How long have you had your allotment and what got you interested in growing? I took over my first allotment plot in March 2019 and my second (next to my first plot) at the beginning of 2020. My allotment neighbour, who had the plot for 40 years, gave it up and asked me if I would like to take it over – of course I said yes. I was really lucky that it was a well-maintained plot which he’d taken great care looking after, so I was off to a good start – with established rhubarb and strawberry plants, a wormery and plenty of fruit bushes.
I’ve visited garden centres with my mother and auntie since I was young, so I’ve been around plants my entire life. My own real interests began when I moved into my own home. It started with houseplants, then expanded to herbs I could grow on my windowsill like basil and mint. My auntie and uncle have an allotment; they gave me a tomato plant six years ago, which I grew indoors and harvested more than 20 tomatoes from – this is when my real love for growing vegetables began. I lived in a flat at the time, so I experimented with what I could grow indoors with a relatively small space. I was pleasantly surprised how much I could grow, including trailing tomatoes in hanging baskets in the kitchen.
This story is from the September 2022 edition of Kitchen Garden.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2022 edition of Kitchen Garden.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
EASY DOES IT!
As the growing season gathers pace there's one thing often in short supply: time! Ever feel like you're chasing your tail? Benedict Vanheems offers some tips to save valuable time and effort
A NEW Kitchen garden!
It's time for sowing and planting in the new garden and while Martin is busy with that, Jill is making a tasty asparagus soup
OUR PLOTTER OF THE MONTH
Kitchen Garden readers rose to the challenge when we asked for pictures of their plots to appear in the magazine this year. It's time to meet another of our talented competition winners
MANAGING WEEDS, NATURALLY
Weeds are never far away but you can keep them at bay without recourse to weedkillers
Meet the apple doctor
KG editor Steve Ott chats to Glyn Smith, head gardener for the National Trust's Erddig estate in Wrexham, about his career and love of the garden he has tended for 38 years
A CORNUCOPIA OF COURGETTES
It's time to sow a first batch of tender crops such as courgettes for picking through the summer months. KG editor Steve Ott has some tips for a super harvest
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT CURRANTS
you If I want to plant some soft fruit that is easy to grow and will give you plenty of flavour, how about trying currants?
TRY AMARANTH! The dual-purpose veg
Garden Organic's research manager Anton Rosenfeld extols the virtues of amaranth and how to grow it
A SPACE APART
Instagrammer James Martin shares his love of gardening and how much it has helped him and his family both mentally and physically under very difficult circumstances
HITTING THE SWEET SPOT
Welcome to the wonderful world of sweetcorn as Rob Smith takes a look at both old and newer varieties, with some growing advice too