From time to time, we plan to ‘pick a plot’, and chat to the tenant about all things allotment.
To get us started, we hear from Donna Sharpe who is the proud tenant of plot number 21…
“I work in Truro and noticed some time ago that a couple of fields on our journey to work had been transformed into an allotment. I loved seeing it take shape and how each plot developed in it’s own way. When I bumped into my Uncle on a walk around the village one day in April, he told me that they had just got a plot at the St Keverne allotment, and I knew I had to have one too! I went up to see the allotment that very afternoon, and by the next day had signed my tenancy agreement!”
“It turned out that my plot was ‘next door’ to my Aunty and Uncle’s plot. Lovely, especially as my Uncle would soon become my Chief Digger and Lawn Mower Extraordinaire (whilst Aunty provided childcare services so that I could dig and plant and hoe!).
My plot was knee high in grass when I signed up, so my fab Uncle cut it all down then I bought a huge container of weed killer and sprayed my plot. With patience not being one of my strong points, I couldn’t contain my excitement when the plot was ready to start digging. Intent that I’d do it all myself, I remember stubbornly refusing my Uncle’s help one hot day in April. Stamping on my spade with all my might, the ground was so concrete-like that I got nowhere fast. I quickly gave in, and so the Chief Digger got stuck in, cutting the shapes for my turf while I did the digging. Exhausting work, isn’t it…?!
So, at the risk of turning this into war and peace, I’ll try to keep a short story even shorter…
I knew that with so many other commitments my time would be limited, so I started out with just a couple of small beds. Each time I finished a couple of beds and got them planted, I wanted more space, so dug some more. My plot evolved over time and beds got joined up and made bigger. The highlight of my May was buying my beloved shed.
For this year, I’m done, and happy with how it’s looking. My ethos from the start was to go for a ‘potager’ style approach; I’ve only recently learned the formal term for it, but basically I knew that I wanted a random mish-mash of flowers and veggies. There are some things that have grown way bigger than expected, some stuff hasn’t done as well as I thought it would, and some things have surprised me with me not even knowing what they are.
The whole journey is fun and I find the whole allotment experience rewarding and relaxing. Weeding gives me an excuse to still go up there without feeling that it’s a burden, and I’ve had my first harvest. I love my plot as much today as I did when I first went to see it in April, and apparently it gets easier after the first year! Lots of lessons have been learned and in year two, it’s gonna be bigger and better…”
