Page 12 - Simply Vegetables Autumn 2021

From plot line to plot time
I have to confess to being a closet Emmerdale fan on the old tellybox, and I can remember the lengths that Seth Armstrong went to protect his prize marrow for the village show back in the 1980’s! Two of the current cast regulars, Zoë Henry who plays vet Rhona Goskirk, and Jeff Hordley who is brooding hard-man Cain Dingle are married in real life and, it turns out, keen allotmenteers also. I’ve been following their progress for over a year on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and it’s evident they certainly know their stuff when it comes to growing your own produce so I was delighted when they agreed to do a Q&A for Simply Veg.
How long have you and Jeff been allotmenteering and has it always been at the same site?
Zoë - We started growing around 14 years ago when our then 3-year-old daughter, Violet, brought a ‘seed’ home from nursery to plant and chart it’s progress. She was SO excited about
it, up early every day to measure it! Her enthusiasm was infectious. This coincided with us having bought a house in North Essex with a large garden, too big for us really, so we decided to turn the last third over into a vegetable plot. We
Zoë - When the kids were young, they came on all the time, but they’re now nearly 17 and 13 and a half...there is no getting them on there! Although they very much enjoy the produce and I do think that growing our own has made them very good eaters! Not sure about head gardener? Jeff, I’ll let you answer
Jeff - We’ve got herbs in pots on the patio, and we do potatoes in bags. This year, Zoe bought me a little cold frame which is here in the garden, so we started off a lot of seedlings at home this year. We are also trying courgette and kale in pots in the garden, they’re going well so far.
How big is the plot and would you like more land for instance?
Zoë - It’s definitely big enough! No bigger! How big do you think it is Jeff? Jeff - Oh, erm, I’ve no idea? About
80, 100 foot long?? It’s certainly big enough for us.
What is the soil like, and what have you done to improve it if anything? Jeff - We dig manure into the beds and in the poly tunnel at the start of the growing season, we rotate crops, the usual stuff. The earth is lovely, we’re very lucky.
Zoë - We use something called Envii too, an organic seaweed fertiliser.
Do you try to grow organically?
Zoë - 100%. This was one of the main reasons for starting to grow our own, seeing our young daughter and wanting the best for her, and now our son too. Plus, Jeff has crohn’s disease, so we wanted to go as natural as possible.
made raised beds with
sleepers, we created
shingle paths, it was all
very lovely. So, we have
Violet to thank for this
passion really, oh and
the seed was actually a
bean, a broad bean, we
didn’t know that at the
time! Then, after two
fairly successful seasons
of growing in Essex, we
relocated to Yorkshire
and were lucky enough
to get our hands on an
overgrown half plot, which we have since ‘upgraded’ [moved!] to a full plot. Complete with poly tunnel, two sheds, a new greenhouse and no raised beds or shingle paths!
Which of you is considered the ‘head gardener’ and why or is it an equal partnership? Do the children help much?
that one!
Jeff - I’d say it’s 50/50. But Zoë’s definitely more of a grafter!
Zoë - He has to say that!! Ha! I have my Dad’s work ethic, he’s a grafter.
Do you find being on the plot helps you both to wind down after a busy week on the Emmerdale set?
Zoë - No question, some days I really don’t feel like going on, but I
always feel better for it! It’s a bit like exercise!
Jeff - I’ve always been a nature lover, evenings when the birds are flying about over my head and chattering are the best kind of evenings! Good for the soul.
Do you grow any produce at home or is it all at the allotment?
evenings when the birds are flying about over my head and chattering are the best kind of evenings
12 Simply Vegetables
EMMERDALE STARS ALLOTMENT BY SIMON SMITH