What’s your number one tip? Do little and often and learn to enjoy the “chores”.
What’s your earliest gardening memory?
I remember pulling rhubarb with my grandad and dipping in a saucer of sugar to eat raw – yuk.
What does a perfect day on the allotment look like to you?
Weeding all the beds then filling a couple of trugs with a mixed harvest, followed by a mug of tea and a bite to eat and watching the birds on the feeder.
What is a piece of ‘traditional’ gardening advice that you think is completely wrong?
“Double digging”. I follow the no-dig approach to gardening, feeding the soil biomes and disturbing the ground as little as possible.
What did this past year teach you about your local climate or soil?
Every year is different. Accept that some plants will thrive in some years but not in others.
What’s the most stubborn problem you’re tackling right now?
Either onion white rot or wood pigeons. The white rot takes 7 or 8 years to go, the pigeons never will.
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made?
Planting/sowing too early. I have a natural impatience but a north facing slope doesn’t warm until well into spring. Late frosts have seen off several early efforts.
What’s been the biggest success?
Making the plot a nice place to be. A shed, seating, plus a pond, bird feeder and ornamental plants for interest. Every hour of weeding is rewarded with an hour of just “taking it all in.”
What’s your favourite crop/plant to grow?
I’m always excited by whatever is starting to harvest. I love cooking and get a buzz from the first broad beans, courgettes, etc of the season.
How do you strike a balance between encouraging wildlife and protecting your edible crops?
One of the beauties of St Margaret’s is the wide range of trees and hedgerows, along with the wildness of the perimeters. On the plot, the ponds are a major plus and the ornamentals are great for pollinators. Bug houses and bird boxes also help, as does a no-dig, chemical free approach to gardening, but the vegetable beds are mine – they don’t belong to the pigeons!
How has managing this plot helped your mental or physical health?
So much is now understood about the health benefits of gardening. Being in nature just feels good and the more I experience it, the more I believe it. Something as simple as weeding lets you switch off mentally and the physical aspect of gardening (the bending twisting lifting and carrying) helps with all round fitness. I’ve always been very active but gardening adds great variety to any fitness regime.
Describe the best view or moment you’ve experienced on your plot last year?
My favourite view was seeing the greenhouse full to bursting with tomatoes, cucumbers, chillis, melons and basil – the smell is incredible. My favourite moment was probably during the open day talking to visitors on the plot. It was wonderful to hear how much visitors loved looking around the site, meeting plot-holders, sharing experiences.
What’s the best advice a seasoned plot-holder has given you?
Failures are an inevitable part of gardening. Don’t be discouraged by them, just learn and go again.
If you had to rely only on your plot for food, which crop would be your lifeline?
Probably beans – runners and French. They’re consistently good croppers, super tasty if picked young and they freeze really well. We’re still eating last years crop going into March.
How are you adapting your growing techniques to handle extreme weather like floods or droughts?
Floods are not really an issue on our plot as it drains so well. Last year was extremely dry so a no-dig approach has helped, as the high level of organic matter holds moisture well. We also have lots of water butts to collect any rain falling on the shed and greenhouse.
What’s your ‘secret weapon’ tool that you couldn’t live without?
A little gas stove and a kettle.
What’s the biggest ‘gardening disaster’ you’ve had, and what did it teach you?
Sowing or planting too early on a cold site has led to failures. Whatever timings the experts recommend, you must consider the specific region in which you live and grow.