Plant4Food was created by me and my husband – David and Rachel. We met in 2005 when I joined a local amateur theatre group. Within a short time we had formed our theatre group, Tickety-Boo Theatre Company, which ran for six years.
We put our blood, sweat and tears into the ten plays we staged, until the time came when we decided to stop. The workload was high and we were tired of struggling to find venues and members. We married in October 2014 whilst rehearsing what was to be our last play “The Wind in the Willows”.
From treading the boards to treading the soil within a month
We had always eaten a lot of vegetables, so a couple of years earlier I had joined the Wakefield Council waiting list for allotments nearby. I fancied having a go at growing vegetables, although I had no experience.
By coincidence, a month before our last play in January 2015, I received a letter offering us one of two allotments nearby. We visited the site and chose the larger of the two plots that were available. A month later we staged our final play, and within days embarked on the daunting task of digging over weed-infested ground, hardened by the recent winter.
Little did we know then how our lives would be transformed by a simple plot of ground. We could write a book detailing how our outlook, habits and health have improved as a direct consequence of growing vegetables. It has led us to where we are now: creating this website and writing this blog.
After weeding, we set about building raised beds with paths in between. We gave away the abandoned chicken hut left behind by the previous plot holder, and a neighbour gave us a small greenhouse.
We later added a larger greenhouse, but the pros and cons of growing in a greenhouse finally led us to replace it with a polytunnel.
No two years are ever the same
We experiment growing different vegetables whenever possible, selecting the varieties that are easy to grow and store for later use. To enable us to go away on our narrowboat Rebecca Jayne, we have experimented with different watering systems and ways of protecting our young plants from garden pests and diseases.
Of course we have encountered problems, such as bindweed, occasional thefts on the allotment, high winds, heavy rain, vandalism, caterpillars, pigeons and allium leaf miners. But, it’s all part of working alongside nature and not against it.
Getting outside
Seeing the butterflies and bees, and enjoying the birds are so beneficial for your health and well-being. If you have an allotment, an added bonus is chatting with other plot holders, sharing ideas and knowledge.
Lockdown DIY at the allotment and lots of cycling!
During the first lockdown, I was free to accompany David to the allotment on a daily basis. Not only did we grow more vegetables and cultivate more ground during lockdown, but we finally rebuilt the side boundary fence.
We quickly bought a bicycle for me and borrowed another from a friend for David, and started cycling the mile to and from the allotment. The downhill trip is easy on the way, but it’s a killer return journey as you drag your tired, gardening muscles up the long hill.
For my birthday, David constructed a lovely seating area using some bricks we inherited. We also used some paving bricks, obtained from a free-cycler, to create better paths between the raised beds.
Feeding the plants the natural way
Gradually we have experimented with ways of making our own free organic plant food using comfrey feed (for fruiting vegetables), homemade nettle feed (for leafy vegetables needing nitrogen) and homemade banana skins feed (for root vegetables needing potassium). Improving the condition of the soil is important so we have produced homemade compost, as well as adding manure and leafmould to the soil. We are also looking to use green manure this year.
Eating your fresh, cheap and tasty vegetables
We rarely buy vegetables because we cook meals using the produce we are growing. This means that we eat vegetables that are in season, or we use our home-grown food that has been frozen, dried or placed in long-term storage. There is nothing tastier than vegetables eaten within hours of being harvested, and food that you know is organic and free from chemicals.
Our recipes are categorised
Our recipes are categorised according to the main vegetables in the dish or meal type, so you can find all sorts of exciting and varied ways to make the most of that cabbage or beetroot in one-pot dishes, pasta meals or curries, to name a few.
Even if you buy your vegetables, you can make use of our recipes
Many supermarkets offer price reductions on vegetables nearing their ‘best before’ dates, so you could find yourself with an unexpected swede or butternut squash in your shopping trolley.
Take a look at our recipes and find an easy and delicious way of eating them.
Read about our experiences so far by following the links that interest you, and join us as we continue our lifelong journey into the joys of growing and cooking vegetables. Hopefully, we will inspire you in the garden, in the kitchen, or in both….
