.”

February Update

“I have been busy planting my onion sets this weekend. I went for the yellow and red onions from Perrywood and have decided to plant mine inside first to establish a good root in the hope that the birds won’t steal them so easily once outside.

Kitchen ‘greenhouse’

I have planted two different types of garlic which I am starting off at home just to root and shoot, then I will be taking them to the allotment into the greenhouse.

I have sown three different types of sweet pea, I’ve read that if you soak the seeds it will help them germinate, however, this is up for debate but I thought I would try it on mine.

I decided to use these coir coco dots to sow my sweet peas. The use of coir is often up for debate whether it is sustainable or not, I know the product itself is a waste product of the coconut industry but they have to fly halfway across the world to get to us, having said that I still believe this has to be more sustainable than peat so I’ve given them a go!

 

I bought these narcissi well before Christmas, in an ideal world they would’ve been planted long before now (preferably between October and December). However, I’ve been a bit busy so I’m giving them a go so we can have a whole bed of them hopefully.

  

 

My dad and son have put up this picket fence for me which I got secondhand online, I just think it keeps everything neat and tidy. A lot of progress this weekend and the last big push to get things finished and ready for spring.

 

 

Also, I have a couple of Perrywood planted containers at the plot, wouldn’t be right for me not to have some.

I have chitted out potatoes this week, we have done our first early. After reading lots of different methods I decided to chit all my potatoes, plant them all at the same time and then harvest them when they’re ready throughout the year. We’ll just have to see how that method goes.”

 

 Update 15th February

“After just two weeks my vegetables and sweet peas are growing like mad! It’s amazing to see them grow and Albi is enjoying watering them. I will be moving a lot of these into my greenhouse on the allotment this week.

 

Onions

Shallots

Potatoes

Sweet peas

Also, we now have our own worm farm to make our own plant fertiliser, we have done this after doing a workshop today at RHS Hyde Hall.”

 

 Storm Eunice

“We tried everything to keep our greenhouse safe and secure during Storm Eunice. It was bolted into the ground but the storm was too strong. We think we have found most of the bits and are going to have a try at putting it back together.”

March Update

“The greenhouse is back up and the benches are in. I’ve made a little greenhouse potting bench for the cold, wetter days.

My tomatoes, cauliflowers and peppers that I started from seed are growing really well. I’ve got some ‘Bhut Jolokida’ peppers which are apparently the hottest peppers around! Albi has been helping by watering the plants.

The Daffodil bulbs I bought from Perrywood are now in full bloom and I think they are absolutely stunning.

I bought these three tomato plants as well, they are called ‘Tigarella’. I can’t wait to try all these vegetables as we have worked so hard in growing them.

I was super excited to be featured in the Grow your own magazine!!”

April Update

“My tomato plants are growing well however, the frost got to about a dozen of my toms even in the greenhouse. So I have fleeced everything after the disaster. I would highly recommend doing this whilst there is still a risk of frost in an unheated greenhouse.

Everything else is shooting up and it’s amazing to see as I am super excited about my growing journey. I have lettuce, radish, sunflowers, onions, chillies, cosmos, strawberries, herbs, spring onions, texas greens, and more!

My pea netting is now up in the allotment, you might see the little peas poking through the soil at the bottom. Also, my artichoke plant is absolutely huge in the background, it’s grown like mad.

I have purchased these marigolds from work as the scent deters aphids and cabbage white butterflies away from vegetables in the greenhouse.

My Sarracenia plant as you can see is doing a fantastic job of dealing with all the flies. The rest of my carnivorous plant collection is doing well, most of them eat small aphids which is great. The sweet sticky buds on the plants attract the invaders of the greenhouse and have themselves a nice lunch.

As you can see from the giant plant labels we made we have also sown leeks, radish, carrot,s cabbage and peas. Albi has been very helpful with watering and making sure that everything is looked after well.

We’ve created a little wildlife pond which has settled so fingers crossed we will have some little visitors.”

May Update

“May has been a really really busy month at the allotment sowing lots of seeds in the greenhouse as well as sowing some directly into the plot, with the constantly changing weather lately of warm days and wet days everything is growing like crazy, especially the weeds!

Jobs for next month are going to be to continue weeding and making sure everything is netted as the pigeons have eaten my broccoli. I’m really looking forward to seeing lots of plants coming through the ground instead of just all bare soil.

The allotment is really starting to look like an actual allotment now with plants starting to grow and thrive, I’m so excited.

These are the baby sweetcorn that I planted a few weeks back. I’m really really pleased with how they’re growing now and hopefully won’t be too long before I can plant them out.

This is one of my red tumbling tom hanging baskets that I made at work and I just had to purchase one for myself. One of them is full of flowers so I’m feeding it regularly and making sure it has plenty of water as tomatoes dry out very quickly.

The sweet pea seeds that I showed you in February are doing so well. They are yet to have any flowers but are growing in height every day.

Just look at the size of my huge globe artichoke plants. I inherited these from the previous plot owner, they are absolutely massive.

My white onions are doing well, fingers crossed they carry on growing through this season.

We have our very first strawberry, Albi is obviously super happy!

I love my water butt, the oil drum has only had water inside it so makes a perfect container to collect the rainwater.

This is my favourite place to chill at the allotment – don’t forget to take it easy and relax.”

June Update

“June has been extremely busy on the allotment, we have had lots of rain and heat which have caused the weeds to grow in the thousands. This has meant weeding has been a big part of our job throughout this month. Everything is starting to grow well, we’ve had our first crops of potatoes for tea, lots of peas, broccoli and strawberries as well. Everything in the greenhouse is doing well such as our tomatoes, cucumbers and chilies.

I have removed all the wildflowers from one of the raised beds and that is now going to be a root vegetable bed. I’ll be putting vegetables such as sprouts in the hope that we can have some for Christmas dinner!

We are watering every night as things are drying out really quickly, especially in the greenhouse. During these hotter months, I’m keeping the window and the door open in the greenhouse permanently with a gate across it to stop any wildlife from going in.

It’s so exciting to have started picking and eating what we have grown. I’m now looking forward to the raspberries and blueberries to come on.”

Below are links to allotment sites in the area where you could apply for your own:

Chelmsford, Colchester, Braintree, Maldon, Southend, Basildon