The Plot Thickens - No-Dig, Allotment Living – Details, episodes & analysis

Finally back to our plots after our holidays! While going away is lovely, coming back to your little green paradise is SO exciting. The familiar paths, the occasional weed to pull and gorgeous smells of ripe fruit and veg!

Vicky did a successful watering swap with an allotment neighbour while Paul, scarred by last year's dry disaster, redeemed himself with a fortnight full time watering schedule.

All in all a good reunion :-)

Have you ever thought about why we adore our compost so much? We've come to realise that perhaps because it's a living entity. Feeding, nurturing, turning, measuring and watching it mature into something you are proud of is much like having a pet or a child!

This episode was recorded 2 weeks ago, it's short and sweet whilst we are away on our holidays! We'll be back with you with with a packed full episode next week!

P.S. You might notice Vicky has a bit of a cold, so apologies for the sniffles and the occasional passing plane.

With so much of the new plant growth being nibbled back on the plots, this week we focus on the growth of our compost and mulches instead!

Vicky’s been creating hot compost and is thrilled with its rising temperatures and her neighbourly fox has been turning it for her. How kind? 

Karin has been using community cuttings and cartons to build up her numerous heaps and the cut grass has been making her temperatures soar too. 

We’ve also been experimenting with green mulch, making lasagne layers of greens and browns and an effective microbe and seashell mix.

It’s a busy weekend coming up, with the very last day of the Biodynamic Gardening Course at Waltham Place and the main event of Sust Fest, St Albans Sustainability Festival. As part of the festival, we popped along to the documentary feature film showing of Six Inches of Soil. Karin enjoyed it so much, she was gently lulled into a little snooze so Vicky’s conversation is as new to her as it may be to you! 

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As always, thanks once again to Alex Kizenkov for the intro music.

You can be witness to our pathetic attempt at a catchy trailer. Clearly we need to record another one but hey, this will do for this week!

In slug news...in a night of anger when a red mist fell over the plot, Vicky counts over 100 slugs on her courgettes and sunflowers. But what does the world do with these little pests and how on earth do we deal with the consequences of radical action?

We're talk GRASS this week. Karin makes a mess of No Mow May with a botched attempt of a wistful mowed path and we get sucked in whether Vicky should be wild and wonderful or suppressing growth with woodchip paths,,,,

It would be great to hear from you lovely listener, please rate and review our podcast as it will help us get under the noses of other like-minded gardening types and grow our little community. Or come and join us on Instagram, The Plot Thickens Pod

We're obsessed. There's something so satisfying about the gentle swoosh of hoeing the grid lines in the finest layer of compost on the top of our beds. We're dreaming of the ultimate tool, the copper swing hoe. It's a thing of absolute beauty and completely beyond our budget.

We'd love to hear about your dream tool, even if it only appears on a birthday wish list! Do email us at tptpod@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram @theplotthickenspod.

Vicky and Karin have had a visit from Martyn from Agriton on possibly the coldest day of the spring, necessitating a morning in the shed. No mow May is in full swing, reaping rewards for wildlife but leaving the compost piles lacking in green material.

Link below to the lawn podcast that Karin is referring to.

With thanks to Alex Kizenkov for intro music.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/growing-greener-greener-grass-with-david-hedges-gower/id1540573682?i=1000630256253

From bokashi to nettle, comfrey to horn manure, Karin and Vicky are well into organic stinky teas and preparations for indoor plants, pots and plots. Listen in as they describe their favourite natural ingredients as alternatives to chemical fertilisers.

Clearly Vicky's glee and fascination of terrariums has blended with her excitement for geraniums and so throughout this episode she now refers to terraniums. Apologies. She means TERRARIUMS.

Terrariums Talk referred to Ben Newell, @worcesterterrariums and Tony Le-Britton, @notanotherjungle

Please do rate and review this podcast to help us spread it further across the globe or email us with your stinky tea recipes to tptpod@gmail.com. Thank you!