Today, 14 July 2024, the marigolds are looking stunning. It’s only three months since we took on this allotment share, helping out friends who found the whole plot a bit too big to maintain. There are rules about how much space can be left untended, or given over to flowers. We knew we’d want to make it as attractive to wildlife as possible, so we came up with a rough plan.
This is our half, extending from the shed to the bramble patch (behind the camera). In the foreground is the flower and fruit bed, a week or two after sowing. At the end of April, we planted an apple and a cherry tree, and three fruit bushes: gooseberry, blackcurrant and tayberry. We added strawberry plants, scattered wildflower seeds and put in some plants from our garden – lungwort and lavender.
Soon after that, we added some veg to the other two beds – potatoes, onions, runner beans, courgettes, and sweetcorn. We haven’t netted anything as we’re happy to share with the wildlife. Our crop so far has been three strawberries and two courgettes. We have a few apples coming, and the birds had the cherries.
The place was already great for wildlife. There were jackdaws, slow worms, and, thanks to the pond, frogs and newts. The bramble patch is brilliant for bees, hoverflies, and ladybirds – so far we’ve seen 2-spots, 7-spots, 11-spots and harlequins. Now we’re into July, we’re getting more butterflies. To help wildlife more, we’ve been adding more habitat, like this pebble pile under the myrtle bush.
We have a log pile under the bramble, a bee hotel, and a shallow dish with stones in, so that butterflies and bees can keep their ‘feet’ dry when having a drink! Last time I looked under it, I found a pill woodlouse, one of my favourite creatures. We’ve spotted several beetles around the plot, including the Strawberry Seed beetle, a False Blister beetle, and a Ground beetle. So far I’ve also seen two types of grasshoppers in the flower beds.
The seed mix has done quite well, with a range of flowers coming up including Scarlet Pimpernel, Vetch, Snapdragons, Cornflowers and, just coming out now, Lupins – a plant that takes me back to my childhood.
The plot lacks shade, apart from close to the bramble, so we’ve recently added an arch, and put in some climbers at the bottom: a vine and a honeysuckle. A bit late for this summer, but in future it will look amazing and provide more food for wildlife. We might even get some grapes!
We’re really happy with how it’s going so far. The location is quite peaceful, so it’s a lovely place to spend an hour or two. We’re making it more comfortable for humans, but more on that next time.
Dandelion Nature 