Shed space
GROWING VEG IS SOOTHING FOR THE SOUL, AND ALICE WHITEHEAD SAYS HER ALLOTMENT HAS BEEN BOTH A SAFE SPACE AND A CREATIVE RETREAT DURING DIFFICULT TIMES
The story so far
My interest in gardening began when I was young – my dad was a seasoned veg grower and I loved to explore his allotment plot, but my interest in veg growing came much later when I had my own garden. Tomatoes were the first thing I grew and as most gardeners will tell you, after you’ve tasted your first homegrown veg – you’re hooked.
I’ve had my allotment for 14 years. It’s a typical town centre plot, surrounded by houses, and it’s based on an area of natural springs, which makes it brilliant for growing. It’s also on a hill, so you have to be inventive, but the views are amazing.
I’ve done a huge amount to it. When I took it over, it had thigh-high weeds, no trees, and no flowers. For more than five years, I didn’t have a shed, either. I had to lug my tools, wellies (and eventually pram) up a steep hill, 25 minutes’ walk from my house. Then my family and friends clubbed together to buy a shed for my 30th birthday. It was one of the best presents I’ve ever had.
It didn’t take long to fill with cut flowers, fruit and vegetables. In around 2012, the plot next to mine became vacant and I snapped it up. Some people think I’m mad, but despite the hard graft it’s such a special place. The older plot is for flowers, herbs, trees and my shed, and feels like a garden. The other plot is for intensive veg growing.
I’m lucky enough to write about my plot and I also host a BBC Radio Northampton ‘grow your own’ segment from my shed.
Garden therapy
For decades, gardening and my allotment has been the place I escape to to de-stress. But in 2008, when I had my son, it became a lifeline. Post-natal depression left me struggling to hold conversations and complete everyday tasks. The allotment was just a short walk from the doctor’s surgery. Every week, I’d walk to my plot to do some hoeing or digging after my counselling session. And, looking back, that was where the real therapy began.
Helping a small seed flourish can bring enormous positivity and can put things in perspective. The repetitive action of hoeing and weeding might appear mindless, but it’s also mindful. My “safe place” was my allotment. There are people from all walks of life here, but on the plot we’re all just gardeners sharing anecdotes, drinking tea and breathing in fresh air. It’s a simple life.
After the rocky start, my son and
I have bonded over growing veg for a decade now. He even had his own patch. Of course, now that he’s a teenager it’s much harder to encourage him to join me.
My allotment has continued to be my therapist over the years since, helping me deal with chronic illness, pain and anxiety. More recently, it became my escape from the world during lockdown. A few years ago, I brought an old desk up to my shed and began writing about my experiences. This slowly became the beginnings of a novel called The Shed – a story about four people on an allotment who find solace through gardening. Based on my own experiences, the book is about the sense of community, friendship and solidarity found at the allotment – and the power of connection and nature to heal. I’m very excited to be working with a literary agent to submit my book to publishers.
Simple pleasures
I’ve had so many wonderful times here, but I love seeing the first shoots of garlic poke out of the soil in spring, feeling the sun on my face as it slides behind the horizon on a summer’s evening, hearing the goldfinches flit between dried seed heads in autumn, or enjoying a hot cup of tea on a day when the leaves are tinged with frost. Above all, my favourite times have been spending time here as a family or with friends, sharing fresh food together.
My greatest success
Keeping it going through thick, thin, ill health and pandemics! Allotments are hard work, and every plot holder has days when they feel like giving it all up. In the summer, I’m up there almost every day weeding, watering and harvesting. But it’s entirely worth it and I happily do it all over again the next year.
What I’ve learnt
Don’t bite off more than you can chew. I started out trying to make everything look neat and productive, but I’ve learnt to embrace the imperfection. Forget what you see on Instagram – all allotments have weeds, slugs and epic fails. Just revel in the joy that is your unique patch of produce.
My advice would be
Grow organically. I try to use organic gardening practices, such as no pesticides or artificial fertilisers – instead I make my own from comfrey leaves. I also practice crop rotation and companion planting to keep pests and diseases under control, plus a no-dig method, which means less invasive digging. I just rake off annual weeds and lavish the ground with mulch each autumn or spring. I’ve established a wildflowers and nettle patch for insects, and have made a pond out of a trug.
“My allotment has continued to be my therapist, helping me deal with chronic illness, pain and anxiety… and more recently, lockdown”