And it begins!!! Today I got confirmation I can move plots. No more hedgerow shading half my plot and stealing all the nutrients!
Follow to share my journey transforming this overgrown plot!
Rhubarb is doing fantastic this year. this had a very generous mulch of rotted muck over winter and is rewarding me beautifully!
#cotswoldplot #rhubarb #allotmentsofinstagram #growyourown #allotmentuk
The sun shining, the birds chirping and everything creeping back to life on the plot, spring is only around the corner now š¼
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#cotswoldplot #allotmentlife #springishere #growyourown springbulbs
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Itās been a month of the not so glamorous jobs. Prepping the ground, weeding, clearing rubbish and sorting wood piles, the signs that spring is on the way are there though. Letās see what the 2026 growing season brings! š±
I saved a few dried chillies from last years harvest of Basket Of Fire and used the seeds to sow this years, I ended up donating some of the plants to friends and a local charity plant sale as they had germinated so well!
I think these pack quite a punch (although my other half disagrees š) They have a Scoville rating of 80,000, which puts them in the ballpark of a birdās eye chilli.
Variety: Basket of Fire
Original seeds from @premierseedsdirectltd
Started in the airing cupboard back in February and grown on in the greenhouse from May
I really had lost hope in getting peppers this season after the Brightling moth caterpillar had eaten its way through every single one! But I left them in, I continued to feed and water them, they flowered again and Iām so pleased they still had time to ripen! Note to self - donāt hang lights up in the greenhouse!!
Variety: Corno di Toro from @vital.seeds
Started in the airing cupboard back in February and grown on in the greenhouse from May
The squash all seems to be producing very early this year, small sugar pumpkins, landrace, spaghetti and little gem all doing fantastic already. Butternut is flowering but no sign of fruiting yet.
A loveliness of ladybirds! š
With the dry spring came an influx of aphidsābut nature, as always, finds balance. The abundance of aphids has provided a feast for ladybirds, and now weāre seeing a loveliness of them this season!
Iām a firm believer in letting nature take its course. When we reach for pesticidesāor even homemade solutions like soapy waterāwe donāt just kill pests, we remove the food source for creatures like ladybirds who do the job naturally. By stepping back, we make space for these beautiful, beneficial insects to thrive.
And yes, the collective noun for ladybirds is a lovelinessā¦ could there be a more perfect word for these pest-controlling beauties?!
The colours of the beetroot š
Theyāre still a bit small but they were looking very overcrowded so I opted to do some thinning out. Iāve got three varieties growing this yearā¦
š«Sanguina (@realseeds ) an excellent classic red variety
š«Golden Detroit (@realseeds ) a beautifully sweet yellow
š«Chioggia (@vital.seeds ) a new one for me this year, but a gorgeous and vibrant red and white beetroot
Iām so pleased with my new greenhouse from @rhinogreenhouses !! The quality is incredible, I love the simplicity of the integral staging, the automatic openers and the shading blinds make managing the temperature much easierā¦ itās everything I was hoping for!
Our installer kindly let me do a Timelapse of the build too, so hereās our greenhouse going up in under 20seconds (a little longer in reality š)
