Page 46 - ALG Issue 4 2022

Northern
Northumberland, Cumbria and Durham
REPRESENTATIVE
MENTOR
Mike Brannigan
Northern
0191 649 2542 mbrannigan.nas@gmail.com
10 minutes with a young plotholder
waiting list. After viewing the plot, I agreed to take it on and I have been hooked ever since. I am the youngest tenant on site; however, I believe that all of the other plotholders would agree that it adds a fresh dynamic to the site to have new plotholders, especially who are younger people.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CROP TO GROW?
There is only one crop that springs to mind, and that is tomatoes! I just got my polytunnel up in June. Luckily another plotholder kindly gave me some of his spare tomato plants. I think the special thing about these is the fact that you can see change day by day.
WHAT WOULD YOUR TOP TIP
BE FOR ANY NEW ALLOTMENT GARDENER?
My top tip would be to socialise with other plotholders on your site and through social media. Without the other plotholders’ help and advice from on my site and on social media, I wouldn’t have progressed at all. There are thousands of allotment Facebook groups which all share brilliant advice and hacks. And also, some of the best advice you will receive is from other plotholders who might have been gardening for decades and know the land incredibly well.
Warren Humble, Northern Region
WHAT IS YOUR FIRST MEMORY OF VISITING THE ALLOTMENTS AND HOW OLD WERE YOU?
I first visited the allotments in year 5, which would have made me 10 years old. I distinctively remember planting and harvesting strawberries and being fascinated by the different breeds of chickens and ducks. The enthusiasm of all of the volunteers was infectious. I believe that it was a monthly thing that our school would take down a group of us to check the progress of the crops which we had planted.
DOES YOUR FAMILY HAVE A HISTORY OF HAVING AN ALLOTMENT? Although my family have never had an allotment, my grandad, Richard Buddin, had a huge garden connected to his house which he farmed all year round. He was always in his garden and the majority of my memories of him were in his garden. He had a huge growing area which was always full to the brim in the later summer months. Unfortunately, after he passed away in 2013 and my grandma moved out, his garden hasn’t been used since.
I BELIEVE THE NEW SITE SIGN INCORPORATES THE LOGO WHICH YOU CREATED WHILST AT SCHOOL. TELL ME HOW OLD YOU WERE AND HOW IT CAME ABOUT.
When I was in year 5 at school,
I remember that the allotments association created a competition for the new logo. Everyone in the school submitted their logo designs. I was terrible at drawing, and still am, but after I gathered some inspiration from the people in my class, I completed
my drawing. To my surprise it was announced in assembly that I had won, and the logo was to be printed on the signs at the entrances to the allotments.
IS IT TRUE THAT YOUR LIFELONG ENTHUSIASM FOR ALLOTMENTS HAS RESULTED IN YOU BEING THE YOUNGEST TENANT ON THE SITE? TELL ME HOW THAT HAPPENED.
I loved the idea of having my own area to build and grow things. I firstly enquired on Facebook in a group for our local area and was only on the waiting list for around 6 months, which I am informed is extremely quick for an allotment
If you can resist tidying up until the spring, you will maintain the semi- natural habitats preferred by many butterflies and moths
46 Allotment and Leisure Gardener
Welcome to our new members...
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