Gallery Growing your Own Progress 2013
The Allotment Plot
Our Allotment Plot is approximately 160ft long by 45 foot wide at the dug part. not counting the paths either side.. There are around 150 plots of similar sizes on a piece of land which was left as Common Land for the use of garden allotments by the Duke of Portland many years ago now..
Below April 2013
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Cabbages and Broccoli in cold frame
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Transplanted Strawberry shoots
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Raised beds
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Rhubarb
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Seeds Chitting method to germinate
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Potatoes in April 15th 2013
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Onion Sets and Shallots planted
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Rain Water collected in barrels from the roof of shed.. But there is water on the allotments.
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Onion sets, Shallots and Beetroot ..
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Peas to the right.. Onion sets to the left May 5th 2013
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Rhubarb and Raspberry canes, Gooseberry Bush to the right. Cloches have the Curly Kale underneath.
May 5 2013
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Curly Kale under cloches for protection from the Pigeons…
Update This is what the allotment looks like the Beginning of June 2013 Below.
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Below is the Allotment from July through to Sept
Me among the Sunflowers July 4th
Still smiling among the cabbages
Beetroot and Onions
Sweet Corn and Potatoes July 4th
The Runner Beans are now in flower.
Spring Onions and Radishes
Veggie’s from our Garden
Our Granddaughter eating peas walking along the Bean row
Freezing Peas
Sunflowers and marigolds to attract the Bees
Huge Sunflowers we save the seeds
Thank you for the Bees
Hubby just hanging the Shallots to dry out
Onions and Shallots hanging to dry
Onions that are cleaned off and drying before hanging for final storage
Shallots outer skins removed, polished and now drying
Shallots all finished hanging still drying out in the sun
These Blackberries were picked from behind our Allotment Shed,
Onions White and Red, also shallots
Freezing the sweetcorn from the allotments.
5 sacks of potatoes, onions and Apples in store
Potatoes Drying
I removed all the outer eaten leaves eaten by the caterpillars
Removed the caterpillar eaten leaves..
Harvest clearance … Click for more info
Green house Tomatoes
Ripening Tomatoes
Peeping through the Sweetcorn
Its now December 2013 and we have been getting beetroots out every week supplying my daughter and my sister, I have made Beetroot Juice in a morning and we still have a few beets left..
Below is the allotment as it was in November after the potatoes were dug up and sweetcorn were gathered in.. Hubby winter dug it and this is what it looked like then. We have since put in some Garlic for next year near the bottom near the shed.. The Red cabbages you can see in the foreground have grown plumper after the caterpillar removal in September..

The Allotment dug over in Nov 2013
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May 06, 2013 @ 15:42:06
Hello Sue,
Yummy stuff growing there! I haven’t started growing anything this year, other than the little butterfly garden. (I have a head of Cabbage in the fridge, which I only just now remembered, so I can make your Red Cabbage recipe with onion and an apple. It is my favorite way to eat Cabbage now). I hope you have a bountiful growing season. We’ve had lots of rain this year, so I hope the farmers are doing well too. I look forward to seeing more photos!
Love,
Michelle.
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May 07, 2013 @ 19:39:09
Big smiles I am so so happy that the Red Cabbage recipe is being used and you enjoy so much!… I hope to be posting more photo’s very soon. 🙂 xx
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Jul 09, 2013 @ 14:07:31
Beautiful photos! I love looking at your garden Sue! Truly!
Those peas look healthy and that Goose Berry bush too!
I still love your recipe for red Cabbage! I should try another of your recipes!
Wishing you a prolific growing season!
Love, Your Friend,
Michelle and ‘dogkisses’ from Ruthie.
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Jul 10, 2013 @ 11:22:20
Michelle.. this year is making up for last years disappointments.. And I need to seriously add to my recipe section.. But Time is running away with me this year as work demands and garden time along with days looking after my Granddaughter seem to fly..
But I will let you know when I Add something… If you click on my last Friday Facts post and click the Beetroot Link.. I think you may find a few nice recipes in there.. I know how you were on your beetroot a day last year.. I am trying harder this year to eat lots more and I feel so much better..
So hope thats helpful to you..
Love Sue xxx
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Jul 12, 2013 @ 13:42:27
Oh, I SO NEED to eat my beets again Sue. I bought some last week at the market, and I am afraid we forgot to eat them. Times are so hard, but I’m going over to read your reply on my other comment okay. And, I am going to try to start eating my beets again. They did help! Maybe seeing you grow them, and just gathering the energy of your growing, will help me remember.
Love,
Your friend,
Michelle.
PS Thank You Sue! xoxo
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Jul 21, 2013 @ 18:38:34
Michelle, since our beets have matured, I have had one daily, either cooked or raw.. and I have felt so much more energy… Please try to get back into the habit if you can.. They do so much good to our system.. Love to you xxx
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Jul 23, 2013 @ 15:21:49
Thank you for telling me this Sue. I know you’re on a break, but thought I’d leave this note today, and you can read it when you feel like it 🙂
I felt much better eating my daily dose of raw beets too. The Alchemist also recently recommended me eating more Sour Kraut.
My mother used to cook it for a long time, back in the day. She used fat back meat to season. My grandmother always canned Kraut. I never liked it much, except with homemade cornbread and I forgot what meat we always ate with Kraut.
So, the Alchemist gave me a book called, “Body Ecology Diet.” The author has videos explaining the diet and showing how to make some recipes on You Tube. I am thinking about trying it out. I’m never much on diets, but I do have a strong hunch that we are what we eat. I watched a video (from Stanford University, I think), about gut flora. They said 80% of the chemicals responsible for brain function (the video was about mental illness), came from or started in the “gut.”
Also, I talked to a holistic psychiatrist. She said my son should stop eating all grains! I told her I’d been buying gluten-free bread, but she said it wasn’t the gluten, but the bread. In the ’80’s I studied about Candida, and learned to cook geared toward less yeast, so bread wasn’t a big part of the diet, except for Indian flat breads, but it was hard and I guess I gave up on the lifestyle.
Knowing what I know, you would think I could just do these things. Easier said than done, I think, but not impossible. I will try harder to get my ‘beet groove’ back!
Sending you good wishes and ‘drumbeats’ from my heart… xoxo
Love, Michelle.
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Jan 03, 2019 @ 14:25:38
Hi Sue and Michelle,
Indeed, we are made of stuff and lots of bacteria. Here are some fascinating points for us to ponder:
(1) To the surprise of many people, there are far more bacteria (including the gut bacteria) than human cells in and on the human body (from my memory, it is a ratio of 10 to 1, though some more recent estimates are lower, like 3 to 1). We are all far more “foreign” and less “human” than we previously thought.
(2) These bacteria are crucial and indispensable to the ecological balance and functioning of our health. The imbalance and paucity of these microbiomes can cause obesity and other health issues.
(3) These bacteria constantly communicate with and moderate our immune system.
(4) These bacteria can also influence our mood.
(5) The human skin is also the largest organ of the human body, and harbours different kinds of bacteria (and bugs) depending on location.
(6) Growing up in an overly clean environment increases the likelihood and severity of allergies and asthmas.
(7) The news about plastic-eating bacteria is true. Unfortunately, there are many kinds of plastic, and those bacteria can only handle a very specific kind of plastic, as far as I can ascertain. In any case, we may become increasingly reliant on bacteria to clean up the environment.
Bacteria will surely survive humans should we ever become extinct.
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Feb 10, 2019 @ 21:51:57
Hello SoundEagle and thanks for your very interesting note on my blog!
I’ve learned more about the skin over the past two years, but wow, there is so much more to learn that may help me. I’ve learned the hard way that no soap is better than most kinds of soap.
I’m taking an antibiotic now, which I rarely take, but I had to, so I will need to replenish my gut bacteria.
I have become allergic to something in my home. Not sure what it is, but when I go to my son’s place, the worst of the symptoms go away.
I’m doing better with an awareness of plastic when I shop and have worked on teaching my son. He’s grown, but a bit stubborn when the info comes from his mom.
I got a new dog, Bella, so I really, really hope to be back in the world of blogging. I get fatigued very easily, but Bella is lifting my mood. I believe this will help my brain endurance.
Thanks again for your visit! I hope to communicate again with you. If you have blog posts or a book, feel free to post links!
Peace and Love,
Michelle (Dogkisses).
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Sep 22, 2013 @ 22:19:45
Wow great space Sue!!!
Very inspiring:) It is amazing when we reconnect with the Earth and live mindfully:)
Got to find the time to try some of your recipes!! I am amazed how well organised you are in this beautiful sanctuary providing so many resources, comfort, love and energy!!! thank you:) Love Lizzie
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Sep 23, 2013 @ 14:55:29
Awww thank you Lizzie, glad you found the grow your own 2013 gallery, I have more yet to add… I needed to reconnect to our Earth Mother yesterday, as my day job was draining on Saturday.. And how better than get in the allotments weeding and hoeing and baking …. I have some more recipes I will be adding soon, I hope you will like…. The Red cabbage one is really tasty. and the Ginger Slab cake is very yummy 🙂
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Sep 29, 2013 @ 21:16:21
I love your gallery!!!
I know what you mean..I always need to reconnect with Earth Mother to recharge and remind myself of the flow of life…the red cabbage is really fab!!! Looking forward to trying more things soon…I am kinda improvising gal even with recipes with some mixologist alchemy tho:)
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Oct 03, 2013 @ 21:05:39
Yes, I had to recharge over the working weekend each evening with a long walk, And yes that red cabbage is a really nice recipe.. Its good to experiment with recipes, alchemy is good! 🙂
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:10:22
Absolutely stunning!! Do you do it to provide your family or do you manage to go further?
I am stunned! It is a dream to manage all that & succeed, you have all my respect 🙂
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:14:21
Thank you, no we just do it for family and extended family and friends, as we give the excess away… 🙂 or I make chutneys and preserves, I am always busy 🙂 Glad you enjoyed my pages here.. 🙂
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:20:19
I take off my hat to you (so to speak) & give you a reverence 🙂
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:23:10
Oh no please, we just enjoy growing our own 🙂 anyone with some motivation can, and its soo sooo much nicer to eat when you know its not been sprayed with anything..
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:29:42
I know not because I grow it all like you do but because I buy organic and I can’t stand the tastelessness of the other stuff when I’m offered it.
Enjoy it all it is surely better than buying and the satisfaction is far greater 🙂
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:35:08
Yes we were so sorry when our home grown tomatoes ran out, we bought from the supermarket they were tasteless too…. I shall grow more next year as the tomato soup I made fresh is brill.. 🙂
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:37:51
Mmmm! Sounds like a good plan 😉
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:41:23
The last photo is uploaded, and if you click it, it should get bigger.. the sheds are at the bottom with the red-cabbage near the front.. Along with some leeks.. We have a block of leeks further down along with swedes and parsnips, Brussels and more cabbages still to get out over winter 🙂
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:42:27
Great! Will check now…
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:46:34
It is so beautiful, I can just imagine living such a organic life.. an impossible dream as we live in town but one never knows life is full of surprises 🙂
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:49:42
NO Dream! LOL is ever IMPOSSIBLE! remember??? hahaha
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Dec 11, 2013 @ 20:57:06
I’ll need to look for tips on the net… thanks for the support 🙂
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Apr 05, 2014 @ 05:59:47
Oh Sue I am thrilled and delighted beyond words. I savored each of photo in the slideshow. I must say the way you folks go about doing things is something we need to learn. Of course our conditions are different yet we could improve. Oooh your grand daughter is a cute little angel 🙂
Thanks the share and inspiration!
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Apr 05, 2014 @ 09:38:08
Hi Dilip, I am so pleased you found this to your liking.. And even more so when you take things away with you.. Gardening is all about sharing and planting not only seeds but ideas as well.. We love it.. and often other gardeners share crops and ideas with us as well.. we are a good community of allotment garden holders .. Should you wish to view more I am adding pictures all the time to my Grow your Own section which can be found on the top header of my blog.. It has several drop downs I have created from 2102 onwards.. 🙂 Blessings my friend _/\_ xxx 🙂
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May 17, 2014 @ 10:06:13
Wow – this is what I call the good life 🙂
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May 20, 2014 @ 19:05:06
Yes it is.. thank you 🙂 but sometimes hard work.. But We love it 🙂 xxx
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May 23, 2014 @ 12:26:45
Dear Sue ! Thank you so very much for suggesting my visiting to this wondrous previous post ! Can’t believe my eyes ! You and your hubby are growing the Garden of Eden in your land !!! As I said in my recent comment,all is so neat and tenderly cared !!! The photos provided and the slide show have amazing details and lots of things to admire and rest your eyes on ; I so much liked your sweet granddaughter eating peas and happily running around ! I also laughed with the decently dressed scarecrow. Great post,incredible personal work and care !!!
Have a peaceful and creative weekend,dear friend !
Love ♥ and big hugs , Doda 🙂
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May 23, 2014 @ 12:54:44
Dear Doda, 🙂 Big smiles as you found time to visit, Yes Our 3 yr old granddaughter loves the allotment garden and loves eating peas.. We have given her a little part where she is planting a Runnerbean she has grown and a potato.. So she can follow their progress.. Many thanks for you encouragement Doda and you wonderful comment 🙂 xxx Sue
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Feb 10, 2019 @ 22:06:44
Hi Sue and Sound Eagle, I just realized the comment from SE that I just replied to is from this post on your blog, and not in my blog. Pardon my confusion. I was commenting in the small screen, and had to revisit my memory as well!
Thank you both!
Love, Michelle.
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Feb 12, 2019 @ 11:41:18
Just wonderful to see you at Dreamwalker’s again Michelle, and hope you and Bella are doing well. No worries at all and sorry Its been a while again since I was in WP, so just moderating recent comments. 🙂 Take care ❤
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