Organic Allotment Girl

25/10/2026

Such a wholesome afternoon yesterday. 🍂

Our Devon Growers Meet-Up at ANRÁN Kitchen Garden, bringing together a lovely bunch of people who share a love of growing, good food and getting their hands in the soil.

Everyone brought something delicious for our bring-and-share lunch, and what a spread it was….so much wonderful homemade food, plenty of conversation and the chance to catch up with old friends and make some new ones.

We also had a brilliant fermentation workshop from Hannah Walker thanks to Landworkers’ Alliance learning how to turn seasonal vegetables into something delicious to enjoy over the coming months.

There’s something really lovely about spending time with people who share your interests. Swapping knowledge, ideas, experiences and inevitably talking about what we’re all planning to grow next year.

A very happy way to spend a rather wet October afternoon. Thank you to everyone who came and contributed.

24/10/2026

My friend Andy is missing and his family are extremely worried about him. They’ve asked me to post on here. Especially for anyone from the Paignton area of Devon where he was last seen to please keep an eye out for him, check gardens/outbuildings. Whatever he is going through he is very loved and they just need to know he’s okay. 🙏

23/10/2026

We are all set-up and ready for our growers meet-up tomorrow!
As well as our usual bring & share lunch, we have an afternoon fermentation workshop planned with Hannah Walker thanks to some kind funding from the Landworkers’ Alliance
Big thank you to Michael Edwin for letting us use the Potting Shed 🪴
A couple of people have dropped out so if you’d like to join us DM for info 💚

17/10/2026

This moring it felt for the first time that Autumn has arrived.

My outside temperature alarm that lets me know when temperatures fall below 4 went off of the first time, recording a low of 3.2. Chilly!

The garden is definitely giving autumnal vibes already with an abundance of kale and pears.

I also have proudly harvested my first saffron.

And, the tunnel flip has begun. While saying goodbye to the tomatoes and basil ingot to say hello to this gorgeous frog. Felt bad for disturbing his home, but ground cover will be back asap with a carpet of oriental greens.

15/10/2026

The ducks have quite a lot to say for themselves this evening! 🦆📣

12/10/2026

Mustard leaves (and some rogues potatoes!?)

They are absolutely thriving outside, and one of my favourite things to harvest as we move into autumn.

I love the transition away from summer lettuces and into these punchy, peppery leaves. Some are mild and sweet, others have a proper wasabi-like kick. They’re incredibly delicious, beautiful to look at and really come into their own as the weather cools.

I grow quite a few varieties, partly because I love the different flavours, but also for the wonderful range of colours, shapes and textures. They make a fantastic mixed salad and are equally good quickly wilted or added to a stir-fry.

This year’s selection:

1. Green in the Snow
2. Komatsuna ‘Shoganyan’
3. Mibuna
4. Mizuna Green
5. Mizuna Purple
6. Mustard ‘Wasabi’
7. Osaka Purple
8. Purple Frills
9. Red Giant
10. Ruby Streaks

Who needs lettuce in October anyway? 🥬

09/10/2026

These beds should be filled with leeks, but the prolonged heatwave earlier this year scuppered those plans! Instead I managed a quick green manure, which has now been incorporated into the soil. We then topped the beds with some municipal compost and have tucked in 864 (!) autumn champion onion sets 🧅☺️
Had about 100 sets left over which will be going to Devon Dig and Donate CIC

08/10/2026

06/10/2026

Not the prettiest sight in the garden, but i was so delighted today to see flocks of little birds all over these old cardoon heads, picking out the seeds.

It’s always tempting at this time of year to cut everything back and tidy the garden for winter, but if you can bear to leave some of the spent flowers and seed heads standing, they become a really valuable source of food for birds as we head into the colder months. The hollow stems and old growth provide shelter for insects too.

So the cardoons are staying put for now.

A good reminder that a garden doesn’t have to look immaculate to be intentionally well cared for 🤎

04/10/2026

My favourite autumn veg to grow and eat 🍂

This is probably my favourite time of year for food from the garden.

Squash, the ultimate autumn vegetable? I love growing all the different shapes, colours and varieties almost as much as I love eating them. Roasted, soup, curries, pasta, risotto and squash decorating the house for months to come.

Beetroot, red, golden, Chioggia, white. Brilliant roasted until sweet, but equally good raw and finely sliced. And satisfyingly uncomplicated to grow.

Kale, not particularly glamorous, but one of the hardest-working crops in the garden. It actually gets better as the weather cools and I love having several varieties to pick from through autumn and winter. My fave.

Leeks, sadly I lost most of mine in the drought. But the early variety ‘Pandora’ I managed to get established before the heatwave is now rewarding is with big fat leeks from the soil.

Florence fennel, I love the aniseed flavour and the fact you can take it in completely different directions. Shaved raw and crisp in a salad, or roasted until soft and sweet.

Chard, beautiful, generous and just keeps giving. Leaves and stalks both useful, and it brings some much-needed colour to the garden as everything else starts winding down

Autumn is slower, yet somehow more satisfying. 🍂