Real people real lives
to get involved in outdoor life and to know where their food came from” Once they had cleared the site and
it was ready for planting, she and her husband Jonathon created two small beds so that Charlotte and Oliver could have their own part of the garden, on which they could grow whatever they wanted. Jonathon helps out with building on the plot, he put up a shed as soon as there was space, created raised beds, walkways and constructed a greenhouse which they got from a family who no longer wanted it.
“Don’t expect it to be easy! It ’s a lot of hard work, but it is very rewarding.”
Although she loves gardening, Celia
struggled to work on it over the winter. The lure of a warm drink in a cosy house was too strong, and the plot became derelict. Only once the weather started warming up did she go and spend some time on her patch, and realise just how out of hand it had become over the colder months. To get her plot back on form, Celia decided to hold a hands-on horticulture party. She invited her friends to come and help on her allotment for a couple of hours one Saturday last month. “I had been struggling to keep on top of the allotment last year as I had started back with full-time work, so I needed the structure to be completed so I could concentrate on the actual growing this year. I also wanted it to be a social thing – getting everyone together. “I thought to myself, this is
a lot of work for one person, but if I had lots of hands on one day it’d get a lot more done than one pair of hands over many weeks.” Celia’s has a large plot measuring 17m x 7m. It doesn’t cost much in the way of upkeep as she believes in the “make-do and mend” method. She said, “I have been quite creative in using recycled objects and cast-off from other people. Some people spend a lot on new things, but this is not necessary.” The plot itself costs £60 for the year, running from April to March. Celia’s advice to anybody wanting to
start your own is “Don’t expect it to be easy! It’s a lot of hard work, but it is very rewarding. We’ve grown onions, garlic, raspberries... the list goes on, and we’ve even had cut flowers for our home. Make sure you grow things you like to eat!”
OL
Other page: Celia with her produce; Inset:Jonathon and Charlotte working on the plot
May 2012 Organic Life 13
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