Gardening was and still is my saviour

We are excited to announce that the CoirProducts.co.uk Grower of the Month for December is Evie (@eviesallotment). In this blog post, Evie tells us how and when she started growing, what she loves to grow, the benefits of growing your own, and much more. Evie especially reminds us how gardening and spending time in nature gives us purpose, helps us feel connected to our community, and find inspiration. Read on to learn all about Evie’s gardening journey. 

How and when did you start gardening/growing?  

My initial garden experience was tending to my Nana Wan’s back garden. It was a very small patch and she grew tomatoes in containers, pak choi and a little grape vine. I remember watering, picking out slugs and fertilising for her. I collected hollyhock seeds for her from a friend and she grew a lot of them in the front garden and she was a very hard woman to please, so I am quite proud of that ! 

How has your garden changed since you first started growing?

I live in a flat with a small balcony, so I have a few flowers in containers there but it was quite limited. After waiting for nearly 4 years, I finally got an allotment plot just before the initial lockdown. Over time, I began growing more flowers with a good balance of fruit and vegetables. I want an eco friendly, bee friendly, and ornamental garden rather than just a vegetable patch as it’s my only garden really. I don’t use any pesticides and use peat free compost and make our own compost compared to Nana Wan’s generation. 

What is your typical day like, when it comes to tending to your garden?

I work with the homeless which includes resettlement of refugees, so I am usually only free at the weekend. My Papa Wan and I spend a couple of hours there. He does all the watering and most of the heavy lifting, which helps a lot. I really could not have run this allotment without him. He is my hero! 

I do a lot of pottering about (weeding/erecting a cage/planting and sowing) and bossing Papa Wan around, but sometimes I spend most of the time just soaking up the wildlife, flowers, and the produce we have. Take it all in. Everyday I am thankful to have this little piece of heaven.

What do you enjoy most about growing/gardening?

It does wonders for my well-being. My Papa Wan was furloughed for many months. Mama Wan had to self isolate as she has an autoimmune disease. I live on my own and worked remotely for nearly two years straight. That was terribly hard. You don’t truly know loneliness until you are alone and cut off from the world. Thankfully, during lockdown, I could go to the garden at the allotment as my exercise and I had my parents as my social bubble. It gave us purpose, something to look forward to, the chance to still feel connected to the community even if it was to see other allotmenteers from afar. Seeing how resilient nature is everyday and able to grow sometimes even in the bleakest of conditions, gives me inspiration. Gardening was and still is my saviour.  

What tips would you offer to other gardeners/growers? / what tips would you offer for getting children involved in gardening? 

There is a lot of trial and error! Resist comparing yourself to others. Grow what you want or what you and your family wants to eat. Grow at your pace. My plot is a bit higgledy-piggledy, messy in some places and could be a bit more straighter. Just have fun with it. And if plans didn’t work out so well, there is always the next growing season! 

What are some of the benefits of growing your own?

As cliche as it sounds, fresh is best! I don’t use pesticides. I use organic fertiliser and make my own compost. It’s much better to know what you are consuming and it is more eco friendly and reduces my carbon footprint. I share a lot of my food and flowers with friends and they will comment on how much more flavour there is compared to shop bought produce. You can grow so many vegetables and flowers that just cannot be readily available in shops such as dahlias and different coloured vegetables. And they store so much better too! 

Have you used any coir-based products? What are some of the benefits of using coir-based products? 

Yes, I have used CoirCoins, coir potting mix (coir compost) and coir pots. I had 100% germination rate with CoirCoins even with usually difficult seeds such as peppers, aubergines and luffas. The coir pots were so handy to plant directly with the entire plant into the ground especially if the plant does not like its roots disturbed. The compost has been great for a lovely potting mix and also a useful mulch to lock in moisture.

What are your future plans for your garden? 

Over the last two years, I have been trying to grow bitter melons for Papa Wan. They are one of his favourites and it’s hard to purchase. It is a thank you gesture for all his hard work. Unfortunately, I’ve failed to keep the seedlings alive but I will try again in the New Year! 

I need to save up for a shed so I can store my empty pots and tools properly so maybe it won’t look so messy all the time! Well the mess would probably be inside the shed but at least it’ll be hidden! 

I want to try a few heirloom tomatoes. I’m really excited to see a few different coloured ones too. 

Anything else you would like to share?

I try to inspire everyone I meet to try to get your daily dose of vitamin G (G for gardening) however small. It can do wonders for your well-being.