KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON / ALLOTMENT GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS

[Music] [Music] guys is it really July or is it actually I mean if somebody told me right now it was the end of September I'd believe them genuin I would believe them in the UK right now I in fact I would be like oh it's actually quite warm for September isn't it it's quite lovely how lucky are we to have an extended September no seriously is this really July is this what we're getting the spiders are even out spiders are making their webs across this little pathway here and they don't normally do that until September time and it the whole plot it just feels like it's September I can't even explain it it it's just September we've even got apples look we're getting all the apples up in the tree there all the apples and just the whole vibe the vibe of the allotment right now is end of September genuinely oh what start to a week Honestly though seriously what is going on with the weather I'm getting so many people are like messaging me as well when I say anything about it saying oh well you know it's always like this in the UK and I'm like really is it because I don't feel feel like it is I feel like we normally get a little bit more sun in June July you know looking back at my old Vlogs from last year it I'm usually in a t-shirt do you know what I mean not a jumper and a cat at this time of year and Wellington Boots in July this is unheard of surely this is unheard of oh my gosh I'm all discombobulated I actually had a really bad morning um I did not get off to a good start this morning I had a massive anxiety attack my heart was pounding away the whole way here I felt like I'd run a marathon um I'm now talking at a million miles an hour because I'm trying to get over the anxiety attack just take a minute to just recognize that anxiety sucks and um I'm 36 years old and I still don't know properly how to get over it and how to like move on from these anxiety attacks and stuff I think it's just part of life that you have to learn to live with alongside do you know what I mean and just accept that you're probably it's probably going to come and hit you at some point very glad that I decided to come here today though cuz this is my anti- anxiety medicine um the alotment plot is very quiet today I expected it to be um it usually is on a Tuesday but also with the weather being like this I think I might get quite a few days where it's quite quiet here and empty it's no building work it's no building work it's amazing it's quiet it's beautiful so very excited for that today I think it's going to be a day of sort of hard work hard jobs keep my mind off of you know my mind basically lots of weeding and lots of um sorting things out so let's let's get going but I'm going to start by feeding Einstein just because I need a little pickme up and I think Einstein always gives me that so let's go feed our favorite bird God here it comes there it is oh look at that there you go there you go look at that on free worms free worms for you [Music] [Music] I think I am actually having a uh panic attack right now I said if it's panic attack or an anxiety attack whatever it is I'm definitely having one right now I was just standing there and then I just couldn't I just couldn't stand any longer I could just see spots and I couldn't catch my breath and then I just thought I was going to die that's just going to fall down and just die I think I'm just going to sit here for a bit and try not to burst into tears let's regroup let's refocus because panic attack doesn't have to ruin our day everything's okay we're we're safe here everything's fine it's nice and quiet today I'm going to tackle the brassicas I think that's the best thing that we can do I feel like that's the best thing that we could do after a panic attack go and Tackle your brascas after a panic attack guys right okay let's do it let's go and have a look at the brassers try and distract myself a bit come on come on okay so here are the brassas sorry if I'm a little bit breathless I can't quite catch my breath back they are not looking amazing they've got a lot of weed on them I think the first thing to do I'm going to pull all these nets off I'm going to sess the situation under there and get the weeds out and we're going to have a little look at how they're doing right now we've got a plan we execute the plan let's do the plan [Music] this was not the plan I wasn't supposed to take all of it off but I have so okay right at least we can see where all the uh the weeds are now this is very good it really needs a proper weed you know what well I haven't seen many Cabbage White Butterflies about this year in fact I haven't actually seen many bees have you seen many bees this year I have not seen many bees this year I'm wondering where they all are this year even on um a lot of the flowers and the other plots there's hardly any bees on them don't know where they are I think the crow does [Music] though I know some of you might be thinking why didn't I just go home after after that like incident why don't you just go home and have a bath and have a cup of tea I've learned through the years not to walk away if I have a panic attack and I leave it kind of makes it worse it makes me feel like the panic attack was valid do you know what I mean it's like my body Rea overreacted to something and if I leave and move away it's like the panic attack was right and so I'm more likely to have like another one like the best thing that I've found personally and I'm not an expert on it is to stay put and try and ride it out and then carry on as if nothing happened um and just try and sort of teach myself that you're not going to die with a panic attack it's okay you're going to be okay you just got to rise above it and just carry on and it's really really tough I know and I flipping hate it but that's why I'm still here still plooding along I mean I've only got plants watching me so you know plants don't judge what do they [Music] right I weeded the Braska bed and what I've done as well is I've taken a lot of the Dead yellow leaves off the bottom because that's what the Slugs like but actually I mean they all seem to be doing okay I haven't been sort of actively protecting these against slugs but actually I think you can see there's quite a lot of um green and oh we also do have a lovely broccoli which is starting to flow so I think I'm going to cut that one today and take that bit home and we've got some more growing on the sides of it as well but you know despite the slug damage at the bottom it does seem to be doing really well and so are most of them the Sprouts have been a little bit munched which is annoying but then the Sprouts I I think they'll be okay oh lots of white fly on them lots of white fly um so what I'm going to do is I'm going to try and stake some of them don't really have proper support I've just got some sticks but I think better than nothing you know I don't want them all to topple over and die so what we'll do is we'll just stick some steaks in not it's like it's snowing where the white fly right wonder if I can just snap that off do you reckon I could snap it I think I'm G to just snap it to there yeah there we go I'll take that home for my lunch that looks lovely right let's get this netting back on and try and do a better job of it make it [Music] straight why would I choose to do such a complex job today [Music] there we go we did it we did it in the end it actually looks a lot better let me come away and show you I've actually made it a bit straighter as well netting back on all the Braska weeded and structurally supported kind of and The netting looks a little bit straighter I'm happy with that that will [Music] [Music] do right I'm actually going to move these two Pumpkins I'm assuming they're pumpkins and not um cett might very well be cetes but they're sort of growing a bit long so I think they're pumpkins um and they're just in the wrong place and a lot of you messaged me to say that you should really move plants when they're smaller not bigger so I'm sort of just going to move them now this could be an absolute disaster but I just think we know we're having a bit bit of a rough day we might as well just um just sort of go for it and take some risks you know why not what's life without some risks I'm feeling a bit better now can you tell s perked up a little bit after the brassa situation um let's move these pumpkins to the archway and wish them luck I've also learned on these Vlogs that a lot of people do not like me moving my plants they absolutely hate it a few people say they do it too but a lot of people are like no just leave them alone but you know I'm just not going to I'm just going to move them they're not in the right place try and get all these roots if I can he's coming up nicely I'm not feeling any pull on the roots so that's a good that's a really good sign a little pull there but you know yes that's pretty good right let's move him I don't think of this but I haven't got the hole ready or anything oh my God oh my God [Music] now I think he might oh dear he's coming away from there going to die no you're not going to die you're going to be fine just relax mate right that's one in let's go get the other [Music] one God [Music] [Music] right they're in there two new pumpkins one two don't know what variety they are cuz they're just sort of extras that I put around the plot thank goodness I did though cuz I've got the opportunity to sort of move them to the archway if they survive I will let you know this time I really will let you know also I need to move some of this slug defense around it's the only sort of Defense I've got at the moment so I'm sort of hoping it's going to do something there we go I know a lot of you do get invested in the survival of uh my pumpkins so I will keep you updated in my next Vlog on Wednesday I will share an update on how those pumpkins are doing the other side absolutely fine to be honest everything's just looking very nice and bushy and happy so you know at least one side be good oh there's a bee you see what a surprise and a shock it is when I see a bee because I'm just not used to seeing them this year there's been hardly any [Music] right I'm off home it's very gray and miserable today as well um apologies for the interruption in this Vlog but I thought you know i' I've got to share it and be real with you um it's just my life and it's reality of alotment life and I think a lot of us use our allotment plots as an escape for our mental health and to kind of you know to improve our mental well-being and um it is it is remarkable what just spending time outside in nature can do for us I actually don't know what I would do if I didn't have the allotment plot to come to if I wasn't here and had a panic attack like that it would have been a lot worse but because I'm surrounded by nature and it's so quiet here and I can get on with gardening jobs and pottering around it just helps it just helps so you know alotment plots are so much more than just growing food food and flowers you know they are just so important for our mental health and even if you can just get out in your garden or go for a walk in the park you know it all helps just being outdoors so I hope you've enjoyed the Vlog today as much as you can I'll be back on Wednesday on Wednesday we're going to be tackling this the strawberry patch of Doom to be honest my strawberry plants are looking very vibrant and healthy absolutely fantastic hardly got any strawberries this year but you know there are still a few little flowers appearing there that I might get some still but it's all the runners we've got to sort out got to sort out all the runners so join me on Wednesday for sorting out a strawberry bed and I will see you then until then have a lovely rest of your gardening week see you Wednesday guys thanks for watching bye