Multidisciplinary schemer. Artist. Fruit larcenist. I mostly post photos from my allotment garden but enjoy art, nature and ethical tech themed content too.
West Midlands, UK.
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2026-07-07T23:48:29Z Event JSON
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Last Notes npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren #allotment #bloomscrolling npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Looking for advice on what's wrong with this rose plant! (I'm in the UK) npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Went to the #allotment site earlier so I could secure my greenhouse windows with the winds picking up. Took the opportunity to walk around the site to see other people's spring plots. This is one of the lanes. Helebores, forget-me-nots, stocks, primulas, heucheras and other pretty plants beside the hedgerows :) #bloomscrolling npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Even though it's a cold blustery day (accompanied by short bursts of hail) I spent an hour at the plot in my big coat to repot the scabious plants I've grown from seed. They should be happier with this compost mix and space. 12 Giant scabious and 10 Macedonian scabious so I'll have plenty to give away. #allotment #gardening npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Planted out my leftover shallot sets and a line of carrots for my neighbour who's had a series of illnesses recently. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren My default is green tomato chutney. Add apple, sugar, vinegar and spices you like. Can add onion and alternative fruits too. Use paprika to deepen the colour to a rich brown. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’ve had a high octane evening sorting through my remaining #allotment shallots. I’ve been eating the biggest ones over the summer and I want to pickle some of the small to medium sized ones. The smallest ones are getting saved to be planted next year. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Saved this image a long time ago. Recently I’ve been collecting and sorting heritage / heirloom seeds ready to give away, and “gardening is a revolutionary act” often comes to mind. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I love your setup for giving surplus veg away, and the fact that you give it away :) Hope you can stay cool! npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’ve been trying to plan ahead for what green manures to use over autumn and winter. UK folk - what have you found works best for you, ideally in #nodig approaches? (Eg things that can be cut back or smothered rather than needing to be dug into the soil) #allotment #growyourown #gardening npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I went back and picked a couple of Cephalaria gigantea / giant scabious heads today to try my hand at germinating them from seed. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Emulate the style of a wealthy person with zero taste and have a knockoff Koons for your very own garden npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Found my first blackberries of the year on a walk yesterday 🌱 npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’m in deepest darkest Devon atm and saw this inspo for an insect house while on a train #gardening npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’ve been leaving native wild plants in situ dotted around the allotment plot especially when I know they are larval food for various moths and butterflies. But I’ve been reading about the concept of a “butterfly bank” and I’m now trying to think of how much shade and light I have in different places. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I realised after that the scabious is ‘Cephalaria gigantea’ rather than ‘Scabiosa ochroleuca’, it’s a 2m variety with particularly large flower heads (~6cm) npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I saw these two flowers today which are new to me, I might try to get my own at some point - Scabiosa ochroleuca / cream scabious, and Astrantia major / greater masterwort. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Javelin potato and Charlotte potato flowers #allotment #growyourown npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Someone needs to tell the writer that docks are good for fertilising plants through chop-and-drop, composting or weed tea. Those big ol' tap roots get to nutrients other plants can't reach deep in the ground and bring it to the surface into their leaves (the same as why comfrey is useful). npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’m feeling very grateful for the amount of steady rain we’ve had over the last few days. The water butts have already filled a fair amount and the soil and wildlife are happy for it. I seem to have mostly escaped the threat of slugs and snails too #allotment #gardening npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Broad / fava beans are looking promising. The taller plants at the back are field beans which have just started to set. We still haven’t seen any rain #allotment npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’ve been away so did a quick visit to the plot this evening to water the greenhouse seedlings. Came away with a bag of rhubarb, cauliflower and greens to fill up the fridge #allotment npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I love the layout!! Looks great as well as practical npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I have done a lot of heavy lifting at the plot this week so today I’m planting some beans and sunflowers at home to have a rest. Here’s to hoping the weather is kind and it rains as promised this evening #allotment #gardening npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’ve let a patch of white deadnettle grow in amongst my poached egg plants so it can be an early buffet for bees and other creatures. It’s full of life today #allotment #gardening npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Sunny yellow blooms from today: my first tulips appearing, and dandelions providing a feast. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’ve finally varnished some of my painted pebbles, and I’m about to plant seeds for 8 different types of tomato (all saved seed) 🌱 npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren #growyourown #bloomscrolling and #allotment are more tags to follow for gardening joy :) npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Went for an evening walk and looped around to the plot to pick more spinach for tonight’s palak paneer. It grows as fast as I can pick it atm. Daffs are starting to bloom and the birds are singing! npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Taking a break at the plot to listen to the chorus of birds. Raspberry canes dug up ready for their new home. Shallots in. Garlic rising. A lot of work ahead over the next month but getting there. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’ve been clearing more brambles on the new half. I found the spikiest bits and have started making my slug defences for spring. These rings can go around transplanted brassicas to act as barbed wire. I make them while the plants are green and bendy, then dry them out for use in a couple of months. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’ve been whacking in more edging posts for my dead hedge. It’s wide (shy of 4’ according to the length of my boots) and stops a meter away from my central path. I was guesstimating the size needed based on the piles of clippings from the hedgerow I’ve had in past years plus the 3m square patch of brash I already have ready to go. Plus the deeper it is the more fun the dunnocks, wrens and robins will have. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Before I planted any trees I’d agreed with the committee that 4 diseased unproductive plum trees needed to come out, and that when I took them out I’d replace them with new trees. This was originally the plan for when I had the one half with just two trees. But now I have both sides I’ve dealt with the left half too. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren It’s a long story but I ended up with four pear trees rather than two so last month I also planted two trees further up on the left hand half of the plot too. I only paid for two trees so kind of a brucie bonus to end up with four (at first I had no idea where I was planting them all!) #allotment npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Over today and yesterday I planted two pear trees (quince C dwarfing rootstock) at the front of my original right hand half, and made a chipping path and mini paved area leading up to and in front of my potting shed. #allotment npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren My original neighbours left last year so I’ve now taken on the full plot. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’ve just passed my third anniversary of having my first garden. On 6th Feb 2022 I got the keys to my #allotment plot. A family had just signed the lease for the left half the day before, and then I signed for the right half. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Slowly painting rocks for the #allotment, and by slowly I mean I haven’t finished any. They sit on a shelf, I pick one up to work on it for 5 mins, put it back, come back two hours or two days later to the same rock and add more. If shelf studio practice isn’t a thing it should be, it’s satisfying. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I watched the first episode of three of Sandi Toksvig’s Great British Woodland Restoration on Channel 4 tonight - UK #gardening #nature #rewilding folks will enjoy it. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’ve had a lumberjack day using a hand tree saw to take out a couple of unproductive fruit trees. I’ll be planting four new pear trees later this month and possibly taking someone’s neglected patio apple in a pot with the hope to revive it. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren We need to just outright ban grouse moors. Game keepers killing protected birds like these hen harriers, plus the mismanaged land of grouse moors leads to moorland being unable to hold water on hills leading to flooding below and risks later drought and wildfires up on the hills. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren This is what I’ve done in terms of bean protection for upcoming frosts overnight this week. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Brought back yellow beetroot, spinach, chard and parsley to make a golden butterbean pie #allotment npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Question for #allotment #gardening #growyourown - my field beans and broad beans (fava beans) are 4cm / 1.5 inch high, should I protect them at this point? This is my first attempt at an autumn sowing. Field beans are mostly green manure but I was hoping to keep a few for crop too (W Midlands, UK) npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Happy Winter Solstice! In the darkest days of winter I find myself yearning for spring and window shopping for seeds and plants. I've pulled together a list of 11 UK independent seed producers and plant nurseries that I've been looking at recently incase anyone else is a window shopper like me: npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I made a wreath with greenery from the #allotment npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Brought back Charlotte christmas tatties from the allotment, grown in pots and stored in the greenhouse. There’s some very tiny ones in there #allotment npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren tumbler composters work well. Most people I know that use them tend to have some sort of mobility issues that prevent them from hand turning a heap, but they’re a simple compact way to organise composting too. Turning compost speeds up the decomposition process so in ideal conditions you can get ready to use compost in 2-3 months with daily turning (slower if weekly etc). npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren “The area, which has about 5,000 residents and a growing waiting list, is completely self-sufficient. Residents can build houses however they like, and must collaborate with others to figure out things such as street names, waste management, roads, and even schools. But the local government has included one extremely unusual requirement: about half of each plot must be devoted to urban agriculture.” #gardening #allotment npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I've smushed a roundup of my year at the #allotment into one blog post. Feel free to scroll for pretty pictures: https://notes.laurenheywood.com/alotment-life-2024-third-season/ npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I finished the front bed I was extending on Sunday. The first pic is of how it looks today. The second pic is of me planting lavender out in the rain at the weekend. The leaves were my hurried attempt to mulch dahlias while losing light, I don’t have anywhere to store tubers so it’s the ground or nothing. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I popped out at lunchtime to the #allotment plot to drop off compostable kitchen waste and pick up some greenhouse lettuce and parsley. The world was much crunchier underfoot this morning but the frost is still clinging to shady ground. -3C overnight atm but back up to 10C overnight at the weekend. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Honey from the beehives at the #allotment - their home is behind and one plot over from me :) npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Today’s view at the plot, I had two jays hanging out when I first arrived. I’m extending the front side of this large bed to put a row of lavender and and row of perennial herbs. I’ve got various things grown from cuttings and seed that are waiting in pots, so need to give them a home. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Finally planted out field beans today, ended up with six rows of 4m. Already got a 4m row of broad beans in the ground last week. Chucked down some spare chicken wire before leaving as a quick attempt to deter the squirrels and foxes until I get back to the plot. #allotment #gardening npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’ve given them a follow, thanks! npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Still some colour out at the plot #allotment #gardening npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Exciting to absolutely no one but me BUT I finally managed to build a proper composting area yesterday. With bays I’ll be able to turn my compost regularly which will speed up decomposition. I’ve been tight for space with the one half but already enjoying the wiggle room that comes with a full plot #allotment npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren I’m taking on the other half of the plot to have a full plot to myself, so celebrated this evening by having a fire to start clearing debris. Yesterday I found chanterelle mushrooms growing at the back by the trees on top of an ancient compost heap. So tonight’s tea was tagliatelle with allotment garlic, parsley and mushrooms as an autumnal treat 🍁 #allotment #gardening npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Cleared the two greenhouses of the last tomato, aubergine and chilli plants. Got one chilli plant still going in a pot but the rest I’ve harvested and processed the last of the fruit. The polycarbonate greenhouse is now home to snowball cauliflowers and spinach with left over parsley and marigolds, and the glass one has purple curley kale, Sutherland kale and chard. npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren #StandingStoneSunday These are three stones found at St Tanwyg Church, Llandanwg, Wales. The oldest stone has the name Engennus / Ingennus inscribed, is made from stone from Ireland and dates to the C5th. Another stone dated C6th has the name Equestrinomine inscribed which is otherwise only found in Italy and Gaul - Tanwyg is also recorded as being from Gaul (Armorica). npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren It’s my first time growing amaranth for grain this year, it’s starting to mature which is exciting to see. It’s an early flowering variety from Real Seeds intended to work in the shorter growing season we have in the UK. Here’s their instruction set on harvesting https://www.realseeds.co.uk/amaranthprocessing.html npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Stumbled across the Winslade Estate’s Bridgehouse Gardens in Lewisham, London. Gorgeous greenhouse and container growing, as well as flowers planted out on nearby scrubland. Inspiring community action! #gardening npub1d7r08aav26x2mz0x88d8qnylue9cj3he8qshkz4rtma5z66hzsysmv2eyv Lauren Currently sorting through my plants grown from seed ready for autumn through to spring cropping. Weighing up how many of each to keep and how many to give away to neighbours. Snowball cauliflowers, Sutherland kale, purple curly kale, wong bok cabbage, kohlrabi (prob too late to plant out), chard and giant winter spinach #allotment #gardening
