At least that’s what it’s feeling like at the moment!
As we come to the end of June 2026, I’ve realised something – between the garden at home and the allotment plot, I haven’t got a lot of time for other things. That’s unfortunate as I have a lot of other things to do.
Having said that, I’ve come up with a few things this year which I think, long term are going to make my gardening life a bit easier. I went full ‘No Dig’ this year, putting down my layer of cardboard then my compost or whatever material I had. Some of it has worked better than others. Before I get into the nitty gritty, let me share some recent photos with you to give you an idea of where I am at the moment.
Most things are growing reasonably well but there have been problems, as there are every year in a garden.
- Slugs have been an issue – eating many squash and beans
- Lack of watering – despite the rain, the cardboard dried out which has resulted in poor potato growth
- Weeds – need I say more? Warmth + rain = weeds. The battle continues but I am finding them easier to remove thanks to the no dig method
- Neighbours – either raspberry runners, couch grass, mint or other weeds. Not everyone keeps up with the pruning or weeding!
- Club root – My brassicas have shown signs the last 2 years so I decided originally not to have any this year, then gave in to temptation but there hasn’t been great growth once I’ve planted them out. This could be the snail army I have since found and removed – time will tell.
Having said all of that, there are successes too. I’ve developed some good storage ideas, pretty much filled the plot, got good amounts of compost for later this year, learned a bit about pruning cucumbers and generally been trying harder to keep up. So far, the enthusiasm is still there but I am wary. I know there is a time when us gardeners start to wilt. I’m not there yet but I’m on the look out for tell-tale signs. I’ve worked too hard and put in so much effort to let myself drift now.
I’ll link to some of my latest videos from my YouTube channel so you can see some of the things I’ve mentioned. Please remember to subscribe as that would really help me out.
Plot tour:
Garlic harvesting and planting out tomatoes:
Feeling a bit behind!
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