Allotment Growing - Bees - Wildflowers and Weeds

Bees On The Allotment

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Much has been said and written in recent years about the importance of bees for growers -
and the possible decline of these wonderful creatures.

I have nothing to add to that - or to the seemingly endless recent goings on about "climate change" and "war on plastic". I just focus on the practicalities (not politics!) of growing lovely vegetables and flowers. Also the sheer joy of it.

The importance of bees on the allotment is fairly obvious - they pollinate my plants and so help to produce more fruits and flowers. They are also rather beautiful.

So they are worth encouraging - and a simple way to do this is to include an area (or areas) for flowers on the allotment plot.

On mine I have a small(ish) area reserved for wildflowers on one side. Over the last couple of years I've sown some Wildflower seeds and planted out a few Sunflowers. I've also allowed some weeds to grow - although some of these need a bit of control as they can take over and "bully out" the other plants.

Next to that I've also planted a small patch of Comfrey. This has a double benefit - as well as the flowers attracting bees the plants can be harvested for compost and liquid fertiliser.

I also allow the margins of my plot to grow naturally - just the few inches along each fence. Some wildflowers seed themselves naturally here, such as the beautiful Wild Foxgloves in the photo above.

Green Manures can also add to all of this - especially those that flower in Spring / Summer such as the Mustard on my plot above.

So - a few simple steps to encourage bees onto my plot, add some beauty and improve my crops - good all round!

Nettle Liquid Fertiliser - A Free Resource

Nettle Liquid Fertiliser - A Free Resource

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One of the things that I do every Spring is to get started on making my Nettle Liquid Fertiliser.

Nettles are plentiful around the margins of our allotment site in West Cornwall, as they are in most places around the UK. Another wonderful free resource to be exploited - and easy to do so.

The fertiliser can be diluted in a watering can and used to boost crops - exactly like the liquid plant feeds that you buy from the garden centre. The obvious difference is that you can make this yourself, so it's free, apart from a little time and effort.

The method is very simple. First gather your nettles - obviously its best to wear sturdy gardening gloves to avoid getting stung. I simply cut the tops off with a pair of scissors or secateurs then collect them in a plastic container.

Next place the container in a corner of your allotment plot, add the nettles and cover with water.

Then leave them for three or four weeks to rot down, add more water if needed. The liquid will turn a green colour and the nettle stems will sink to the bottom.

Dip your watering can in and gather an inch or two depth of the liquid, top up the can with fresh water and water onto your growing beds and plants as and where needed.

Alternatively, if you have a mesh of some sort you can filter the liquid into another container to store, dilute and use later.

A rough guide is that the diluted feed for the plants should be the colour of weak green tea.

You could add some Comfrey to the mix if you have any growing, this will only add to the goodness in your fertiliser. Or this can be used on its own in the same way as the nettles.

Both Comfrey and Nettles are rich in Nitrogen which will encourage and feed green leafy growth.
Comfrey is also rich in Potassium which helps to set flowers and fruit.

You can keep adding more nettles and water to the container throughout the growing season. Simply add all of the residue to the compost heap when finished.

One note of caution - this mixture can get a bit smelly and attract flies. So - as I discovered for myself, its something best done on the allotment plot rather than in your back garden / yard at home.

Well worth doing though, another free resource and one vastly under-used by growers in my opinion.

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You might also find these articles helpful:

Free Resources - Leaf Mould - Allotment With A Sea View Blog

How To Make Nettle and Comfrey Feed - Monty Don - BBC Gardeners World