Hi, we are Rachel and Anthony. We have been growing our own food since about 2005.
At first we experimented with herbs and a few crops in pots, but then we quickly realised that we would need more room.
A family friend asked for some help on his local allotment and then we really got the bug!
Over the years we have cleared, and tended, a few different plots. We currently have one full plot and two half plots. These total around 500 square metres of growing space.
We are based in Manchester (UK) and our plot is on Granville Park Allotments.
If you enjoy what we do, and would like to support us, then you can donate via the Buy Me a Coffee link below.
We put brass cup hooks into the sides of the raised beds, pointing downwards and then we just hooked the net onto the hooks. It worked for us even on pretty windy days.
Thank you for explaining this, I have cut mine back as there is still some new leaves growing, but it was not blight, so I’m lucky it was just natural die back. I’m going to leave mine now and see what happens.
Love this Rachel! So encouraging to see this preserving set up in the UK. I'm Urmston born and raised (now in NWales) and I've a feeling I met you at an allotment open day yeaaaars ago when you enjoyed making blackcurrant Cassis for Christmas (was that you?) - we've not been able to find any blackcurrants at all this year but have planted almost 90 edible hedges in the garden so it will happen one year! Thanks for the inspo... Will follow with interest. Nic
You may have a video already, but I would love to see how you use each type of feed, comfrey/nettle/seaweed/chicken, and on which plants they are best suited.
you dont sterilize lids. you put them in hot water so the linig in he lid caled seal would get softer so then you close jar it would make better seal . happy canning .all the best.
I've planted garlic for the past 5 years in autumn and always have bad rust bulds small medium, elephant garlic looks to be going the distance this year. But I think I'm going to plant in spring next year they look very good. I'm also in NW ENG
They look fantastic Rachel. I planted 2 small batches of spuds, 14 each of Casablanca and Cara, outside on April 11th and 14th. Really looking forward to the first harvest as not having a big garden this year.
Oh wow, those potatoes look great , my potatoes are still a while from harvest , but they are better than last years, last year blight got to them , hopefully this years harvest will be better , cheers and good farming :)
Oh my god thank you! I know this is an old video. But ive been debating on whether my potatoes have blight or are dying back, your video has just shown me it's dying back. Thank you xx
My one blue berry bush arrived with half of the bush slightly yellow. I thought it would perk up after being planted. I learned toda that my soul needed a 5-5.5 pH. Something has been eating the plant. I have used diatomaceous powder & Neem oil to no avail. The only blue berry that turned blue disappeared over night. I covered the plant with netting. What else would you suggest? I am ordering supplied to made an acidic dirt. Am I too late to save this plant?
Planting in the right medium should help. If it is a small bush I would wash all the soil from the roots and dip the whole plant in a big bucket of water before replanting to wash off any bugs.
Are there other diseases that cause speckled patterns? I've never had speckles of any kind, before, but this year, my potatoes looked like green cheetahs. It started way too early for dying back, and they underperformed, to say the least, but there never was that silvery white part you showed underneath. The way mine usually die back is from the bottom. This year, they kinda just gave up. No dying back, just dead. It was almost that time, but the spuds were small and weird. The skins are like scales
There are a few other diseases e.g. brown spot. Often these are fungal too and spread in the wet weather. You can also get early blight which is spread from volunteer potatoes in the ground rather than airbourne, but it has been (generally) too cold in the uk atm.
They grow aggressively even in US, if you plant directly in ground soon you will be able to feed the whole neighborhood (aggressive growth is different from invasive).
Hi Rachel and Anthony, I live in Rowland Ave, which is situated at the side of the Granville road allotments, which I understand is where your allotment is, we have been inundated by foxes this year, beautiful but destructive, they have dug holes all over the bottom of my garden, I also have a lot of bindweed, which I have been keeping under control, I have a biggish garden, but don't grow a lot of things, but I do love my tomatoes, I have a greenhouse so do quite well with them, I made the mistake of putting out my sunflowers and the slugs ate them all, I usually come to the allotment open day each year, it's nice to see what you are growing, great vlog thanks
No, due to the size of the area we have. We probably make about 1-2 tonnes a year on average. We have been making our own potting compost though using leaf mulch and I would like to get self sufficient this way!
7:50 did you notice having less slugs around due to the frogs? I wonder if they actually make a difference or is that just a theory? I'm also thinking of setting up a small pond if it is really worth it.
Same here in SW Canada we had up until this week super cold wet weather. Then we plunge right into 26+ days 🤦♀️. Great update glad your both back 👍 , Ali 🌞🇨🇦
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Hi there, a USA citizen, I have a question about your “raised garden beds” did you make them? If you bought them do you think the makers of them sell to the USA? I like the looks of them. Thank you for your trip around the gardens-allotments. I liked it a lot. What medium are you going to spread in the walkways? Wood chips? Gravel?
