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Spring Allotment Day & Pollen Market Visit | Sheffield Gardening Vlog
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Nov 13, 2024
🌞 Spring Day at the Allotment & a Visit to Pollen Market Sheffield! The sun’s out, the soil’s warming, and it’s the perfect day for gardening and a local plant hunt! 🌿🪴 In this video, I take you through a beautiful spring morning on the allotment — tidying beds, checking seedlings, and prepping for planting. Then we head to Pollen Market Sheffield for inspiration, greenery, and a few cheeky plant purchases! Have you visited a local plant market this spring yet? #SpringGardening #AllotmentLife #PollenMarketSheffield #GrowYourOwn #GardenUpdate #SheffieldEvents #GardeningWithBen
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0:00
hello and welcome to gardening with
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all our podcasts listen back to all our
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previous episodes sit back grab a brew
0:21
and let's enjoy today's episode hello
0:25
and welcome back to gardening with Ben
0:29
on the first day of spring I hope you've
0:31
listened to my two podcasts what have
0:33
gone out already today and I hope you've
0:35
enjoyed them and this is a third podcast
0:39
in one day wow we are certainly doing
0:42
well today and yeah I don't think I've
0:44
ever put three out in one day but here
0:46
we are here's a podcast for you and
0:49
we're going to be talking about what we
0:51
have been up to today at the allotment
0:53
and in the garden and wow today has been
0:57
a fantastic day you can certainly tell
1:00
tell that spring is in the air finally
1:03
and it just goes to show when you look
1:06
around the flowers are opening up the
1:08
buds are coming the bees are buzzing the
1:11
birds are tweeting and the weather is
1:13
warmer which is definitely a bonus it's
1:17
certainly not going to be a bad spring I
1:19
don't think fingers crossed he
1:22
says but yeah uh it has been absolutely
1:26
gorgeous today and usually on a Sunday
1:29
when I wake wake up I usually watch all
1:31
the gardening programs but I didn't see
1:33
them on when I got woke up this morning
1:35
so whether they'd put them on at a
1:36
different time or whether I'd missed
1:38
them that is a good question uh but I
1:42
usually like watching all the gardening
1:44
programs before I go to the allotment
1:46
but we got to the allotment at about
1:49
quter 9 this morning very early for me
1:53
but as I said the ligh of mornings are
1:55
coming so we're getting down there
1:56
earlier and I think we will be down
1:58
there even earlier tomorrow depending if
2:01
we're awake or
2:03
not and it's funny really cuz like I've
2:07
just had a little nap and I've woke up
2:09
and it's that feeling when you feel like
2:11
you've got bit sunburnt because it's
2:14
been that nice today it's been
2:16
absolutely glorious so we got down there
2:19
about quter 9 this morning and today's
2:23
job has been basically just sorting out
2:28
my main plot area of my plot now I
2:31
didn't think it' take that long to dig
2:33
it over and I've dug over how many beds
2:37
have I dug over
2:40
today about 12 beds these were already
2:44
already dug over uh I dug them over
2:46
about a month ago but I'm wanting to
2:50
keep digging them over until I'm
2:51
actually using them so that we can keep
2:53
getting the weeds and The Roots out of
2:55
them because keeping on top of that will
2:58
hopefully not get you as many weeds in
3:02
the summer months if we get all the beds
3:05
nice and clear and tidy now ready for
3:08
the months ahead so I'm trying to do
3:11
that every couple of weeks we'll be
3:12
doing it again in another couple of
3:13
weeks clear uh digging all the beds over
3:16
and I've been having a lot of issues
3:18
with bind weed
3:20
and the I did give the beds a good
3:24
digging over previously and got a lot of
3:27
the bind weed out but I've
3:30
been digging them over today and I can
3:32
see bindweed has been growing again and
3:34
bindweed grows really fast I mean
3:37
extremely fast if you've had bind weed
3:40
you know how bad it is um so I found
3:44
quite a bit in some of the beds but not
3:46
as much as I hoped so that's a good sign
3:50
but a lot of the bind weed is coming
3:52
from the paths that go down the sides of
3:55
my beds so at the mo once a year I like
3:59
to dig over my beds as well uh my paths
4:02
not my beds um I have black membrane
4:05
down on there obviously it stops all the
4:07
weeds from growing but it doesn't stop
4:09
the roots from growing underneath it so
4:12
it's a case of pulling all the black
4:14
membrane up and red digging it all over
4:17
and obviously that's been compacted down
4:19
for months uh for nine months or so so
4:23
it's a hard job digging over that it's
4:26
wet obviously because the rain goes
4:28
through the black membrane but it is a
4:30
hard job digging it over but we're
4:33
getting there we're cracking on with it
4:34
and I can't complain cuz I'm pleased
4:36
with how it's all coming along um once
4:38
we've got all the beds dug over and all
4:41
the paths sorted we will hopefully be
4:44
painting all the beds in April that's
4:47
the plan anyway if all goes to plan
4:51
tomorrow's job um is going to be doing
4:53
the rest of the plot um getting all that
4:57
dug over and all the paths done so it's
5:00
I'm on to a mission at the moment I'm
5:01
hoping that I get all the beds and the
5:03
paths dug over by Tuesday and that
5:07
should stand me in good stead to getting
5:10
it all done and then next week will be a
5:14
case of finishing off all the
5:15
maintenance work around them beds and
5:18
getting all that sorted so we'll have to
5:20
see if we manage to do that on time or
5:23
not and if not oh well we'll eat into
5:27
ail but then I've also got the top of my
5:30
plot I need to sort out all my new herb
5:33
area that I'm going to build I'm looking
5:35
forward to building that new herb area
5:37
around the top of my plot and a nice
5:39
seating area for it so we're going to be
5:42
looking at how to design that and again
5:45
I'm looking at drawing a plan it's
5:47
always good to draw a plan of what you
5:49
want to do and what you want to achieve
5:51
never try and do too much you can always
5:54
make improvements the year after but
5:56
start off small and steady and work off
5:59
that and that's all I've done over these
6:01
years I'm just improving
6:03
it year on year when I'm doing my
6:06
allotment and that's how I managed to
6:09
get it to progress to what it is now
6:11
because of all that time and effort and
6:13
making it look nice and I'm pleased with
6:16
the outcome I'm pleased with how it's
6:17
coming on I really am I'm certainly
6:20
cracking on with it now and it's
6:21
certainly coming along and it was just
6:23
nice today to be out in the sunshine out
6:26
in the fresh air the skies were blue and
6:29
and it it were amazing it were
6:31
absolutely lovely and there were quite a
6:33
few over people down on the plot today
6:35
which always helped uh yeah it's always
6:38
good to see other people down on the
6:40
alotment cuz I don't often see many
6:41
people working shifts I only see a few
6:44
people down at the allotment because um
6:47
obviously I'm off in the week so nobody
6:50
often goes down in the week time because
6:52
a lot of allotment people now are
6:54
younger people uh they're not
6:56
necessarily retired which a lot of older
6:59
day job olden day allotment holders
7:02
would have been retired uh the times are
7:04
changing and more people are getting
7:06
into it so there's a lot more younger
7:07
people getting into it so I don't often
7:09
see that many people it's only at
7:11
weekends I tend to see
7:13
people so yeah it's been a very
7:15
productive day today and hopefully
7:18
fingers crossed tomorrow will be even
7:20
more productive like I said I'm hoping
7:24
that I managed to get down to the plot
7:25
tomorrow because I want to spend a good
7:27
amount of time down at the plot I may go
7:30
past my usual time of going home I
7:32
usually go home at about half 1 but I'll
7:34
probably end up staying till about 3:00
7:36
tomorrow because we've got so much to
7:39
get done in so little
7:42
time and I want to get all the rest of
7:45
my beds to over like I said and all the
7:47
paths sorted on my main plot that is my
7:50
main challenge tomorrow and also I want
7:53
to look at finishing my pond off getting
7:56
all that designed and ready for some
7:58
plants uh at the end of um March because
8:02
like I said I've dug it out but there's
8:04
quite a bit of a lip on it because where
8:06
I were digging it will going down to the
8:08
clay so I didn't really want to start
8:09
digging the clay out of the soil so
8:12
there's quite a bit of a lip on it so I
8:13
need to build it up around the edges so
8:15
that the soil goes up to the lip and
8:18
then I'm going to think about what FL
8:21
flowers and plants I want to plant
8:23
around the pond uh I want them to be
8:25
nice plants and also get some nice rocks
8:29
uh to around it I want to use like the
8:31
old Yorkshire Rock uh not just bricks I
8:33
want to use actual stone and try and
8:36
make it nice and attractive and
8:38
welcoming Mele and I'm just pleased that
8:41
the waters managed to stay in that was
8:43
the main thing uh which we've done so
8:45
I'm pleased that the water stayed in so
8:48
yeah and then I need to start looking at
8:51
what pond plants to get so if you know
8:53
much about pond plants please do send me
8:56
a message and let me know some good pond
8:58
plants I want some that's got some nice
9:00
flowers on them if possible uh obviously
9:02
so that it attract insects and attract
9:05
uh bees as well so let me know and drop
9:09
me a message on Instagram or Facebook
9:11
it's always good to hear from people and
9:13
yeah give me some advice I'm always up
9:16
for extra advice I don't mind it
9:18
whatsoever people sending me
9:20
messages so we need that to do and what
9:24
else have I been up to well today it's
9:26
been my favorite day of the month
9:30
and that is the pollen Market in
9:33
Sheffield and the pollen Market if
9:36
you've not heard me talk about it before
9:39
is a market of basically all garden
9:43
stuff uh it's Market dedicated to
9:46
gardening and gardening craft there's
9:49
like different types of gardening stores
9:52
all over and I made quite a few good
9:55
friends down there now um because I go
9:58
every month and I get talking to people
10:01
and I like to support them as well and
10:03
it's good to hear from other people and
10:06
hear what they're getting up to at the
10:09
uh in their gardening and I often talk
10:12
to a store called giddy Keepers plants
10:16
and I I I I talk for ages with them and
10:20
we're just talking about what sort of
10:22
seeds we're sewing at the moment what
10:24
we're planting what we're growing and he
10:26
was telling me what plants are doing
10:29
doing so good on his stall and
10:31
everything like that and one of the
10:33
plants that they did brilliant with last
10:35
year is um rhubard plants they did
10:39
fantastic at growing rhar plants and
10:41
selling them uh they must have sold over
10:43
200 plants last year was telling me uh
10:47
so he's really going for it with the
10:49
rhar plants this year um it's amazing
10:53
how easy to grow rhubarb as well from
10:55
seed uh which he does and I've tried
10:58
growing rubar from seed and it's so easy
11:01
to do uh so so easy so if you're wanting
11:04
to grow some rhubarb get some sewn in by
11:07
seed now and next year you'll be picking
11:10
delicious rhubarb hopefully so yeah have
11:14
a go trying to grow rubab from seed and
11:18
you won't regret it and obviously rubab
11:21
is very expensive in the shops and
11:23
altogether I've got about 16 plants on
11:25
my plot you might wonder why I've got 16
11:28
Plants why would you need 16 RAR plants
11:31
but I give a lot away and I give it to
11:35
my mom my mom does all my baking she
11:37
makes me crumbles and lots of delicious
11:40
stuff out of it so yeah um if you like
11:44
rhob Get Growing some because it does
11:46
give good returns from it so we went to
11:49
obviously the pollen market and I will
11:51
catch it up with him and yeah it was
11:55
absolutely rammed in Sheffield today um
11:58
the weather was fantastic so it
12:01
attracted everybody to come out and
12:03
support them which I'm pleased about
12:05
because it didn't really start up until
12:08
uh the winter time when it was the wrong
12:10
time of year to be starting up a
12:12
gardening uh Market really uh I think it
12:15
started like October time September
12:18
October time so it didn't really get
12:21
that chance to get going uh but now that
12:25
it's coming to the right time of the
12:26
year it was absolutely rammed and I was
12:29
so pleased for them because they were
12:31
selling out of everything and that's
12:33
what you need you need to support these
12:35
local businesses like they grow
12:37
everything themselves uh to sell and it
12:40
was fantastic to see their stall empty
12:43
of plants because they done that well
12:46
and they'd sold that much
12:48
so hopefully fingers crossed this Market
12:51
will get bigger and better every month
12:54
uh it's just gone from a few stores and
12:57
I was talking to somebody else today and
12:58
they said that there were 33 stores
13:00
today and there's just different crafts
13:03
and different types of stores there's
13:06
stores selling house plants indoor
13:09
plants lots of stores selling outdoor
13:11
plants and ornaments and stuff like that
13:14
then there was another chap who I often
13:16
go and see where they sell candles uh
13:19
what they've made themselves and that's
13:20
called sprig candles if you want to go
13:22
and have a look at his Instagram
13:25
um yep he has some fantastic candles and
13:28
they smell absolutely wonderful so go
13:31
and have a check at them and also I was
13:35
having a look around and there's quite a
13:37
few other stalls popping up now and it's
13:39
run by the council uh so it's good to
13:42
see some other community groups coming
13:45
along and there was the friends of the
13:48
botanical gardens now if you've not been
13:50
to the botanical gardens in Sheffield
13:52
it's definitely worth a
13:55
visit and the botanical gardens is
13:59
absolutely beautiful and obviously I
14:01
love to support anyone that looks after
14:03
them because over the last two years the
14:06
panical gardens was like a heaven to
14:08
people because they could go and enjoy
14:10
the fresh air and relax there and it
14:13
takes a lot to look after these places
14:15
and obviously money and they were
14:17
telling me that Sheffield botanical
14:19
gardens is probably one of the only
14:21
botanical gardens where it's actually
14:23
free to get in and go and have a look
14:26
around so yeah that one good thing about
14:30
Sheffield Botanical Gardens and I've
14:33
looked in there and there's so many
14:34
lovely flowers in fact I do I am due a
14:38
walk down there sometimes go and have a
14:40
look around and get some pictures
14:42
because they were telling me that all
14:43
the spring flowers are out there down
14:45
there now so it's good to see all that
14:48
so I'm going to have to put it on my
14:49
list of places to go and have a look
14:51
around and they're also telling me about
14:54
different talks what are coming up as
14:56
well and you can go and listen to all
14:58
the talks what happen at Botanical
14:59
Gardens so I might do that I might sign
15:02
up and be a friend of the Botanical
15:04
Gardens and they said to me they said uh
15:06
and if you've got any free time you're
15:09
more than welcome to come and do some uh
15:11
volunteer work if you've got time uh but
15:14
I don't think I've got much time at the
15:16
moment once I've maybe got everything
15:18
sorted out on my plot maybe we will go
15:21
down and give them that lending hand
15:23
that they need and then there was
15:25
another group there was uh eeka Woods
15:29
and it's a group where they make loads
15:32
of craft stuff out of wood and materials
15:36
and wow some of the stuff there was
15:39
fantastic what they've done and they
15:41
made this like Throne type chair out of
15:45
sticks and I took a photo of it because
15:49
I might just give something like that a
15:50
go myself uh knowing my DIY skills but
15:55
it will be absolutely rubbish but we'll
15:57
have to see we'll have to see what looks
15:59
like maybe we will maybe we won't but
16:01
we'll see how we get on with it and
16:03
we'll see if we actually manage to make
16:06
something uh I would like it though it
16:09
was very natural looking which was
16:12
amazing and then they just made all
16:13
these dibbers out of w and they made all
16:16
these like stars out of sticks and stuff
16:19
like that and it it's given me so many
16:21
ideas of things to make uh but yeah it's
16:25
just having a go trying to do it we'll
16:27
have to we'll have to have a go at
16:28
something we we'll have a go at doing
16:31
something uh so I'll have to share my
16:34
success or no success with you all uh
16:37
once we've done it but yeah it's been an
16:40
amazing day today and uh somebody said
16:43
to me today they said how are you and I
16:45
said I'm feeling tons more better this
16:48
beautiful sunshine certainly makes you
16:50
feel so much better in yourself uh I
16:53
don't know you're the same uh but when
16:55
it's dull and miserable it does make you
16:57
feel horrible but this all sunny weather
17:00
certainly books you up and makes you
17:02
smile and it makes you happy again and
17:05
today has been one of those days and
17:07
this week I thought it were going to get
17:08
up to 20° but it's still going to be
17:10
warm it's going to get up to 16° they've
17:12
changed it to now uh here in Sheffield
17:15
so that is still warm but hopefully it's
17:18
going to be a fantastic day at the
17:20
allotment tomorrow and hopefully we'll
17:22
get plenty done and I was only saying to
17:25
someone the other day
17:26
it's hopefully soon will start getting
17:29
them allotment Tans again if you've got
17:31
an allotment you'll know why because
17:33
you've got a constant tan through summer
17:35
because you spend that much time in the
17:36
allotment it might not necessarily be
17:38
hot but over time you'll get a nice
17:41
Brown Golden color and no it's not the
17:43
soil it's not mcky it is an actual tan
17:47
but yeah uh I'll certainly be spending
17:49
all my time down at the allotment
17:51
throughout summer if possible whenever I
17:54
can and I'm just looking forward to how
17:56
good it's going to look my plot this
17:58
year I'm putting so much effort into it
18:01
and so much time that I do want it to
18:03
succeed this year and I want it to be
18:05
bountiful and be a good harvest but
18:08
we'll have to put in that time and
18:10
effort first to get it like we should
18:12
and hopefully it will return and give us
18:16
the best produce that we've had
18:18
grown I I've had some great produce over
18:21
this year don't uh put me down on that
18:24
but I could put a lot more time and
18:26
effort in if I wanted to and Hope y
18:29
fingers crossed we will be doing that
18:31
this year and hopefully we will get that
18:33
good return from the
18:35
allotment so hopefully we will be back
18:38
with another podcast tomorrow I thought
18:41
that my subscription had end today but
18:43
uh my last day of subscription is
18:45
Wednesday so hopefully we'll still get
18:47
an episode on Monday and Tuesday for you
18:51
uh before we du to pay his
18:53
bill and before we get cut off uh so
18:56
I'll be uploading as many episodes as I
18:58
can
18:59
before then so then you'll still keep
19:01
getting your podcasts and then I'll
19:02
renew it on Friday when I get paid
19:04
hopefully and hopefully we'll be able to
19:06
start recording the episodes again but
19:09
if I can't record the episodes I'll
19:11
pre-record them and I'll upload them all
19:13
on Friday for you to listen to as I know
19:16
people enjoy them and thanks for all
19:18
those that are listening to these
19:20
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