We love this lovely short video which the Intuitive Gardener has shared with Mindwaves as part of our ‘seasons’ theme. Here you can watch the transformations which take place on this new allotment during a four month period, as well as read about the positive impact of gardening on mental and physical health.
I took on this full plot in at the end of May this year, solemnly promising the allotment committee I would ask for help if it was too much. I’d had an allotment somewhere else but here they didn’t know me and they took a bit of a leap of faith in me. To be honest, I was thinking ‘What have you done? Can you do this?’.
I have very limited energy, strength and face long term health challenges. But I’d fallen in love with the plot the moment I saw it, I could see its potential. So I said yes and signed the papers. Someone kindly re-felted the shed for me and along I went every day just to do what I could do, a bit at a time. Some days it was just the watering, other days it was a bit more.
I quickly learnt not to overdo it as, having spent a good couple of hours there one day, I ended up out of action for four days. A great teaching though for learning to balance my time and energy.
Being there nearly every day meant slowly, slowly things changed, plants grew. It’s amazing what a difference a little and often makes.
There was a 3-4 ton earth heap covered in tarpaulin. I couldn’t imagine how I could ever tackle it, but I put out a call and people came. They all took a bit of earth for their allotments, gardens and a community project and, just like that in one week, the whole lot was gone. Amazing. I’ve now got a mini orchard in that space – plums, pears, apples.
Dirt is really great for the soul. Being at the plot is so grounding – all I think about is my plants, the soil and what I’m doing in my time there. If I’m away from it, I really miss the focus, calm and balance it brings. Its always easy to see the difference each day and each week makes to the plot, whether its a patch of earth cleared of weeds, the plants growing, the bees happy on the flowers or the ladybirds who always make me smile.
There are always friendly folk around to have a wee chat with too, and its lovely to have that connection to a community of gardeners – thats a huge part of it.
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