April Allotment Tour | The Best My Garden Has Ever Looked

[@jeanhelliwell8160]

JB your allotment looks fabulous. It's a credit to all your hard work and determination. It's all been worth it. X

[@brigidaodonnell7053]

Your videos make me go out to the garden and start working. I had a lot to plant out and thanks to you it’s starting to get planted out!

[@StellasVegetablegardens]

Definitely freshly prepped bed are the beesneez. May i say if this was a game you would have been moved from novice gardener - the space is looking fantastic- i look forward to seeing your winter shed project 👍🏾

[@CSaville]

Looking great JB. Not suprising considering all your hard work. It's going to be brilliant watching your plot bursting into life later this Spring! I'm very envious of your weather. Up here in deepest darkest Lancashire it doesn't seem to have stopped raining since November, it's been relentless and the ground is the wettest I can ever remember. Just to add insult to injury there are still frosts predicted halfway through this month! Deep Joy 🤣

[@JBNat]

If there's a glimmer of sun I'm out but you've seen plenty of me struggling to film in the rain this season 😅

[@mikeinportland30]

My mom was a Lancashire lass from Great Harwood who moved to Los Angeles as a young girl. She always missed the rain (and I love it too and moved up to maritime Oregon a few years ago)....but my grandparents loved dry, hot LA and would have been happy never to have seen a drop of rain, a flake of snow, frost on mud again!😜 The grass is always greener I guess but it is literally greener in rainy climates. Hope warm Spring days arrive in Lancashire soon!

[@CSaville]

@@mikeinportland30 Thanks Mike. Great Harwood is about twenty minutes away from me!

[@soapymargherita]

That floating shelf looks great. I made one with spare greenhouse shelves and twine and I'm constantly paranoid about the twine snapping. Chains are a much better idea. Re: the grapevine, a friend used to have one planted outside his greenhouse and trained through a gap so most of the plant was inside. Meant it got watered by rain but the grapes got the heat. Not sure how easy that would be with a polytunnel, but maybe you could use the fox hole 😂

[@JBNat]

I know a lot of other people use paracord. I started with wire but was a little worried and someone recommended the chains! Worked so well. Love the idea about the grapevine.

[@nooie99]

Looking good jb. Often with vines roots left on outside of poly tunnel/ greenhouse and growing vine inside. So could just move a short distance to work.

[@jonathanharvey4879]

That is a popular way with grapes how ever the way JBs tunnel is constructed planting the vine close to the inside wall the roots wood still have access to the outside soil and would be in keeping with how Steve at Greenside up had his.

[@stevieb6173]

it seems like you have everything now nice greenhouses , staging , beds , polytunnel , they'll be calling you Sir next 😂😂😂😂 well done , I'm just jealous 😊😊

[@JBNat]

Once I have a shed I'll feel like an absolute king!!

[@Carol-oc7mx]

An allotment wouldn't be an allotment without a dumping area or should I say an area of resources for future projects.... even wood for burning produces ash for sprinkling on the beds 😂😂😂 And as you pointed out the old bath makes a great compost mixing container Looking good JB 😍👍

[@simplifygardening]

Plot is looking fantastic JB. you have done loads this week too

[@JBNat]

Thanks Tony! Nothing on your super human efforts but I am feeling proud 😁

[@barrysarling7637]

How many working spaces (dumping areas) does one gardener need JB. Always May's me smile 😂😂😂😂

[@barrysarling7637]

Or makes me smile

[@Logiwonk]

Congrats JB, glad you are seeing the payoff for your hard work. You putting out videos that are relaxing, informative, and inspiring at a high level of quality. Keep it up and your channel is sure to grow.

[@JBNat]

Thank you so much, that's really kind of you to say 💚

[@helenhawkins4054]

It all looks marvellous, inspirational. I have been struggling with our endless grey drizzle days.🥴

[@JBNat]

It has been a tough winter and start to spring hasn't it!

[@ceylonhinett9517]

Allotment looks great after all your had work . Love seeing the seeds come to life

[@emdeejay7432]

I just put up a fence around my garden with a gated trellis for the entrance. I put the whole thing up by myself, my bf helped a little bit but i need the vast majority. It looks so good I'm so excited. I planted my peach tree that i bpught last year, a new mango tree and bought a royal apricot tree that is already about 6 ft tall with a few apricots, very exciting and I bought another new mango thats about 3 1/2 feet tall and it has a bunch of blossoms on it and another of my mangoes has blossoms as well and I have about 5 or 6 peaches and I planted my banana tree which has been here as long as the peach has which was last year. So I think it's safe to say that they were a bit overdue for planting, haha. But they're in now. I planted 5 stargazer lily bulbs and 2 amaryllis bulbs. I have some chili's and tomatoes that lived through winter and are back and looking gorgeous and vibrant green. One of them is a sugar rush peach chili which I bought due to seeing you grow them 😊 but one of the plants was I most excited about was my volunteer marigolds, cosmos, and zinnias. I let them go to seed for that reason and it worked. So hopefully they will come back with more and more every year. I wanna do a smaller garden this year. Less stuff but that way I can focus more on what I do have. I overdid it last year. Took on too much. I wanna focus on watermelons, chili's, tomatoes, and my fruit trees this year and obviously my flowers but they require much less tending to than veggies anf fruit trees. Fruit trees are so demanding and finicky. This got very long, lol. Sorry, I'm rambling. The thumbnail said 4 years of progress so I thought id share my 2nd year of progress and there. Oh, and my soil where I mixed in peat and potting soil and good stuff I noticed the soil quality is so much better this year than last. Im gonna alternate rows this year and fix the areas in between the rows I fixed last year. That way by the winter planting season it will be a fully prepared area instead of rows of good soil with compacted hard soil between. Anyways im rambling. I just wanted to share about my progress as well. No one asked, lol, but I still wanted to. You and your videos played a big role in me getting up and getting out in the yard and making my garden happen. Can't wait to see all your garden videos this summer.

[@JBNat]

Oooh so many exotic fruits, that sounds amazing! Sounds so exciting, I love to hear that my videos have helped. Thank you and good luck this season!

[@Bunglesfamilyplot]

Think I am gonna have to do a floating shelves as my stuff Keeps getting eaten by the mice inside , as soon as stuff is a decent size I think they have a field mice party 🎉 . Great video again .

[@juliescavitti843]

Hi Jb!!!! Absolutely loved the tour! All your hard work is definitely paying off!!!! Way to go! Awesome job. You said at the end that you were doing hanging baskets for the strawberries. Have you thought about doing a hanging gutter for the strawberries, just like you have done with the hanging shelf? Just thought I would throw that out there as an idea! Have an awesome rest of your week!

[@JBNat]

That is such a good idea!! I hadn't considered that.

[@jaynekennedy8469]

I had a grape vine inside of my greenhouse and eventually it broke its way out of the back. I’ve now got grape vines outside and I’ve managed to make wine 2 years in a row.

[@John_NY10566]

Nice to see you so joyful!

[@lookinglassminiature]

The allotment is looking amazing!!!! You have done so much work and it shows. Always inspiring to get out and do more with my back garden and get on those jobs that need doing! Cheers, Jenn.

[@Lynne-plot35b-36b]

JB your Allotment looks absolutely lovely. You’ve worked so hard on it since last August really I guess and it is really coming into its own now. I can’t wait to see those beds bursting with produce this year. I find myself smiling all the way your videos because your enthusiasm and love for everything Allotment and nature related is infectious. I just hope your hayfever doesn’t intrude this year. Go buy some local honey and take a couple of spoonfuls every day. It’s supposed to help you adjust to local pollen without all of the side-effects of hayfever. Lovely video JB well done 😜

[@JBNat]

Thank you so much Lyne!

[@amandar7719]

What a transformation! You must be over the moon with how the allotment is working/looking after all your hardwork. I too love my battery strimmer. But I still use the mower to collect the cuttings the following day once they’ve dried a bit for the compost bin or mulching. I high cut regularly just for the compost making. It grows quicker when stalks have more solar/carbon capture area and therefore makes more compost/mulch. Which is as important to me as growing the food. I’ve also found a slightly higher length captures and absorbs more rain/dew and prevents muddy high impact walkways and looks green during droughts. It’s like rotational grazing. One third (bite), one third trample (to return carbon to the soil) and one third for solar energy regrowth. I have woodchip areas, too. Just fits with the system I’ve evolved with. I do have an area of annual grass from which I collect seed. Its seed matures early around mid April. I save it or immediately spread it on bare patches or when I’ve dug up invasive grass. Taken years but I’ve now eradicated almost all of the invasive grass. Except when Mr Mole turfs up the ancient seed bank!! It’s a wonderful journey developing a workable garden based on all the pros/cons components and resources one has to work with. It’s equally as enjoyable following, supporting, appreciating and learning from people like you and Jess, too. I don’t suffer from hay/pollen allergies so imagine regular mowing without goggles isn’t for you, JB. I do hope Jess gets to enjoy more of her flowers this year, and that you both have time to sit and enjoy your gardens together. May this year’s pollen count be low and vegetable/flower production high.

[@Dawn_Grows_Veg]

A lovely tour round to see the progress JB. It is looking amazing. All your hard work on your projects is massively paying off now. Very motivating for us viewers too ☺☺

[@BumblebeeAdventure]

🐝Thanks for the great video🌻 time to grow grow grow!!!

[@BrigidaCiminiello]

What an incredible garden and a huge amount of hard work that you have done on this allotment. Thank you for showing us this garden as it really gives a lot of ideas of what to do.

[@agnessaltonstall2182]

Looking really good, your efforts are paying off.

[@LucRom-kz5uw]

fantastisch jb Tour the moostuin thans te video Top Good weekend fried 🌱🌤🌷🪻🌿👍🫶🍅🌶🍆

[@mikeinportland30]

Nice to see a tour again. It's always helpful to see what/when you are doing. I have a large property rather than an allotment, but our climate here in the Pacific Northwest is similar to UK rainy Maritime vs most all of the US and because of that we can often be a bit ignored by native US garden channels/blogs so I find I get the most helpful info from gardeners almost on the other side of the planet! So thanks from the PNW of the States!

[@marksallotmentplot]

The allotment is looking great JB. All that hard work you've been putting in is really starting to pay off.

[@simplelifegarden6154]

An arch for the grapes, in front of the poly tunnel would look great!

[@DGreg-li2sp]

Love your videos JB. As a novice veg gardener I came across your video harvesting your cabbages last year.....say no more, but I watched for the fun at the time. Now I am really interested in your growing and I have seen your successes and hope I can come somewhere close myself with my efforts. Very inspiring JB, thanks.

[@JBNat]

Ahh I love that! Good luck with yours this year. It definitely pays to try and sow a few more every three weeks or so, that way you get a bit more of a succession instead of 12 cabbaged to harvest at the same time like me 😅

[@christinebrooks6364]

Hi JB, lovely plot tour, it's looking so good too. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊

[@nicolabradley5761]

All the hard work has paid off it looks wonderful!

[@AllotmentBeginner]

The plot is looking awesome JB, I'm a fan of raised beds! Cute little bitesized sections, making maintenance and growing easier and less daunting. 😄

[@Gardenofglory-l6v]

Hi JB everything is looking great in your garden have a wonderful warm week ❤❤

[@GardenofEmma]

I always think the same come April. I’m also on the south coast too and I always panic about my empty beds but my seedling calendar gives a rain check. Literally. Rain ☔️ Garden does look great tho.

[@stephmoseley9014]

I find the trick with the hot composter is to pretty much put equal quantity of shredded paper with my greens. Shredding the paper really makes a difference.

[@JBNat]

Yep! I do a lot of shredded paper and cardboard

[@Crumbleofborg]

Looking great! Nice to see you caught up with yourself and on top of pretty much everything. Good going especially considering the weather we've had to start the season!

[@marilynstanbury5098]

Great video, I’m green with envy. Thanks for your reply about Steve’s hot bin, gosh they are expensive. I’ve been thinking about getting an original small one, but even that is a lot of money if it doesn’t work! But if it does would soon pay for itself. All your hard work over the winter has certainly paid off. It’s great to see your excitement over newly sprung seedlings, I’ve been growing for years and still get a huge buzz from sprouting seeds. Thanks.

[@JBNat]

Yes they are not cheap! I've heard great things about the small ones but because they fill up quicker you need to be even more on it with cutting everything up really finely. I think with the bigger one you can be a bit more lax because it's going to be in there breaking down for longer. Homemade alternatives work well too! kzbin.info/www/bejne/moGVYX-hdr99f8Usi=-pth9RTw4cQQ2u6I

[@YouTubeExpertZesan]

waiting for this video

[@thatgirlthatgrows]

It looks amazing!! I’m so jealous of the greenhouse!!

[@zanek9909]

Your plot looks awesome! I just said to Pete you are making the rest of us look lazy! Well done, hard work pays off!

[@JBNat]

Hahahaha

[@RawLondonGardener]

The hard work is definitely paying off fella 👍

[@BumblebeeAdventure]

🐝thanks for the great video🌻 that shed needs a burn

[@JBNat]

hahahaha it really does

[@thedorkasaur]

You've done so well, does it feel a little weird having little to do in Comparison? I went to the plot today, looked around, had nothing to do except a couple small weeds, so just kinda stood confused 😂

[@JBNat]

Oh there's still loads to do but it definitely feels like the pressure is off :) A few more beds to prep, potatoes to dig into the ground, onions to plant out, peas to plant out (and frames to build!)

[@lucrom1097]

Fantastisch Good Tour te moostiun thans te video JB best friend 🌱🌷👍🌿🍅🍆🌶️

[@mikkoainasoja5018]

15:33 Yellow flowers in front belongs to Primula veris (not in bulb family)

[@JBNat]

Yes I've been looking after those cowslips for a few years and this year they've finally exploded! So happy to see.

[@annthomson-ewers2835]

Done amazing can you film how to set up the auto pot and chilli pots got both little stuck how to set up lol😂

[@JBNat]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZLMkoKwd5p9rZIsi=g7i55sXSAunzSAx2 Already done one! Hope this helps

[@susiespearing6165]

Huge progress JB .I remember watching you attempt to fight the weed ingress on your original in ground beds and shouting "edge them JB " 😂 All looking brilliant ,well done 🥇

[@JBNat]

I think that edger was one of the first tools I ever actually spent money on! I really really used to resent spending a penny on the plot but realised a few £ can really transform how enjoyable time on the plot can be.

[@pompeypaddy1]

Watching your vids as I’m hoping for an allotment soon, apparently I am top of the waiting list so should happen soon 🤞 noticed you said you were just outside Portsmouth, hey neighbour 👋 I’m in Fareham 😀

[@JBNat]

I'm in Gosport! So closer to you than I am to Portsmouth haha. Much nicer gardening down here in the south than up north!

[@beansbrewsandbread]

Looking good JB. So tidy. I just need some dry weather to get the beds prepped. Your hard work this week is inspiration enough to tackle it the first break in the rain I get! (Regretting not using the dry Autum to get a head start!) Only sowed our peas yesterday is been so cold, but at least the potatoes got in. Can’t wait to get in ground sowing! Keep on keeping on! Andy

[@JBNat]

Thanks Andy, you always have a properly tidy plot too! I really like yours, very traditional style and less cluttered compared to mine which has bits and bobs everywhere!

[@beansbrewsandbread]

@@JBNat I suppose tidiness must be in the eye of the beholder 🤣 cheers! Andy

[@Leanne_N]

Looks amazing!

[@freckles2437]

Nice ❤

[@2smallplots]

Hey how are your chillies and tomatoes in the greenhouse? I'm on the south coast and we had 4° !!! Night before last and more cold nights to come next week, so watch out !

[@Garden-of-weeden]

Wowsers JB! Your plot has transformed! Why did I think you had a quad grow? I must of confused it with your chilli grow?

[@JBNat]

I have quadgrows as well! Never used a chilli grow before so that'll be interesting

[@tecmow4399]

You’ve done so much! And the plot looms so good. You must be raring to go for the season now?! 😃

[@JBNat]

Thank you pal! Absolutely, it's so wonderful to just spend a bit of time up there now

[@AnyKeyLady]

Well done JB! you have done so much over Easter! Is it just me who thinks that calendula seeds look like old chicken's toe nail clippings?? lol

[@JBNat]

Hahahaha love that comparison, they are proper creepy!

[@PreatorRaszagal]

Awesome tour! Haha you can start a Black Strawberry hedge with all those seedlings 😄That snake head flower looked cool. Mmmm gooseberries 🤤Hope you get something from them this season 🤞Also, why are you not meant to plant super market garlic? 🤔

[@JBNat]

A lot of supermarket garlic is sprayed or treated with growth inhibitor to stop it sprouting in people's cupboards. ALSO a lot of the varieties are grown in really different climates from the UK's. Black Strawberry hedge is such a good idea hahahha

[@PreatorRaszagal]

@@JBNat Ah, I see. So it isn't that you shouldn't, it is more that you're likely to have sucky results. Haha you should totally do it! Can use that spare part of chicken net to support the hedge 😉

[@sharonbenn5331]

Hi. When you put down your woodchip did you have blackbirds picking at it.. happened me & they seem to of picked at my rhubarb too :-(

[@JBNat]

Yes they do make a bit of a mess but it usually just takes two seconds for me to kick some woodchip back into place. This was actually another reason I wanted the beds. Previously, I had the woodchip just laid on the sale and then foxes/badgers/birds would all kick it into my growing patches

[@bulasty]

how big are your 6 beds? It seems like not much growing area for 250m allotment... Looks good thou.

[@JBNat]

7 beds, shed, compost bays, orchard area and two greenhouses on the first half plot! 20*10ft polytunnel on second plot with 3 beds (like the ones I've put the carrots in) 4 pallet collars, a small bed, sweet pea bed and then that mega bed which is 2.4m long!

[@helenkeough4187]

The plant at about 16 mins is probably an astilbe

[@TheFarmyardGarden]

I really enjoyed this tour. The seed table looks like so much more light is getting to the seedlings there. Looks a good decision to move it. Nice to see what’s growing and the areas linking the plot together, plus a reminder of the journey over the past 4 years. No wonder you’re excited. You’ve transformed the space for this season. Happy growing 😊 🌱

[@jaynekennedy8469]

Do you worry that the bordered plots will have slugs hiding along the wooden edges?

[@JBNat]

Yes I've heard plenty of people say slug and snail populations love a raised bed, will be interesting to see if I notice a difference, but I've always had thousands on my plots anyway ha!

[@locke6531]

👍

[@Starrynite11]

Are you related to Dan the Gardener? There is a familiarity about you 😊

[@tiggage]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

sometimes it feels that I have the only allotment in the UK with weeds...

[@veronikasladekova5226]

Why dugging the grapevine, it is a vine, just burry the stems into the soil a let them grow inside the polytunel, it is so close

[@solveigludviksdottir4787]

hello hello from Iceland everything looks so good with you, looking forward to following everything love from Iceland

[@JBNat]

Thank you! I would love to see what it's like trying to grow food in Iceland!

[@solveigludviksdottir4787]

@@JBNat now it's -4 C and it often goes to -24 in the winter, summer comes here at the beginning of June and then autumn starts again at the end of August so there are short summers here, I have one tiny greenhouse that I fill and then a small garden, but still for these 3 months the sun never sets here so we can grow lots Love from Iceland