A BIG CHANGE ON THE PLOT! / ALLOTMENT GARDENING UK

[Music] good morning everybody welcome back to the Lott Garden it's here in South London um it is a dark dank miserable ground a slightly freezing cold day today so we're off to a great start as always definitely feeling very very dark today that's how I describe it it's just dark it's almost like it just hasn't become daytime yet and I don't know when daytime is going to arrive all the lights are on in the school um I've got like a high school that overlooks my lotman and all the lights are on and that is so depressing I remember being at school when they had to turn the lights on in the day and it was always quite a depressing quite a depressing moment really hopefully the Sun Will Come a little bit later on um thank you so much if you have purchased my lotman handbook um it's come out today I'm filming this on Monday so it's technically it's out today hi Einstein good morning you look like you're on a seesaw now that thing is so broken I will fix it yeah it's Monday so it's only just gone up and I'm very excited to see the sales so if you have purchased one thank you so so much um it's nerve-wracking and it's also quite exciting so let me know what you think of it guys I that's just getting wobbler Einstein I'm scared you're going to beautiful it doesn't look safe I'll show you in a minute what he's on I brought lots of things with me today and I also went out with my husband and brought lots of um supplies of the allotment plot and I will go through what I've purchased I don't normally purchase a lot for my plot like I would say on average I spend probably 2300 throughout the entire year on my allotment plot um normally that's on plug plants and compost that I have to buy that's where it all goes but sometimes I do delve into my pockets and splash out on some stuff I did buy the greenhouse which is exciting that came from the money that I raised from my planner oh my gosh why would you I know you're trying to get my attention but that's very rude you can't keep doing that oh he's really asking for food he's really asking for food we're going to have to stop and feed Einstein all right all right impatient bird in the world Einstein I'm worried about you that is literally a seesaw that's not going to stay mate it's tipping like a seesaw right you go oh my gosh Einstein please are you going to eat out my hand [Music] today going to do [Music] it oh gosh oh I can't do it I can't do that was my fault Einstein I'm so sorry I completely panicked I'm such an idiot I'm so sorry you were literally going to do it and I panicked I panicked I'm so sorry Einstein I'm so [Music] sorry that was completely 110% my fault I just completely panicked when he came to my hand he was going to do it then as well that's quite frustrating but um hopefully this will make it up to him so if you don't know tomorrow um actually is it today gosh I'm so terrible though yeah today starts the bird watch the big bird watch but there's so many birds about today such a weird coincidence it starts the Great Big Bird watch the the garden the garden Bird Watch 2025 start so I got loads of things for the birds I just thought it be nice just to have some more this is a peanut feeder just another bird feeder got some more M worms dried M worms for the rbin also got another peanut feeder that's actually got peanuts in it already this is supposed to attract um blue tips woodpeckers and nut nut hatches so I just thought I'd try it why not but I'm just going to put some more bird feeders up because I think you can never have too many they're not saled peanuts they're not my favorite I won't be pinching any of these guys so maybe I should the amount of brassas you eat from me maybe I should sit there eating your bird feeders how would you like it wouldn't would you exactly cool okay [Music] my little Wildlife Area is really coming to life now it's really looking more like a wildlife friendly area we got the pond we got the Hedgehog house we've got the little um shallow water for like insects to drink we've got the um Wildlife tep the robin station uh feeding station and then we've also got all the bird things in the tree hang in the tree it's just looking so nice I'm so happy with it it's so worth making a little Wildlife Area in your allotment if you've got space and if you have an awkward area like that it's perfect [Music] I sign just where he was me climing back is night cled Injustice death in [Music] the nobody is losing this is Merchant CH but your face remain the same will be by when we're finally sober they'll be [Music] gone the trees standing there I don't know how to make that stand up sticks I suppose sticks oh God maybe not that stick okay right so a couple of Vlogs ago I did say that I was feeling really overwhelmed with things in my alotment plot just totally like it's just felt like it's already getting on top of me and it's only new January a lot of you feeling the same way and that's nice to know and a lot of you gave me very very good advice I mean I always give you guys lots of advice and sometimes I don't listen to it myself so one of the things I said I'm going to do is choose a really messy area and work on it and do not stop working on that bluming area until it is completely done how I want it don't don't you know do a half-hearted job don't get bored halfway and move on to something else don't try and take on too much at one time just literally choose one area and work on it and work on it and work on it and get it done and I'm taking that advice today so the beginning the very front the beginning the very front of my original allotment plot is a mess it's a blooming mess so I'm going to properly do it sort it out sort out all the pathways so I can move on and feel happy and confident that this bit is going to be under control this year and that's what I'm doing I'm taking my own advice guys this never happens I'm glad I'm documenting this moment there are stinging nettles here but I actually don't want to get rid of them completely cuz actually I need stinging nals I use them quite a lot for my plant feeds and stuff so I'm going to leave them in I'm just removing all the dead ones what's this it's a slug and snake Hotel of course it is let's get rid of that then how ridiculous [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] right I brought four bags of um softwood chips natural from um be Q it's their Verve range it was £12 each £12 for 100 L of wood chip which is extortionate I mean it's very very expensive but we just don't get good wood chip here anymore they just don't deliver it and I have like complete wood chipped paths so I need to top them up and this is just just the only way I can see how to do that and I think when I don't top them up regularly with wood chip it really does just become a complete mess and I think it's one of the reasons why my plot looks so messy so going to have to start splashing the cash unfortunately unless we get a really good wood chip delivery let's see how this [Applause] looks look at that gosh the difference already it's insane look so nice it's such a nice color this wood chip it's so natural looking that's what it says on the on the bag to be honest it's exactly what it says in the bag it's natural looking it's beautiful [Music] [Music] oh my goodness the difference is already insane the only thing is I need to figure out some kind of boundary there some kind of fence or something and that's mainly just to just to stop the pathway from sort of all this grass from growing onto my plot just works better with a bit of a boundary but how much better does that look right we're going to continue down the path for a little bit [Music] [Music] oh yeah look at these guys over here they've just turned up I feel like they're waiting for me to leave so they can get all my bird food they're just sitting there talking to each other for ages they're waiting for me to go cuz they know I don't want them to eat the bird food I want I want it for the little birds I feel like they conf FM for themselves cuz they're bigger are they crows I think they're crows crows or black birds I think they're crows cuz they're a bit bigger honestly they're terrible aren't they just sitting there waiting for me crows what am I tripping over right we're almost there I've got two more bags to go down so I think one's going to go under this Archway just fill it in and the other one I'm going to put by the pond um just neaten it up a little bit but we are getting there and I'm feeling good [Music] oh this is just delicious oh this is lovely oh there's nothing like freshwood chip I tell you there's nothing like it except maybe fresh [Music] compost right the last bit I'm going to neaten up today is just this pathway here around the pond it might be that it stretches the wood chip around here a little bit as well which would be really good but that definitely is just such an eyesa so I want to get it sorted now sticks pull up as many weaves as we can I am actually pulling up quite a lot of the pathway because I've noticed that there's a thick layer of mud underneath and that's what the weeds roots are getting into and that's why I've got weeds growing on my Pathways so I'm sort of if I can see a lot of mud in it I'm getting rid of it I'm either putting it back into beds so it's is going into the strawberry bed or I'm putting it into the compost [Music] right well there we go I mean you can see pretty clear you can see the difference that the wood chip has made on the pathways it's a significant difference isn't it it just makes it look so much neater so much more organized I've taken all the weeds up I've taken the mud out of it it's really worth doing properly and then around the pond look at that so much better you know what I think I am actually going to just order some more bags I think I'm going to do four more I'm going to do four at a time um it's so much money I know it is but the quality is amazing these wood chips they're such a beautiful color and they're just so lovely and they really have just lifted me up I really needed this today um especially the way I've been feeling about the plot recently and it's instantaneous look at the difference that wood chip is made literally today I can physically see the difference and it makes you feel it's made me feel so uplifted and like I'm in control of it and like I want to be here again so I'm going to I'm going to bite the bullet is that the saying bite the bullet I'm gonna bite the bullet and buy some more bags of it and just start making my way around the pathways and replenishing them I think it will be worth it um I've got some pet things now oh the crows are back stay away from my plut I'm going to have to figure out what to do with these palet things and at the front of the plot down there as well I've got to figure that out too but it's looking good [Music] [Laughter] yeah I do feel good I do feel good now I feel like I've made a lot of progress today and actually it is a lot of progress but it also sort of isn't do you know what I mean it wasn't a hard job it didn't sort of take my breath away or anything it's um it's a really good job to do I really feel like it's made a huge in instant impact which is excellent it's what I needed it's what my morale needed you know my bit of enthusiasm um I do want to show you one quick thing this is um another thing I went to B and Q and they are selling um let me get it actually be easier selling these These are kitchen Garden large large raised bed large raised growing bed it comes with all the bits all the silver bits at the edge all the screws are in it the wood everything it is I'll tell you how big it is 120 CM by 80 cm and then the depth is 20 cm well 18.5 CM high so it's a really good sort of raised bed the only thing is the wood isn't treated so if you want it to last longer you have to treat the wood yourself um and it was £18 £18 for a large raised bed so I thought why not let's pick a couple up and when I'm doing the um the back area of the new allotment plot this will make life so much easier so I've got two two of these might go back and get a couple more cuz for 18 quid that's pretty good it's about that long look at that 18 quid for a raised bed yes please thank you very much anyway next week I will be working on a couple more areas that's what I'm going to do from now on because this has just been a game Cher I need to take my own advice if you're feeling overwhelmed with your plot like I always say just choose a couple of areas and just work on them until they're done completely make you feel so much more in control don't forget my lot handbook is now up for sale um so you can go and purchase one of these bursting with all a loty goodness and advice and pretty pictures that I drew myself how to do things only the things that I know how to do but one of them is um taking a brand new allotment plot and clearing it and planning it and figuring out how to sort of get started with it so if you're interested in that this is the book for you that's what it's mainly about really so hope if you enjoy it if you've got it already let me know what you think of it I'm very nervous but um yeah hopefully you're all enjoying it I will see you again Monday bye I will see you again Monday thank you so much for watching guys see you then have a lovely gardening weekend by