You can look at allotment gardening in one of two ways.
It could be the beauty of the timeless march of the seasons, celebrating your part in nature's cycle; you sow, grow, tend and harvest in due progression, all the while surrounded by natural beauty. Then you prepare the ground for another year's growth, giving back to the soil more than you have taken out.
Alternatively, it's a never-ending cycle of drudgery, involving back breaking struggles in knee deep mud. You are either dripping with sweat or shivering, fingers turning blue. Did I mention the mind-numbing tedium of weeding? To add some variety, you can flee horizontal rain at irregular intervals.
Of course, both the above are true at different times.
It is very little fun to cart barrowloads of manure from place to place, sliding through muddy beds. It can be tedious hoeing and weeding, over and over.
On the other hand, it's very satisfying to take a scythe and mattock to a wilderness of bramble and couch grass to reveal the pristine soil beneath. It is a proud moment to watch your crops beginning to sprout, proof that you can follow the instructions on the packet.
Butterflies become your enemies. The only good place for a pigeon is in a pie. But how wonderful to spend months eating food you have grown yourself.
Gardening is supposed to be calming, good for our mental health, and I think that is true. A combination of physical exercise and calm mindfulness.You become totally involved in what you're doing, oblivious to the passage of time. You might spend some time with fellow allotmenteers, sorting out the rest of the world, or gaining and giving advice.
Until it starts raining again! Then it's a quick sprint to the shed and a wet reminder that you haven't fixed the hole in the roof yet.
This blog is primarily for members of the Cambrian Road Allotment Association. It is intended to be a forum where we can all exchange tips, discuss things that worked (or failed), and develop a store of best practice when it comes to growing fruit and vegetables.
