A SPRING DAY ON THE ALLOTMENT / EMMA'S ALLOTMENT DIARIES

This is my favorite little dog they'll surely stay by our side I'm taking them home We'll be together Good morning everyone Welcome back to my allotment diaries My name's Emma These are the allotment diaries I try to vlog three times a week just showing you what I'm up to in my allotme Plot Oh my goodness the weather today is just perfect Beautiful blue skies all day sunshine the birds are singing—it's perfect for the allotment I'm down here super early It's not even eight o'clock in the morning yet—I literally just jumped out of bed got myself ready and came down here because I really want to capture that early morning stillness where you can just hear the birds and there aren't crowds of people around Yeah there's something truly magical about being out on the allotment plot first thing in the morning It just does just feels so incredibly special so peaceful and I absolutely love it In fact yesterday we had such strong winds it was incredibly windy I was actually a little concerned about what might happen find here but luckily I don't think there's too much damage I'm just going to open up my I left the windows open in the greenhouse because I had closed them yesterday due to the wind It was also freezing cold yesterday—literally so cold It’s been the coldest it’s been in a while Feel that sun on my face now Oh beautiful Yeah colder than it's been in quite a while and I have to say it got colder than I was expecting it to in March We actually had a brief flurry of Snow which is absolutely crazy I can't remember the last time we had snow in March—definitely not ever last year or the year before so many people are really concerned about the things I've planted outside but I have to say most of what I've planted out there can tolerate a little cold It's ot like I haven't already shared something that embraces warm weather yet and most of the seeds I've planted haven't even sprouted yet so they're nice and cozy tucked undernea e ground So I think everything will be fine Anyway since we're here so early all I can hear It's birds So I think that's a sign we should feed the bird first Let's go feed Einstein see if he'll come down to the table He hasn't been coming down to eat at the table lately He's They've been waiting for me to do the work and then showing up to take the real ones So I don't know if He's probably just bored with his breakfast or maybe I don't know I don't understand the ins and outs of birds but let's go feed him anyway I was planning to start with a bit of watering today because I did think yesterday that there hasn't been much rain lately and I've got quite a few ew seedlings are emerging And even though it's still March and we may have had a light drizzle here and ere smaller seedlings can dry out very quickly such as carrot seeds But then we had snow and we It rained heavily yesterday almost like torrential downpours so I just don’t feel like doing anything really needs intensive watering except maybe my covered carrots the ones I've got the big sheet of glass over So maybe what we'll do is just go around and see what's germinated already And if it looks a bit dry we'll water it But it seems most things have Had some nice water So these are the leeks I planted out very small I put them into clumps and they're all doing great This all looks like it's received some really nice rainwater So I I don't need to do anything with them—I keep doing this because they're so upright and pointed It's That's a great healthy sign—a clear indication of a thriving crop when it's just naturally standing upright on its own Yeah they look fantastic Happy are those Looking very healthy very good Actually you shouldn 't really run your hands across carrot seedlings because it can attract carrot fly Not that I I think we'll have a problem with this container because they can't fly very high I think I might give it a little water just because it's been covered over But they're Looking good aren't they These are turnips—I planted them a long time ago and they didn't really do anything for a long time but they do seem to be mostly inactive growth now because they're getting much larger So I'm not sure if there's the beginning of anything yet urnips Oh yeah the small ones I think these are the white ones the white ones with oh yeah there are y little turnips growing Oh how adorable There are quite a few sprouting you know I really didn' We must have had this many before but they look amazing So these are now inactive growth They are They're actively growing so I'll just leave them alone and try not to bother them too much I think Right this is my other carrot bed and unfortunately in the wind the fleece blew off and then we obviously had frost and snow yesterday So I don't know if that's jus lled them all but it doesn't seem any of them have sprouted So maybe they'll just sort of be Okay I don't think this needs watering and the carrot seeds were pelleted so they had some kind of cover on them I think they'll actually be fine What I do need to do That's secured a bit better now since we don't want it blowing away again Oh wow Look at my cornflowers My cornflower germination is looking absolutely fantastic I think these are about three different kinds of cornflower or so weren't there I think it was a mixed packet and then cornflower blue blue boy or something like that—they're all sprouting I mean they loo fantastic and so far no slug or snout damage I've got netting over it to stop the cat from Digging in here but this is looking very promising Cornflowers grow to about three to four feet tall so the idea will be to create a large row of them here with some additional flowers behind them and then hopefully that will help break up that unpleasant view over there and provide a really nice backdrop as well as offering pollinators a place to come since I They'll probably really like it there Right so there's a sort of area on the allotment Sorry About the sun—it feels wonderful on my face but I'm glad it's not great for the camera So there's one area of the allotment I've been neglecting a bit and I think today's the day to get back to it The day I'm going to get it sorted out is when I finally tend to the gooseberry bush I planted and left to its own devices and not really touched It didn't give me any gooseberries last year but I feel like it's going to bear fruit this time by this year so I need to sort of weed it out clean it up a bit and then there's a bed nex and it too Let me show you So this here is my gooseberry bush which has been growing I've been thinking about it for about two years olesale last year it didn't amount to much but this year I've noticed it's bigger and there's more growth on it so I think I might get gooseberries this year but as you can see it's very overgrown and cluttered And just behind that there's this sort of bed ere which I was never really sure what to do with and nothing much has ever grow o it You can see it's a complete mess of weeds so I think today I'm going to clear them out and then hopefully get a little inspiration for what might go in there It's fairly shady though it does get some sunlight You can see a hint of sunlight over there and it's a bed I really need to straighten out I know gooseberries so I don't know much about them but I know they have really big sharp spikes making it usually quite difficult to harvest the fruit I think Jessie if you watch Jessie from Clock 37 on YouTube she used to grow her hair long gooseberries like these but then because of the spikes she— I've just I've literally jus I stabbed myself with a spike Ouch Yeah because of the spikes she started growing them over structures which makes it a little easier to harvest but I didn’t do that right away so I think I might look into that but yeah these spikes are absolutely massive These are the biggest spikes I've ever seen I have no idea if this is showing up on camera bu e spikes are large and somewhat concealed beneath the leaves which I assume is where the fruit will be growing There's a large spike hidden beneath the leaves so I'm guessing it's a defense mechanism obviously but if a bird came down and tried to eat it I mea That's a pretty nasty weapon isn't it I mean it really thinks highly of itself this one plant doesn't it It must think its berries are the most delicious thing ever to have this kind of level of defense Right so like I said this has always been a bit of a strange situation for me because it's rather suspicious and also quite small so I've never quite known what to put ere but I've just realized something—this tree has been significantly pruned by the council because remember it kept falling down in the autumn we'll just have to wait until later out in the summer to see how bushy and large it gets but I think it'll be less than tha the past few years and I think it's shedding more light on this part of the allotment so Sorry this is really hard to show you on camera but you can see some streaks of light I never I don't think I've ever had that before—this bed was completely in the shade but now there's sunlight here It means I might actually be able to grow a little more in there than I originally thought because I was I was so entangled in the shadow just thinking about crops that only like e shade of which there aren't many to be honest since most crops require at leas a little sun and that bed really wasn't getting any Now that it's receiving a bit more I think I can get away with planting something there this year so I' ll give it some thought and hopefully make use of that bed this year But it needs mulch and cardboard because those weeds are out of control Okay I'm thinking about going to get some more wood chips because I think it's just nice to have them around Keep up with the pathways and top them up regularly and in small amounts I think it's making a huge difference difference to the plot and I think it's just nice to see that immediate kind of change in the plot when I put the wood chip down It's just really motivating for me so I think I'll go and grab a wheelbarrow full top up one of the pathways clear it a little bit It's just a pathway Great job I think — let's go ahead and do it Okay it doesn't look too bad today I think as it's been sitting here longer the leaves are starting to wilt Composting has slowed down leaving us with plenty of lovely chips which is perfect for my pathways Good morning Why do I always end up forming such strong bonds with every cat I meet only to then just complain about them pooping in my bed I can't help it I really like cats I really like I enjoy their company on my plot but I really don't like it when they poop on it How do I stop that from happening then Rocky never went to the bathroom Rocky never went to the bathroom on my plot I really miss Rocky See the daffodils are almost gone and I'm so sad They don't last very long do they And just so you know a lot of people haven't even started growing yet plots yet and many of<pairings are still covered like this so if you haven't started Nothing yet you're not behind I just love getting a head start but honestly there are so many plots here that have already been closed off Nobody’s started planting anything and they all will Catch up They'll beautiful by summertime I promise you There's still plenty of time All right I'm fully aware my strawberry patch is looking a little lackluster and Don't be a spider don't be a spider We did spend quite a lot of time or I spent quite a lot of me weeding it and sorting it out so it would be such a shame for it to kind of fall apart aga before the strawberries actually appear So what I'm going to do is I'm going to mulch around my strawberries with some straw some hay basically and hopefully that will prevent the weeds coming up again I actually don't know if we call them strawberries because we traditionally mulch them with straw—that might be why they're called strawberries but I actually don't know the answer to that because as I always say this isn't the gardener's doma world But we mulch them with straw for a few reasons First to keep weeds at bay and to keep them nice and mulched but also to prevent the strawberries from touching the ground because if the strawberries grow directly on the soil they can rot and spoil very quickly So It's kind of like a blanket for them to sit on or a small cushion and we just use straw I don' I don't really know why but we just do it instinctively and I've always done it this way It also looks quite professional and if you visit a professional pick-your-own-strawberry farm you'll see strawberries down So I'm basically just copying what I see since if someone else is doing it maybe it's right That might not be sound reasoning but perhaps not the best life advice either—still it's guidance for strawberries at least I'm just kind of smudging it around the plants like this then pushing it in Lay it down onto the soil Strangely enough it doesn't tend to blow away guys so don't worry too much about going over the leaves since it's straw— they can still reach the sunlig Through the straw it's a very simple task It's not the kind of job that needs a tutorial you know but I've given you one just in case Oh lovely fantastic—thank you so much for that That was wonderful Well I hope you've enjoyed today's vlog Sorry if you're feeling a bit dizzy—I'm kind of balancing you on a pot and a glove Seems to be working so let's hope you stay on your feet What a lovely day Especially compared to yesterday Just lovely to potter around get a few things done and watch the birds No one else seems to be here so I'm all by myself and it's absolutely amazing I think I'm going o try and come down even earlier in the week when we get sunny days Not that I don't like with other people around but it's especially meaningful when you're here alone you know could I please ask that if you're going to leave a comment jus twice before you leave it and I mean that in the kindest way possible—I'm trying so hard right now I'm not trying to patronize I really don't want to be that person but if you're thinking about leaving a comment just maybe take a second to remember that I actually read them and some of them Lately I've just been kind off I don't know how to put it but sort of blunt and a little rude To be honest I put a lot of effort into these—I make three vlogs a week and it’s not easy I try to get down here as much as I can—I'm always on the move If I forget things like Someone told me you know oh your potatoes aren't anywhere near ready to sprout yet It feels like it's been weeks even though it's only been three weeks—they said it in a pretty rude way Since I planted my potatoes it's been only about a week and a half I'm here so I'm doing so much making so many vlogs scheduling them and then I just lose track of where I am and what day it is most of the time Of course I know they take longer to come up I sometimes jus forget it and it's fine if you gently remind me or call me a little silly but please do so in a way that's maybe not so blunt or rude because I don't know it just makes me feel really辟 a lot of you will say oh just ignore them and it's so easy to say that it's so much harder to actually Ignore them when you've put in so much effort and then you scroll through the comments only to see people saying such awful things—it's really really hard to just ignore So please if you're going to leave I love the comments—I read every single one and I do my best best to reply to as many as I can Don't forget I'm also on TikTok and Instagram and I get hundreds and please keep the comments respectful if you don't like what you've see In this vlog feel free to just click away and not come back if that's what you'd prefer in the gentlest way possible There's no need to leave me a comment saying you don't like what I did—it's just unnecessary Anyway I hate saying things like that but sometimes they just come out and I just don't know how to respond Anyway I hope you've enjoyed today's vlog I will be bac See you again on Wednesday Have a lovely gardening week fingers crossed for better weather See you next time