IS THIS CRAZY? / ALLOTMENT GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS

[Music] [Music] hi everyone welcome back to my allotment Diaries my name is Emma these are the alotment Diaries this is my lot plot here in South London and I just Vlog my day-to-day kind of goings on here what I get up to what I'm doing what I'm growing what I'm harvesting all that Malak um and I don't shy away from showing you all of the failures and the things that go wrong as well so if that sounds like something that you want to watch or be interested in I'd love you to hit the Subscribe button just want to start by saying a massive thank you for 35,000 subscribers which is absolutely mindblowing I'm really close to 170,000 on Instagram as well so if you're not following me on Instagram I am @ Emma alotment Diaries same name um I'm also on Tik to I'm also I also have a Facebook group as well which I don't post on that often but sometimes I do and lots of places to follow me basically so I'd love for you to come along and uh see what I'm up to I put lots of extra stuff on Instagram and Tik Tok um sort of behind the scenes stuff it's getting a bit warm now sun's coming out that's nice yeah lots of behind the scenes stuff and stuff that I don't particularly show on the Vlogs so if you want to see more of what I'm up to if you if you this isn't enough for you if it's just not enough um go over there and follow me there and you will see more right before I get into anything serious question do Flyers know where they're flying when they're flying like can flies see do they have eyes I'm not kidding I've been hit today by about four different fliers one almost an the eye one went into my ear and then the other two sort of hit my face in different places serious question do Flyers know where they're going when they're flying cuz it doesn't feel like they do I feel like flyes should have to pass some kind of fly test before they're allowed to fly in public because it's rid ridiculous also I'm I'm quite big compared to a fly do you know what I mean why can't it see me I don't understand any fly experts out there I'd very much appreciate your expertise on this little Point can fly see and do they know where they're flying right so I have a couple of ideas of things I want to get done today I brought a couple more daers with me which have been growing at home in pots from tubers and I want to get those out I want to check on how the daers are doing so far um and then decide where I'm going to put the new ones now I put some porridge oats out a little while ago do you remember I put porridge oats around one of my daers as a way of deterring slugs and snails I can't say that it's worked guys unfortunately and I will explain why but let me show you the daier or should I say let me show you where the daier was before because it's been absolutely destroyed by slugs and snils this is actually an insane amount of damage it was quite a big daier that I put in and it's so upsetting I mean it has got some new leaves starting to grow so I could Rescue It but I had porridge oats around this and unfortunately it just did not work I think it's mainly because the birds came down and ate all of the porridge oats probably the Meed as well and also when it rained it disappeared so as with a lot of these natural slug and snail defenses you have to keep redoing it and if you're not here and it sort runs out that's it it's like a free for all it's like a an all you can eat buffet opens up you know and they all just come running um and yes run because slugs and snails are faster than you think and they just eat it all so not massive on the porridge oats thing I think it I think it attracts other creatures more than anything uh which is not what we want however I did do this with a couple of my other daers that have been eating I popped these little closes over them um somebody said to do this and I thought n it's never going to work they're going to get in it it's not going to protect them it bluming has it actually has let me show you look at this well that's weird hang on look at this new DA growth underneath it doing really well absolutely no slug and snow damage which is very very unusual all I've done is put a clh over it also same thing with this one here all I've done is put a plastic clh over it look at this look at this the simplest thing that you could possibly do just literally put a bit of plastic over it has worked the best out of everything and this one here they don't like this one I wish I knew what this was for you I think it's a speckled one one of those speckled daers they don't like this at all they haven't touched it so some daers I think they prefer over others it's exactly the same story here look at this look at this little bit of damage but hardly any look at that it's an actual daia growing an actual living daia this is from a tuber I planted it was doing absolutely nothing at all nothing at all a bit like the other two that I planted in here somewhere I don't even know where they are um they haven't grown oh here it is look no that's not even it that's not even it that's not even it I don't even know where they are but there's two more tubers in here that did nothing all I did with this one was that oh no it didn't do that cuz that would kill it oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh right just immediately come over and kill it right all I did was that put a couple of sticks in it to keep it there stay that's all I did that's it that's it and there's another one just over there oh it looks like it might have been eaten though I not been so lucky with this one now this one has actually been eating it's quite annoying but it did grow I mean the point is it did grow it is growing it's just been eating a little bit but that's okay that's [Music] okay right this is one of the daers now I do have a tuber here he doesn't seem to be doing anything or growing but I could try putting a clush over him and just see I don't have anym though I don't think do I I'm sure I had absolutely loads of them at one point I'm going to have a little look around and see but otherwise I might actually order some more because they obviously do quite a good job should I whack them in there then if that one might grow yeah I think I should what I'm going to do is put it so if we got one there we've got one potentially there if I can rescue him I'll put him back a little bit there like that and then we've got that one there which is doing very well we are due a bit of a heat wave this week and next week I think it's going to get really hot so I think potentially this is the best time to plant anything quite vulnerable because it it will keep the Slugs and snails away and also all of the sunlight and the heat will give it a chance to get going so I think really this is your best bet now to get vulnerable things out good luck mate [Music] if there's a lot of me um standing around looking unsure in this Vlog it's because I am I am unsure I'm trying to figure out where to put these things where the best place is and I I just I know I'm finding it a little bit overwhelming today I don't really know why I think because it's died so many times that's that's it that's the line everything I put in dies so it's like it's like I'm sending all these plants to their death and it's not very nice feeling right we got this one here we've got this one here growing there's a tuber in here which isn't doing anything and then I've got this plant go in I'm going to dig the tuber up and see what's happening with him if anything it would just be interesting to know what's going on under there because oh no we have got no we haven't got any growth is there any growth at all no so maybe this one's died oh it came up quite easily so perhaps he has died have you died oh no there is a bit no it's not growth what am I talking about what are you doing mate cuz you don't look good uh yeah there's been a bit of growth but it has it has um been eaten and some of the tubers have rotted you see that there that sludge that's not good that's not good that will damage the plants that's got to come off that one oh no he's all he's all rotted he's rotted and falling apart oh look at that one oh oh that made me that made me go funny now right we'll put a DA in here then very graceful of you right go good luck little guy now don't be put off by the fact your friend before you was eaten to death and then rotted a very slow nasty death it's not going to happen to you okay I hope not good luck oh good morning Einstein look how close he is to me today is that cat not around today he's not around is he what want some M worms wao where do you think you're going Mister hey right here you [Applause] go oh is there a beetle in there I don't know if you want that but there's a beetle in it as well walk it's free grub B bit close to the camera there they can't see you Einstein there's a beetle in it if you look in it there there's a beetle it must have got in the bag I don't know if you like those or not but it's it's there so it's up to you [Music] Ein right guys I've got two rhubarbs on my lopment plot one of them's in the wrong spot and I want to move him today I've decided to actually just move him and go for it why not what's the worst that can happen he dies okay fine he dies I mean that is quite a bad thing to happen but it's only death like he'll be okay um the other one I think is ornamental I'd like your opinion on this um I brought it from wos when wios existed um absolutely ages ago planted it in and it doesn't look the same as the other rhubarb and somebody sent me a message ages ago and said the ones from wco actually ornamental what am I going to do with an ornamental rubarb can't eat that so I'd like your opinion on it please is this an ornamental ornamental rhubarb first it's absolutely massive which makes me think it possibly is cuz it's so big and secondly the stalks in the middle are not going red they're staying green it doesn't look like the healthiest plant in the world either it's got all these marks all over it it's absolutely huge I did not expect it to get this big I me this is my hand and this is the leaf I mean if I can't eat it what's the point of it it's such a space invader it's a space invader that's what it is it's right on the edge of my strawberry bed I think it's ornamental but let me know um the other one is over here it looks a lot healthier but it's in the wrong place this is most definitely an edible rubarb cuz I got it from Roots plants um who sent me all of the lovely fruit bushes and stuff they sent me this it's actively growing right now however is in my carrot row did I expect these carrots to grow no now they are growing I feel very protective of them and I want to move the ru the ru's got to go so we're going to try not to kill it you shouldn't really move plants when they're in active growing because that is when they're like the most vulnerable and um it will just go into shock and die but hopefully this one won't um I have faith in it I don't know why I feel that way I just sort of do I think cuz it's a rhubarb I don't know I can't explain it maybe cuz it's perennial anyway moving it is what we're going to do right the plan is it's not much of a plan but the plan is to sort of dig it pull it move it that's the plan pretty basic plan but sometimes the basic plans are the best plans you know it's best not to overthink these things how you kill the carrots for you're just an absolute Beast right you can't unfortunately anything you've got there you're not allow carrots cuz I didn't think they germinate that's why I've done this I just had no faith in them you want advice on how to make something grow believe that it won't that's the advice believe that it won't and then it blooming will You' lifted it okay put everything back as it carrots fallen in they've fallen into the the crevice oh gosh carrots carrots carrots it's these little ones here I was most worried about because they sort of fell into the crevice that I made it's like a Grand Canyon opened like a sinkhole and um they all fell in but hopefully I've rescued them now I don't know I don't know why I think that I'm just hoping I think right now what are we going to do with you we're going to put you in the other plot I [Music] think all right he going here [Music] [Music] Jing it's a snail literally in there oh my God what are you doing in this such an inconvenient place to sit isn't [Music] it of the blooming twine why is the twine like this why is the twine gone like this why is the twine not in a little twine thing God oh there it is I'm going to tie the pumpkins into the archway just a little bit now I said I wouldn't do this but I think you have to be adaptable when it comes to gardening and I've noticed that as they sort of flying in the wind like flip-flopping about in the wind they're sort of getting stuck one way and then growing diagonally and I sort of want them all to grow upright so they've got enough room to go over the arch so I'm going to sort of start tying them in just a little bit just to just to get them into the right direction you know Steer them a bit so for example this one here is sort of going diagonally I don't know why you're doing that mate yeah see it's not clung on yet but you can see here ah good example tendrils this is a tendril this little long long stemy thing green thing that will cling on um once you find something to cling on to so going to do mate is I'm going to steer you this way I'm going to tie him but very Loosely not going to tie him tightly because he's a pumpkin he's not going to like that I just know he's not going to like it um it can damage them if you tie them too tightly so just Loosely like this that's a lot of give there look it's it's hardly tied let me show you actually can't see a bleeding thing right you can see I've just tied him to the part of it where I want him to go that's not tight at all you see what I mean but what it will do is it'll stop him flying in the wind so now when he clings on he'll cling on there hopefully there you go mate I helped you out you're doing amazing me please don't die you're winning at the moment also some of the uh The netting is coming away a bit I'm just going to secure it all really make sure that you guys are going the right way look that's amazing but you need to really be here I know I'm sorry right these are RAB beans you're cling on to each other right there you go so these pumpkins along here are just not enjoying the weather you see how their leaves are lacking any green looking a little bit spindly just sort of not happy it's the weather it's the nighttime temperatures they're not enjoying them it's getting too cold for them and what they you can see this one here is starting to throw up some uh new leaves and that's because the temperature is very recently start to improve and so he sort of getting some new green growth there but um these sort of yellowy leaves like this this is this is because it's been too cold I'm in a net right now um you have to remember that pumpkins are warm loving um I was going to say creatures animals plants that's what they are they're plants and they're warm loving plants and they like a consistently warm weather not just like a few bursts of hot Sunshine they want it to be warm at night time in the daytime all the time and um it's just not been recently and that's why a lot of the pumpkins are just not getting going but if you've managed to keep them alive and if they still have growth on them then when the temperatures improve which hopefully they will this week and next week they should get going and just start really taking off and that is what I'm really hoping for right now but I will give them a feed I think um I don't have any seaweed liquid seaweed but I've got tomato feed so I'm going to give them a tomato feed see if I can perk them up a little bit but hang in there Tom um Tomatoes pump pumpkins I think you're going to be okay [Music] [Music] one more thing I I basically to explain this a little bit it's a bit weird got my food shop delivered right and I ordered some onions and they came like this and I thought gosh can I eat those but they feel really squishy I don't think I can eat them so then I thought can I grow these should I whack these in the ground and see what happens they just sent me onions with green stuff growing out of the top like f on it and I just thought that's weird I mean maybe you can eat them like this but I sort of feel like they started growing so what would happen if I put it in the ground also it seems to be more than one plant here so I'm going to sort of chop them and put them in the ground and just see if they grow why not let's just do an experiment anyway I think it's always interesting to try these little experiments you know I think it's what having an allotment plot is all about really just experimenting with things you know learning I'm always learning I never want to stop learning I'm going to take that off see if I can figure out how these are going to separate slice that there there if anything it might just deter things from eating things in here if they can smell the onion I feel a bit like I'm the first person to ever plant anything you know and it's all an experiment you just have no idea what's going to happen it's just exciting I'd love to be the first person to ever plant anything imagine how that would feel when when you come back the next morning and say it's like grown you'd be amazed it'd be like the most exciting Discovery in human existence I don't know if that's going to do anything this is so [Applause] weird right well they're in I sort of had to guess how to put put them in but um yeah will they do anything I don't know I mean the fact they still got quite really good like green leaves on them and they've just been sitting in my bag is quite amazing it's a good start so I don't know I don't know if they'll do anything the point is they're in and if anything they might deter slugs and snails from finding the carrots or carrot fly from finding the carrots or anything so you know there'll be a purpose to them I hope I think and um yeah look at my carrots all coming up I mean a lot of you thought that my carrots wouldn't come up at all cuz I'd planted them too deep and the entire row and most of this one has all germinated so no one ever really knows and I think that's the point um with gardening is that you never really know what's going to work and what's not going to until you try it and it's all about trial and error having experiments having fun with it giving it a go not not being so caught up on the rule book of what you should and shouldn't do just having fun with it just like enjoying the process just try new things and don't worry if they fail if that fails which it most likely will so be it so what I'll pull them out and it was a fun experiment while it lasted you know don't get caught up on what you should do and what you shouldn't a lot of gardening is about luck and hope and um just wether dependent you know I'm still a little bit worried about the PE structure so I'm going to spend some time um when I finish this Vlog just trying to make sure that it's upright and it's going to stay um which might take me quite some time to be honest but I think we're close we're very close to getting a pea Harvest they are doing fantastic there are so many of them they're almost ripe so all I have to do is keep it going for a little bit longer that's all you have to do guys little bit longer hope you've enjoyed my Vlog today if you have do subscribe and I will see you again on Wednesday have a lovely gardening week guys see you Wednesday thanks for watching bye