| The Garden That Doesn’t Understand Moderation |
| There are moments on an allotment when everything seems to happen at once. For weeks you’ve been watching plants quietly putting on growth, watering when necessary, removing the occasional weed, wondering whether this year’s crop is going to be as good as the last. Then, almost overnight, Plot 17 decides it has been holding back and produces enough vegetables to cover an entire kitchen worktop. This photograph was taken after just one visit, and this is just one of the many from the last six weeks. The courgettes, as always, are leading the charge. They never seem content with producing one sensible fruit at a time. Miss a couple of days, and suddenly they have doubled in size and are hiding beneath leaves large enough to shelter a hedgehog. Sue harvests every day now, because leaving them another twenty-four hours is often the difference between a pleasant meal and something resembling a green cricket bat. Alongside them are the yellow patty pan squash, one of those vegetables that people often ask about when they visit the plot. They look more like flying saucers than something destined for the dinner table, but they are wonderfully tender when picked young and have become one of those crops we look forward to every summer. The tomatoes are finally finding their stride as well. There is something particularly satisfying about picking tomatoes that have ripened naturally on the vine. They rarely make it into the kitchen without one or two disappearing first. Warm from the greenhouse, they hardly need anything more than a little salt. The cucumbers are arriving steadily now too. Unlike supermarket cucumbers, these rarely survive long enough to become forgotten at the back of the fridge. Freshly picked, they have a sweetness and crispness that reminds you just how much flavour commercial growing often sacrifices for transport and shelf life. Even the French beans are beginning to fill the basket, while the aubergines have quietly started producing without making much fuss. Looking at the harvest laid out across the kitchen, it would be easy to think this is the result of endless hours of work. The truth is rather different. Most of what you see here is simply the reward for consistency. A little watering. A little feeding. Keeping on top of the weeds before they become a problem. Visiting regularly enough that nothing gets forgotten. Allotments have a remarkable way of rewarding steady attention rather than heroic effort. One of the pleasures of growing organically is accepting that perfection isn’t really the goal. A slug may have sampled a leaf. A tomato may not be perfectly round. A courgette may have developed a slight bend because it grew around another fruit. None of these things matters. If anything, they remind us that we’re growing food within a living ecosystem rather than a factory. Every season teaches something different, and every year brings its own surprises. Some crops exceed expectations while others quietly disappoint, only to swap roles the following summer. That uncertainty is part of what keeps an allotment interesting. If every year were identical, there would be very little left to learn. Plot 17 has certainly entered its generous phase now. Friends and neighbours suddenly become very popular recipients of unexpected bags of vegetables, recipes begin revolving around whatever needs eating first, and there is the familiar conversation at home of, “What shall we do with all these courgettes?” It is a good problem to have. For those readers who have asked how the allotment is progressing, this photograph answers the question better than words ever could. Plot 17 is in full production, and for the next few weeks we’ll simply be trying to keep up with it. And, if history is anything to go by, tomorrow there will almost certainly be another armful waiting. |
| About our writing & imagery Most articles reflect our real gardening experience and reflection. Some use AI in drafting or research, but never for voice or authority. Featured images may show our photos, original AI-generated visuals, or, where stated, credited images shared by others. All content is shaped and edited by Earthly Comforts, expressing our own views. |
The Earthly Comforts Journal 