The Plot Thickens - No-Dig, Allotment Living

Charles Dowding's new book Compost has arrived and Vicky is swooning. Karin has made a start of planting for autumn, with spring onions and broadbeans in trays at home. We got a sweet anniversary surprise from Karin's eldest; two pretty The Plot Thickens signs for our respective sheds.

We're talking slugs, again. The allotment's slugs seem to have now all commuted to Karin's plot for a holiday, after finding a deluge of slugs on her plot this morning. Having been despondent about the fox digging up the lettuce seedlings in the bed of Bokashi compost, it's finally come up trumps, providing so many nutrients for Vicky's random pumpkin plant which is absolutely...

Finally back to our plots after our holidays! While going away is lovely, coming back to your little green paradise is SO exciting. The familiar paths, the occasional weed to pull and gorgeous smells of ripe fruit and veg! Vicky did a successful watering swap with an allotment neighbour while Paul, scarred by last year's dry disaster, redeemed himself with a fortnight full time watering schedu...

Have you ever thought about why we adore our compost so much? We've come to realise that perhaps because it's a living entity. Feeding, nurturing, turning, measuring and watching it mature into something you are proud of is much like having a pet or a child! This episode was recorded 2 weeks ago, it's short and sweet whilst we are away on our holidays! We'll be back with you with w...

Early morning on the plot chatting about all things allotment, foxes, watering (and a lack of) and great useable items from the St Albans Reuse site.

When you've been making your own compost for over 20 years, its hard to then just order it in! Karin's struggling with the wish to make all of the Plot 2 beds with her own inputs and yet, wants the job done like, now! To buy or not to buy, that's the question.

Karin has just finished the last of the ratatouille she made QUITE a few days ago, as expected no one in the family were keen to try it. Vicky has renovated her compost heaps, and is in full swing rearranging the beds on her plot to maximise growing space. Saving the best 'til last, Vicky has big news, introducing her new project Soil Squad! Have a listen!! All very very exciting :-)

The day that Karin has been waiting for has finally arrived; she has been offered another half plot in addition to her existing one, after a 2 1/2 year wait. At first glance it is an odd triangular shape, but this has advantages in terms of defining the compost set up of her dreams. Mimicking Vicky’s pallet compost masterpiece, this four bay baby will produce enough compost to cover the new plot i...

Mushrooms, mushrooms, mushrooms! How do you grow yours? Karin has some beautiful white oyster mushrooms ready to pick for a creamy pasta dinner. She's extended the mushroom theme throughout her plot like mycelium - she's now layering spores in her raised bed! Vicky's been moving her mushrooms like the Hokey Cokey around her plot with not very impressive results, unlike her 4 small perf...

A busy week in Hertfordshire with inspiring visits to both the Kitchen Garden and Groundswell, the Regenerative Agriculture Festival. On the allotments the growing has finally started after the hot weather, making all the hard work worth it.

We had a lovely natter on a sunny plot - the sun is finally beating down on us! We’ve become Wildlife champions with Wilderhood Watch in St Albans but what does that actually mean? Karin’s little one spotted what she thought was a possum on the plot, but no, it was a Hedgehog ! So the whole family are now fully focused on operation hedgehog home building this week! Are you going to Groundswell? We...

Did anyone say permaculture? Vicky deep dives into her online course and shares her new found fascination with contour mapping. Both have enjoyed a small first harvest from their plots, making all the work on the plots worth it. With thanks to Alex Kizenskov for intro music.

With so much of the new plant growth being nibbled back on the plots, this week we focus on the growth of our compost and mulches instead! Vicky’s been creating hot compost and is thrilled with its rising temperatures and her neighbourly fox has been turning it for her. How kind?  Karin has been using community cuttings and cartons to build up her numerous heaps and the cut grass has been making h...

Join Vicky and Karin as they share their newfound knowledge in mushroom growing, thanks to a fellow allotmenteer. Big plans follow for experimenting further in their raised beds, with Black Pearl and King Oyster already having made it into the online basket.

You can be witness to our pathetic attempt at a catchy trailer. Clearly we need to record another one but hey, this will do for this week! In slug news...in a night of anger when a red mist fell over the plot, Vicky counts over 100 slugs on her courgettes and sunflowers. But what does the world do with these little pests and how on earth do we deal with the consequences of radical action? We'r...

Vicky has started a permaculture course and Karin is about have her training as a Wildlife Champion, without really knowing what this entails. After having filled her newly constructed compost with several layers of greens and browns in one go, Vicky has invested in a compost thermometer. The results are pleasing while Karin’s heap is unexpectedly chilly.

We're obsessed. There's something so satisfying about the gentle swoosh of hoeing the grid lines in the finest layer of compost on the top of our beds. We're dreaming of the ultimate tool, the copper swing hoe. It's a thing of absolute beauty and completely beyond our budget. We'd love to hear about your dream tool, even if it only appears on a birthday wish list! Do email us a...

Vicky and Karin have had a visit from Martyn from Agriton on possibly the coldest day of the spring, necessitating a morning in the shed. No mow May is in full swing, reaping rewards for wildlife but leaving the compost piles lacking in green material. Link below to the lawn podcast that Karin is referring to. With thanks to Alex Kizenkov for intro music. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/grow...

From bokashi to nettle, comfrey to horn manure, Karin and Vicky are well into organic stinky teas and preparations for indoor plants, pots and plots. Listen in as they describe their favourite natural ingredients as alternatives to chemical fertilisers. Clearly Vicky's glee and fascination of terrariums has blended with her excitement for geraniums and so throughout this episode she now refers...

Vicky has been busy with her sowings again, extending her IKEA shoe racks almost across the whole length of the back of the house. Karin has had her first bag in the new Clothing Loop with a sweet little handy surprise inside. And of course it was The Gardeners’ World Magazine podcast with Kate Bradbury (season 12,ep 3) that Karin was rambling on about, not Garden Organics.

A jam packed episode this week as the sowing seasons ramps up! Tune in to hear about all that's been sowed, pricked out and transplanted this week on the plots, in the greenhouse and along endless windowsills! You'll be delighted to hear Vicky's mollusc update and our listener tips for snail and slug management! Karin is excited to start the Clothing Loop, a St Albans Clothes Swap Init...

The warmer weather has arrived and with it has the slugs. Vicky’s broccoli has been obliterated but she thinks she has found a solution to the problem with a slug stew. Karin’s plot is surprisingly slug free and she puts it down to the pond with it’s hungry inhabitants. Vicky has been to an inspiring B and B over the Easter holidays; right up her street with birds everywhere.

This week we unravel the enigma of springing forward, but end up lost in time! Please do not refer to this episode for any sense-making on the clocks going forward. We clearly hadn't had enough coffee when we were recording. This week, with Vicky's mishap, we're all about slowing life down, The chilly, soggy weather gives us the perfect excuse to embrace a leisurely pace on the plot. T...

The spring equinox has arrived and with it lots of seed sowing, using newly found 'potting benches' from the St Albans Reuse site. Vicky gets excited about being able to see Karin's shed across the allotment, albeit at a safe distance, and devises a plan for a colour coded flag system. Vicky also puts Karin through a humiliating test of her own seeds; revealing Karin's lack of know...

Oh dear. Production values are lacking on this episode people - sorry about the wind and reverb. If you can bear to bear with us, we’ve got an uninterrupted episode as we dive into a good long chat about all we’ve sowed this week, plans for the plots. If you love endless seed-sowing talk, you're in for a treat! Karin shares an idea about using a seed tray as a mini replica of a bed to ensure f...