July Patio and Allotment Bringing so Much Joy

 

I love the idea of having an allotment and growing my own so when I was accepted three years ago, I was absolutely thrilled. I had to start everything from scratch as I had limited knowledge of how to do it and what to grow. Starting from the premise of growing what you eat, some of the produce that I make sure I have every year are beans, courgettes, cucumbers for pickling, some seasonal salads, and herbs. 

Another aim is to be self-sufficient with some of the produce and I am happy to say that this year we didn't buy any strawberries as we had enough to eat fresh, make cordial and jam and use them in baking. 

Apart from produce, I also planted lots of annual and perennial flowers and I also have a patch dedicated to wildflowers. The latter is still a work in progress, but I am hoping that one day it will look like the one on the seeds packets. It is amazing how much joy brings me looking after the plants, weeding, watering, and just relaxing in nature.  

Some of the flowers I planted for the meadow patch are sweet william, nigella, bird's foot trefoil, and ox-eye daisy, and next year, I am hoping to add poppies, cow parsley, and teasel. 

I really enjoyed eating a few salads with produce from my own garden and the taste is incredible! It really is worth it. 

We are very lucky to have the allotment so close to our home, especially because we don't have a garden, just a small patio. Now, moving on to the patio, it is a nice outside space with lots of flowers that I grow in containers and that attract bees, bumblebees, and butterflies. I am also growing produce that didn't do well on the allotment in the previous years like tomatoes and chilies and I have a herb container which is very handy when cooking. 

I'd like to think that the allotment and the patio garden are complementing each other and they are both delightful spaces where we can sit back and relax. I hope you enjoyed the photos and got some inspiration for your own allotment, patio or garden.