When the day arrives when you get the call to say your name has come up next on the waiting list for an allotment,  I don’t think anything is more exciting!

You sign the papers and this lovely bit of earth is yours and you are filled with enthusiasm and grand plans for cultivation. You’re going to grow beautiful and delicious crops and you can’t wait to get started.

I have just recently had this pleasure again and even though it’s only been 3 years since I took on my last plot (which I still have and plan to keep) and 10 years since I had my first ever plot I forgot the wonderful nasties that await you on an allotment…… even when they do look like they’re in pretty decent shape!

I’ve noticed just recently a lot of talk on social media and on my allotment site about how overwhelming it can get and how quickly that knocks even the most enthusiastic allotmenteer into giving up! I call this hitting the wall.

Hitting the wall on an allotment is very common and can strike at anytime, but I find the most usual time for this to occur is summertime, when everything is in full rampant growth when it’s hard to see the peas from the weeds. Life is usually fast and vibrant around summertime, we have work, holidays booked, visits out, family and friends and whatever else we can cram into those lush long sunny days. And after a week or two without visits to our plots , they go wild and all our grand plans and best intentions can barely be seen through the brambles, bindweed and couchgrass, what happened?

This is my life right now………. my new plot is still a mess and very weedy and my old plot is resembling a cupboard about to burst…..the weeds are trying to creep up through all the edges and well I haven’t been doing a single thing about it!

You know what…… it’s totally fine too! I don’t care if my plot isn’t winning any prizes or doesn’t look pristine……. I’m not perfect and Rome wasn’t built in a day!

I refuse to feel guilty for the lack of time I’ve spent not working on my plots, I’m not a slave to it and I don’t owe it anything either. I do it because it gives me pleasure and helps me balance out my life and mind. So stressing about all the jobs I haven’t done and need to do would be counter productive. This has made me think on all those plots that may have been abandoned through this guilt. Those threatening inspection letters or a plot neighbours snide remarks or a beautiful plot posts on social media that makes you feel like a failure!

Just because nature is working faster than we are doesn’t mean we are failing or that we don’t care about our lovely patch of earth, we do but this ridiculous pressure to have a pristine perfect plot isn’t helping anyone….

Especially the future generation of allotmenteers, who might not be as righteous in saying bollocks to the pressure and give in on their allotment dream…… THAT doesn’t serve anyone well. So I am baring my weeds and mess to all in a hope that it helps those who too are hitting the wall with an unruly plot, see that it’s okay and they can eventually jump over it………. the weeds actually help break the fall!

Do you have an unruly allotment right now or a weedy patch, why not give it a share and tag me on social media, help give some confidence to those who feel they’re fighting a plot battle alone!

 

COMING SOON ON MY BLOG: 

How to tackle an unruly plot  & My new garden project

Stay tuned and don’t forget to subscribe!

Brightest Blessings,

Bo x