The Growing Together Allotment

“Mummy!  Look what I’ve found!  Come see!”

It was hard to make out the green-grey structure as it swayed gently in the wind.  This wasn’t helped by the gentle tip tap of rain on my hood, and the daylight getting darker by the moment as the dusk and night drew in.

We helped each other unzip an arch into a makeshift greenhouse, only slightly taller than my 5”4 frame, and found our way in.

“Look at these jewels, Mummy!”

She wasn’t wrong.  Hanging from beautiful green branches, there were shiny red and green jewels everywhere with glints of orange dotted between.

“Wow.  What lovely tomatoes!  Shall we pick them?” 

It was the third day of November and we had made our first visit to the allotment or rather, the “Gardening patch” as Poppy likes to call it.

All three of us were excited, especially now Pauline had joined us.  We moved about the patch like treasure hunters on an island, scouring the earth for gems.  I found beetroots, onions and one delicious raspberry that fell about in my mouth.  Poppy found a cave for her “baby,” a throne to sit on and a patch to plant her tulip bulbs in.  The polytunnel was renamed the “Princess Palace”.  Pauline found spring onions and salad leaves to last a few lunches that week.   Before we knew it, the sky was inky black and the stars beginning to shine through.

Our adventure had begun.

The Growing Together allotment

If you are anything like Pauline and I, the idea of a second lockdown was disappointing.   The prospect of being cooped up inside, working from home, with the shorter and darker days of Winter approach felt almost unbearable.

I was determined, this time round, to make the best of it for me and for my family.  So, when the advert in the Parish Council newsletter appeared, I jumped at the chance of making an allotment application.  A couple of weeks later, I had paid my £18 for the year, signed a tenancy agreement and had managed to get Pauline to agree to share the site with us.

We have only been to the allotment a handful of times to assess the site and the hope is this blog will not only keep us accountable, but will also help us watch our own story unfold.

Our mission is two-fold:

-          Create a space for peace and connection with nature and each other;

-          Grow fruit, vegetables and flowers;

We want to share this experience with you and encourage you to share your experiences with us.  Will you join us?

By Susan Hughes

(Director of Growing Together)