56 Days

Fifty six days of allotment addiction…Yup…I’m most definitely hooked.  If there is a cure, don’t tell me, because I’m enjoying every minute!

If you are reading this you could well be a fellow addict to gardening or allotmenteering. Do you have any symptoms?

1. You are excited because Gardener’s World is back on tv!
2. Your bookshelf is laden with everything from Alan Titchmarsh’s ‘The Allotment Gardener’s Handbook’ (1982) to James Wong’s ‘Grow for Flavour’ (2015).
3. You are genuinely thrilled when you receive a gardening related gift.
4. You have a list of all your garden plants and a note where they are planted.
5. You can be tempted out to the most boring place on the planet – if there’s a garden centre near.
6. When you take the dog for a walk, you check out all the gardens en route.
7. You love the arrival of spring. You watch for the smallest signs of leaves developing and the flowers budding.
8. The neighbours are now used to seeing you in your pyjamas, pottering in the garden, early weekend mornings.
9. A freshly mowed lawn fills you with satisfaction.
10. The car always has mud on the back seat and in the boot.
11. There is a collection of plants at the front or back door (sometimes both) waiting to be planted. If only you didn’t have to earn money! I need more time!!!
12. Garden ‘stalkers’ (in a good way) pop up while you’re weeding and want to discuss everyone of your changes / additions.
13. Pain…in arms, legs and back don’t stop you going back for more!
14. You have a chiminea or fire pit of some sort to extend the time you can spend in your garden.
15. And finally, you want to share your garden addiction with family, friends and even the poor dog!

Just keep taking the medicine and everything will be ok.  1 plant or packet of seeds per week, 1 glazed terracotta pot per sale and at least 1 trip to a garden centre each weekend (more of each may be required depending on the severity of the withdrawal symptoms during poor weather!)