Taking over for the first time an allotment and growing everything from seeds were never going to be easy. However, it is one of the nicest projects I undertook this year, the rewards from it are incredible and it is a learning curve that is truly captivating.

The allotment is going well for certain species and has been a learning curve for some others, I have to admit that so far the carrots are doing well, the pumpkin has turned to be some marrows (I must have put the wrong label on whilst growing it) however I don’t seem to find anywhere the pumpkins and the lettuces are probably one of my specialty so far… On Sunday I picked this huge Marrow (the size of a rugby ball (I promise you that I am growing everything on my plot organically!) and brought it home wondering what to do with it. I am so happy to have home grown this that I felt inspired by this recipe for it.

Ingredients:

-2 onions
-2 cloves of garlic
-1 big marrow
-3 tomatoes
-1 Tin of chopped tomatoes
-1 pack of rashers of smoked bacon
-Salt and pepper

In a large frying pan, add a drizzle of olive oil and fry the onions and garlic chopped until golden.
Cut into small and thin pieces your marrow without peeling the skin, add them to the frying pan until they reach a softer and more sheer appearance, then add the 3 chopped fresh tomatoes and then finally add the tin of chopped tomatoes and the bacon cut into small strips. Season, leave it simmers for 30-45 min and it is ready! Serve with some fragranced rice like Basmati, delicious…

Being a young Mum, running my own business, being a wife and having the house to run still is a daily gymnastic! I am learning to master the art slowly but surely. Not having a lot of time and sharing an allotment plot with one of my friend meant that I wanted to make the most of it.
You will tell me that I must be mad because where will I find the time? Well the answer is simple it does not take me too much time, I was looking for getting the best out of my first year and discovery journey of growing my own vegetables and fruits. I did not want to feel disheartened (as I really don’t need this at the moment) so I thought to go to my local gardening and pet shop and seek advice. I then decided to only go for the easy options with veg that would grow effortlessly and would give me great results and rewards and it has worked miraculously!
As a cheaper option I opted to purchase seeds that I could scatter in the ground without fuss. I waited For May to arrive before seeding (as earlier, the ground is still quite cold and it might be more difficult conditions for the seeds to develop).The other alternative is to buy plugs plants already a little grown for you but I personally think it is expensive. Otherwise you can grow your own plugs and then plant them for some varieties, it is the best survival option, I personally wanted a fuss free and less time consuming way and it worked so if I can do it, anyone can do it. It is a lovely feeling to be able to eat your own grown veg and it is so interesting to learn every time something and getting a little better hopefully each time…
The easy options that are working so far! Fingers crossed:
-French Radish (seeds) = great, already eating them -Lettuces (seeds) = great as well

-Herbs (chives, parsley, sage and mint) (seeds)= growing nicely
-Sugar snap peas (seeds) growing nicely (So far!)
-Nantes carrots (seeds) growing nicely
-courgettes (plant) growing nicely
-strawberries (plant) fruits not ready yet
-raspberries (plant) fruits not ready yet
-redcurrant (plant) no fruits yet but growing well
-Pumpkin (plant) = got totally eaten… so just planted another one. We shall see ;-)

Well, my friend just called and cannot make it to the allotment today (which may be a blessing considering the weather) so I’ve had to get my allotment fix on-line.

Although my big passion is interiors, never let it be said that I neglect exteriors at their expense.

I dont have the biggest garden in the world, however I lovingly care for it but recently have found the lack space a bit of an issue. A friend of mine mentioned that she may be getting her hands on an allotment in Cardiff and wondered if I would be interested in sharing it with her. I jumped at the chance!

Well, last week I found out I was the proud owner of half an allotment in Llandaff Fields and today I will be visiting it for the first time.
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My garden at home is mainly decorative, so now I will have the opportunity to grow my own fruit and veg at a fraction of the cost from supermarkets. OK, I’ll have to put some time and energy into looking after it, but what could be more satisfying than tucking into your own lettuce, carrots or radish?