Home And Garden Articles

Fresh Flowers And Home Grown Veg.

It was the beginning of 2008 and for some strange reason my partner, Nadine, and myself agreed to rent an allotment.

At first it was an exciting idea, fresh flowers, home grown vegetables and the possibility of sitting back, drinking homemade wine in our back garden during the late summer nights. Well, so far we have managed to grow the fresh veg and flowers but sadly no time for the wine, why well read on&

You see whilst the idea of an allotment can be a romantic one, you tend to forget that like a real romance, there has to be a little effort to make it work. So for the newbie, be prepared to bend your back, get wet and battle with the weeds.

By the way, I am not trying to put you off if you are thinking of renting an allotment. This is just first impression stuff.

The plot we chose had been neglected for some period of time and so as you can imagine, the question off where to start, whilst being a weeding one, was nevertheless not the obvious choice. A strawberry patch needed a good spring clean, the vegetable growing efforts of previous owners was evident in places and oh the mud! It had rained hard and drainage was a little slow.

Know not having a rotator, just a humble spade and fork, we set about cleaning up only half of the plot, the idea being that we could get something growing there and then move on later to the second half, this we did over one or two weeks.

Whilst I was learning the hard way, I was slowly getting to know my allotment neighbours as well. Some, like me were new to Sutton Allotments and others have been at it a while and it wasn't hard to be a little jealous of their wonderful efforts growing away. I had heard it said that, allotment growing can be a great way to make new friends as well and the people we have met so far make it all that easier.

Also I did not realise that Chairman John, lived two doors away from me, and now we socialise (drink) at our local.

Of course with all this expertise around me, a few questions revealed that everyone was willing to guide us on our way through the growing season with vital information and hints and tips that may not be found easily in those "Allotment for Dummies" books, and no, I never bought one.

However since, I have started to watch gardening programmes on TV, this I never did prior and if asked to, I would rather go and watch Teletubbies with a whisky n coke. Now that's entertainment!

So, weeks later and with one half of the allotment cleared and the decision made as to what vegetables to grow, it was agreed it was down to me to get the allotment up n running with colour and life. Basically I had the time as I had just been made redundant after a twelve-year stint with a local factory.

Anyway a month or two later and life was slowly appearing; carrots, beans and courgettes then artichokes. Potatoes arose up from nowhere; these were hiding from the last owner. The strawberry patch was fully weeded and waiting to go and my lettuce was going to be introduced to the plot shortly.

One important thing I did learn was to start life at home in the propagator and then when ready, pot out the young shoots. Growing from seed directly in the allotment was a lot slower because of the soil temperature and lack of rain at times, however others have had a lot of success.

It is now many moons later and I still do not have a rotavator, however to cut a long story short, it has since become more than just a hobby to me. We have happily achieved a level of success for newbies like ourselves and I guess you have to remember that there are no good times without a little bad times and eating your own home grown produce is simply wonderful.

You also find that buying vegetables from the supermarket, in no way compares to growing your own, there is a unique quality to the taste and of course you know they really are fresh. But above all, it is the ability to sit back and enjoy the many hours of hard work you have put into growing them.

So my advice to any newbie is to dig in and enjoy the satisfaction of growing your own produce, whilst also meeting and making some new friends as well.

Mick has written many successfull articles to date and continues with his light hearted look at the allotment newbie.

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

MORE ARTICLES:

Flowering Field Farm of NJ Announces Association with Garden Spot Structures
Flowering Field Farm has announced a new business relationship with Garden Spot Structures of Lancaster County, Pa. The NJ farm is located on Highway 34, just south of the Holmdel border and Route 520. Garden Spot Structures of Leola, Pa. has been delivering fine, Amish-crafted structures for 30 years.

5 Most Popular Flowers for Your Garden
When planting a garden there are many questions which you must ask yourself before you begin. Where are you going to plant it, do you have the garden equipment to do so and how big do you want your garden to be? When do flowers bloom and what are their heights? These are all very important questions, however they mean very little if you have not yet decided which types of flowers you want to plant.

Fall Garden Chores for Spring Flowering Bulbs
As the school busses begin to rumble down the road again we are reminded that the gardening season is drawing to a close. For the gardener with an eye toward next spring, however, the season still promises plenty to be done in preparation of a showy spring to come.

Edible Flowers in Your Garden
Flowers can be an integral part of cooking. While most of us are aware that violets can be candied and nasturtiums can be eaten in salads, there's a bounty of flower varieties that are both edible and delicious.

Add Rich Color To Your Garden With Blue Perennial Flowers
Blue flowers are some of the most striking plants around and can add a rich splash of color to any garden. Plant them in a cluster of all blue or mix them in with other flowers for a rainbow of color.

Flower Gardening
Flower gardening is becoming more and more popular every day. Flowers can brighten everyone?s day, they smell nice, and are a great hobby. Flower gardening is simple, inexpensive, and loads of fun. Flower gardening can be done for yard decoration, simply as a hobby, or even professionally.

Chocolate for the Home and Garden ~ Chocolate Flower Farm Launches New Candle Division
Chocolate Flower Farm, a specialty nursery featuring dark foliaged and flowering plants, launches a new candle division with the acquisition of the exclusive rights to a distinctively different "Essence of Chocolate" candle. The candles along with their popular series of Chocolate Garden Seed Kits will be offered to retailers worldwide.

Converting a Weed Garden to a Manageable Flower Garden
Recently I must have had sucker tattooed on my forehead because just when I thought my summer gardening season was winding down into a nice relaxed not hard labor kind of fall a friend baited me into a conversation about their landscaping and the outcome was I ended up helping them redesign a garden

Flowers That Beautify Your Home and Garden
To help gardeners choose flowers, various systems for rating hardiness have been developed. A plant is considered hardy in a region if it can grow and thrive there without requiring special protective measures such as insulating with straw mulch.

Wild Flower Garden - Plan to Plant
In the previous article I discussed design for your new wild flower garden. The next stage is planning the planting.

Town & Country Conservatories Designs Custom English Skylight for Rockefeller Center's Flower & Garden Show
EnglishSkylights.com, a division of Town & Country Conservatories designs and builds a custom conservatory-inspired skylight for Rockefeller Center's annual Flower & Garden Show.

Wild Flower Garden - Make Amends...Your Plants Will Love It
A wild flower garden, just like any garden you wish to plant, requires good quality soil that will meet the needs of the plants you put in it. That means that your garden soil may need some amendment.

New Ways to Use Flowering Clematis in the Home Garden
As a lifetime horticulture professional, Vicki Smith (www.LGYP.com) has exciting news and guidance for using Clematis in today's low maintenance landscapes.

Wild Flower Garden - Yours to Design and Plan
To design a wild flower garden, you do not need to be a specialist or an artist, you just need to be observant and let your creative juices flow. Look around you, what is unique about your surroundings? Do you wish to enhance or compliment these things.