ALLOTMENT TIPS FROM MY LITTLE ALLOTMENT

Just in time for “National Gardening Week” in Great Britain, we have some helpful tips from My Little Allotment. 

 
How did your “gardening journey” begin?  

My “gardening journey” began 4 years ago when I got an allotment after hitting rock bottom with my mental health. Six months before I got an allotment, I gave birth to my second daughter, Mila, but I had a really difficult pregnancy and a traumatic birth. Six months after she was born, my mental health deteriorated, and I became really unwell. I suffered from severe panic attacks, night terrors, was unable to do anything because I was scared something would happen to my family, I drastically lost weight, and I struggled to find life worth living. I was in a really bad place, but luckily I had support from my GP, family, and friends. I signed up for cognitive behavioral therapy and was diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), which was a huge shock to me. I did some research on PTSD, as well as postpartum PTSD, and how I could work on improving my mental health. There was a lot of information about how focusing could help with PTSD and how horticultural therapy could be beneficial, as it is very task-oriented. So, six months after Mila's birth, after falling ill a few weeks prior, I applied for my allotment. That's how "My Little Allotment" came to be, and to this day, I can honestly say that my allotment has helped me find myself again, helped me get back on my feet, and helps me manage my mental health much better in everyday life. My allotment saved me and brought me back to a happier, more positive place in my life, and I will always be grateful for how amazing horticultural therapy has been for me. I am now completely obsessed with gardening, allotments, and plants, and I wouldn't change it for the world. 
 

Tell us your gardening secrets… 

April is the perfect time to start sowing various squash and pumpkin seeds indoors on a windowsill or in a greenhouse, so I'm going to share my secrets for creating a perfect pumpkin patch. First, you need to make sure you prepare the area where the pumpkins will grow - pumpkins are very thirsty and hungry plants. When it comes to sowing pumpkins - here are some tips on how to make watering more efficient. You should dig a much larger hole than you need for sowing, and then pour some highly concentrated compost/fertilizer into the bottom of the hole. Place a large pot on the side of the large hole, then plant the pumpkin in the hole next to the pot and fill the hole with compost (leaving the pot empty). The pot then acts as a watering can for the pumpkin. When watering the pumpkin during the growing season, you can water directly into the pot. This ensures that all the water goes directly to the roots of the pumpkin plant and is not evaporated from the soil. Pumpkins are very thirsty plants and like to drink a lot of water every day. You should also make sure to use plenty of mulch around the plant to keep moisture in the soil even on hot days. You need to fertilize pumpkin plants at least once a week, as they can be quite greedy.. 

What should we sow this month? 

April is the busiest month for sowing, so be prepared for some hard work. April is ideal for direct sowing some seeds into the ground outdoors, in prepared garden/allotment beds, pots, and containers. In the next few weeks, I will be direct sowing my peas, beetroot, lettuce, radishes, spring onions, Swiss chard, carrots, leeks, and turnips directly into the ground outside in my allotment. You can also sow plants like beetroot, lettuce, spring onions, and radishes every few weeks and then enjoy a continuous harvest. If you have windowsills or a greenhouse, you can also sow seeds indoors. This is the perfect time to sow cucumbers, squash, and sweet corn. You should also make sure that all chilies, peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants that you planted by March are repotted into larger pots so that they can develop stronger roots and then be moved to their final growing positions in May or when the risk of the last frost has passed. 
 

Where can we find more of your tips? 

More tips and advice from “My Little Allotment,” as well as photos of my allotment, can be found on my Instagram account @my_little_allotment and my Twitter account @allotment9a. 
 
 
Popular Products 
 
Muckster II Collection 
Edgewater Collection
Women’s Gardening Shoes 
Men’s Gardening Shoes