In 2023, along with my partner, I took on an allotment.
It had been a long-held dream; to have a patch of greenery, away from the noise and bustle of the urban environment, on which to rest, breathe fresher air, be with and learn from nature and to of course, grow food.
I began blogging about the experience, sharing this only with friends on social media. I didn’t intend for it to become an art project, so at first, the text was colloquial, but post by post, there was a gradual shift in my language. A cross-over began to take place, from documenting the allotment for social sharing purposes only; to documenting, photographing and describing it to capture my experience of it, its ‘Sense of Place’, and how I revered it and felt within its calmness. All of this related to my art practice, which explores Diarizing, Place Attachment, Sense of Place and Psychogeography.
Later, I began reflecting on the act of gardening itself. In my blog post ‘Being In and Out: A Conversation’, I state (when contemplating my documentation of the annual summer holiday)
‘But then I am not one without the other; I am not Emma without being an artist. Being an artist is being Emma. So, whenever I’m away, I’ll take photographs, make sound recordings or draw. It’s a compulsive act; recording the experience of ‘being in’ and ‘experiencing’ a place.’
In Part One I chart the allotments’ development through the first twelve months; our attachment to it, and the ‘art and craft’ of gardening, such as space design, crafting plant supports or compost heaps. This experience of ‘being in’ and ‘experiencing’ a place, also ties in with a project I delivered for a residency in 2022, which I called ‘Living In the Outdoors’; which so happened to take place on this very set of allotments, and inspired the decision to apply for an allotment of our own.
For the ‘Living In the Outdoors’ project, we explored just that. On the allotment used for the residency, we made our own charcoal from wood found on site, which we used to draw the surrounding trees, and we cooked our Jacket Potato lunch in the wood bin.
We view our allotment as an extension of home and have developed a deep connection with it. We ‘live’ there. We rest with flasks of tea and coffee, we stay until the last of the light, and on into the night, we build temporary shelters with tarpaulin, and chat to our neighbours, who are robins and foxes. The ‘art’ is integrated with our daily life and once again, the act of being an artist and being myself is inseparable.
Chapter One: June 2023
Visiting our allotment for the first time.
Lots of ideas and allotment dreams.
Chapter Two: July 2023
Sharing the blackberry crop with a local resident.
Chapter Three: September 2023
Working out allotment borders, digging over soil, shifting coverings, late plantings of gifts from a fellow allotmenteer, first stage of sorting various wood piles and an assortment of mysterious buried metal items.
Chapter Four: April 2024
We’ve arrived to start developing the plot earnestly. Our activities included
Discovering a Grass Snake underneath a sheet of metal, having tea and coffee for two, working out the logistics of greenhouse 'putting up-ering', playing houses in it and, planting seeds. These are possibly Chilli's.
Unbeknownst to us, there’d been an allotment inspection in March (by the company that the council pays to do these things) just before we’d decided that we must get cracking on with the plot; although a lot of seedlings were growing behind the scenes. Let's just say we weren't happy with our inspection report.
Chapter Five: May 4th 2024
After recovering from our 'Threat of Eviction' notice, we attacked the allotment with vigour. We uncovered more metal items (and a brick) from the earth and constructed our first bed, containing carrots and onions.
Seeds have been arranged and labelled. We've trampled down an area around the greenhouse (knowing that it will soon sprout forth), and admired its resplendence. We looked across from the greenhouse and admired next doors' plot, they are developing an orchard.
Chapter Six A : May 18th 2024
Transformation Day.
Clearing, tidying, digging. Clearing, tidying, digging. Clearing, tidying, digging.
Oh, and the carrots, onions and potatoes are on their way!
Chapter Six B : May 18th 2024
Transformation Day continued.
Sorting through jaggedy wire mesh, assorted items of wood, broken glass, torn tarpaulin, what to keep, what to throw.
Created a simple corner compost heap for all the grass clumps. Hoed, weeded.
Made a 'metal of use' pile by the shed. Made friends with a very friendly (and knowing) Robin. Made a start on working out the allotment boundaries before the new neighbours move in; then went on allotment site stroll as the sun was setting behind the trees.
Chapter Seven A : May 24th 2024
Peeled and pulled back layers of growth to reveal lost steps down to the plum tree and snake pit. Made the steps prettier and with extra functionality by laying down strips of found allotment wood.
Onions and carrots are growing well in their wooden veg bed.
We made a new friend. We'd discovered him buried in the earth - he's now our potato mascot.
The new neighbours have arrived, they've been busy with the strimmer.
Sowing more seeds. Finding the natural paths running through the 'meadow' and future planning on whether or not this will be a 'thing' in our designs.
Wild flowers in bloom and an evening view down the allotment track.
Chapter Seven B : May 24th 2024
Day two of a weekend marathon. Dig, dig, dig, dig. We dug a deep and long trench in which to bury wood scraps and weeds as there was nowhere else to put them.
We made a 'compost corner' to accommodate two composts, the first of which, made on this day, is for grass and weeds. And continued sorting out the rubbish and stored the 'tip' rubbish in the old wheelbarrow until the cage for the rubbish was delivered from the council.
Used another allotment find - a 'dibber' - very useful! And planted some gifted raspberry canes - thank you to a fellow allotmenteer.
And to celebrate the achievement of our efforts, I was asked to dance a mysterious 'soil dance' resulting in some loving land art, paying homage to our allotment. But also to serve as a clear mission of intent to the council allotment people who had served us an eviction warning letter and who were due to visit us again soon; contributing to some unwanted allotment anxiety.
But best foot forward and talking of feet, I have to admit that Michaels legs did most of the pit digging, although I did contribute some muscle - as demonstrated.
Chapter Eight : June 6th 2024
The new neighbours have laid down some plastic to suppress the weeds.
Our first lot of veg is growing very nicely - carrots, onions, spinach, potatoes and butternut squash. The raspberry canes aren't dead.....yet. Fingers crossed they'll survive. Sowed some more onions and carrots.
And had a lovely evening walk around the allotment site admiring the clouds.
Chapter Nine : June 16th 2024
Cleared a bed at the bottom of the 'Veg Quadrant' and planted some nasturtium seeds, we’ve probably left it way too late.
Cleared more of a path to the left hand side of the plot, as you are facing it. Covered tall weeds and nettles in the 'Greenhouse Quadrant' to push them back/ keep them at bay. Prepared a bed and planted Yarrow seeds which should germinate next year.
Mick took a break by the greenhouse/HQ.
The onions and carrots are doing well and we’ve planted some butternut squash and melons.
Next door have a new shed!
Chapter Ten : June 18th 2024
We like our aesthetically pleasing row of butternut squashes and melons and our potatoes are doing well. The yarrow seeds are settling in ahead of growing next year, and the sunflowers are flourishing.
A blackbird pays us a visit.
Peppers (we’d saved seeds from shop bought peppers) are protected under 'pop bottle cloches'. Courgettes are coming along nicely, and the blackberries promise to be a bumper crop.
Chapter Eleven : June 21st Summer Solstice 2024
It’s the Summer Solstice and we stayed for six hours, until we could no longer see and there was no light left in the sky. A magical night.
We’d been given some tomato plants, and we planted them at dusk. The yarrow bed received a midsummer night’s water. We placed the shower door over Mick’s newly planted tobacco plants to protect them. We are finding that watering the allotment in June, at the height of the growing season, requires quite a few trips to the water butt.
Spinach, onions and carrots are all doing well, but we weren’t successful in using the greenhouse as a greenhouse, so it’s become our allotment canteen and office instead.
A gentle blackbird likes to hang out with us in the evenings, mainly for the free food, but we like to think that she enjoys our company.
Chapter Twelve : June 23rd 2024
Our first carrot!
The sunflowers are doing well and Mick's tobacco has settled in nicely. We watered the tomatoes and sowed some salad seeds in a found planter.
The 'Plum Tree Steps' were given a prune, and I hacked back and scythed the brambles behind the greenhouse. And we watered and watered, and watered.