Don't worry about it. The worst thing is to have a hobby that starts to feel like a full time job, then you don't enjoy it as much any more. I grow on a much smaller scale than you and even I still get that feeling some times when I'd rather be exploring other hobbies and interests in life. Best thing to do is take it easy this year and during the winter, make lots of plans for new things that genuinely excite you in the garden and will give you a reason to get out there more often.
I notice that my favorite gardens are the ones where the gardener is saying they have let it go and there are weeds everywhere and it's messy. That's what I love best. Your gardens, especially your wildlife areas have always been inspiring to me.
I wish I could give back to you a tiny portion of the hope your videos gave me when I found you channel during the worst of the pandemic. Thanks a million for taking us back into your beautiful garden!
I love your garden, it's still beautiful, even with the weeds. The colours are stunning and nature's just had her way with you this summer. I live in New Zealand. We've had a couple of tough (very wet) winters. I visited England in July for a family wedding (I'm British born, but I've live in NZ for most of my life). I flew to the other side of the world to a non-existent summer with temperatures that were the same as my semi-tropical winter in Auckland. Don't beat yourself up! I always get so much enjoyment from your garden and this video is no different. Take it easy and enjoy all those berries and apples!
Don't despair Katrina, there's a whole lot of people delighted to see you back. In west Scotland we've hardly had two consecutive days of dry, sunny weather this summer and wild weather is raging right now.
Forage what you can and thank the garden for its gifts to you and pick yourself a large bunch of flowers to take home and make you smile. Restart next season.
However bad an allotment year is you can't beat it as exercise! Better than going to the gym. Its not about how much you grow each year its about being outside and being active.
Theres 1.6k+ who love watching your allotment , who love seeing your smile, who love watching you. so dont give up its been an annus horribilus year for allotmnts but it will get better
Great to see you back. We’re experiencing similar problems in South Wales. Squash courgette and chillis not so good but beans peas and beetroot are making up for it!
Thanks for sharing, your allotment is so fruitful. It has been a dreadful year in UK. My lettace and French beans were eaten by slugs and didn't manage to plant main potatoes and they are moulding in the dining room!! Weeds weeds everywhere and no motivation. I do have onions and broad beans where plentiful and I gave some away. Runner beans are doing okay, and I have some fruiting tomatoes at home. Sometimes life and weather conspire together. Good advice about early season clearance and gathering blackberries. Lovely to see you again.
I am in the UK and I have a bindweed archway lol.... and an allotment that looks pretty much like yours as I have been unable to get to mine for nearly 6 months after illness struck... so do not despair there is always tomorrow!! bit by bit you will get it back "under control" I find when I feel overwhelmed as I did when I went back to my allotment and saw the "nightmare" growth of weeds is to give myself three tasks per day or every other day depending on my health, to do and things are getting done. At least you have something to harvest..Enjoy!!! You can do it!!! Thanks for coming back and sharing your truth.
Your current wet and cloudy season will have its benefits, your allotment will be a bonus for many wild animals and birds, certainly a boost to your delightful British hedgehogs, munching through the slugs. Take your time don’t despair! Looking forward to more of your videos 👏 Greetings from Zimbabwe 🇿🇼
Thank you for your honesty. Im starting to get back into gardening after a long hiatus. I still take it slow and no longer pressure myself to get it all done. Ive mostly given up on strawberries because if the slugs didnt get them, the woodlouse did. For berries i now have tayberries and wineberries. When i have time and enegry to be more dilligent, ill go back to strawberries. Just go with what works with your enegry levels. Also couldnt cope with the raspberries running. Ive let them take over and will deal with that in a couple of years. Enjoy you fruits but take it easy on yourself too
It happens that what once was a pleasure seems somehow to turn to a punishment that can grow to something that feels overwhelming. The key to it is - as you say - staying positive and doing small tasks oftewn rather than large tasks that get you exhausted deflated. I'm sure your gardening mojo will bloom again. I look forward to it. 🌻
Lovely to see you again, always feel like we've had a chat after watching your Vlog, your garden looks amazing, filled with colour and Berries. Never apologise as we are all in this together, as we sit in our Winter Blues, coming into spring so there's always hope in the future. XX
nice to see you again, in the netherlands maybe a bit the same problems with the weather. In my garden also a lot of snails despite removing. The most frustrating were the beans. I think I re-sowed beans 10 times in the same place. Snails eat them but also birds. I had to sow them inside constantly but also pressed beans into the ground. but I remain positive.
Oh I know how you feel. It is definitely the same in my garden and life this year. Lots of rain and lots of heat and then cold. Just pulled tomatoes because of blight. I think you are not the only person in this position. I have however missed your lovely face and smile. Cheer up. All will be well. One foot in front of the other💝🇨🇦
Really appreciate this video! Gardening can really suck and feel like a pointless battle against weeds and pests... certainly doesnt help when other gardeners gloss over these issues. I managed to grow carrots for the first time but spent weeks picking cutworms off the seedlings every night until they were established. Worth it in the end, but sooo demotivating.
A lovely video update from the plot ! From all the comments, everyone of us has been battling the bind weed, slugs, snails and unpredictable weather. My allotment has also been a bit hit and miss, however when I am up there it calms and restores my faith in nature and the seasonal changes taking place. Take care of you.
Nice to hear from you Katrina, it's been a difficult year for many of us, and we're certainly still catching up from a late start, but each year is different so we can only wait and see what next year has in store for us ! You had such a busy and productive year last year this year was always going to struggle to measure up but as it coincides with a tricky growing year it highlights the contrast, I guess on reflection it was great that you had a good year last year for all your wedding flowers ! Hang on in there everyone, keep the faith and keep growing !
Worry not, it still looks lush and lovely and there are clearly things to harvest. The great thing about gardening is there’s always next year. This has been my most challenging year too, and I’ve been growing for 30 years!
It’s August! My garden is absolutely swallowed by weeds! But the flowers are blooming and making people smile when I cut them and put them in bouquets! Your plot is lovely as always. It is perfectly imperfect because it is a product of a human living life in an imperfect world. Katrina, you are doing just fine! Thank you for filming and reminding me that grace abounds. Give yourself some grace, girl! ❤️ Thank you for sharing!
My veg garden has had all the same problems this year and it doesn't look nearly as beautiful as yours. Don't be so hard on yourself. We are all learning how to deal with unusual weather.
So good to see you back. As the comments reflect nearly all gardeners have had a terrible year. This is the first time I have considered giving up but I am slowly starting to clear my plot and cover it for the winter. The lottie is my go to happy place where I can wind down and see some positivity with things growing but this year it just added to my stress levels! But I have noticed in the last couple of weeks I am thinking about next year and how I can reduce the work load, things I won’t grow any more. I made the big mistake of buying cheap peat free compost to fill my raised beds and consequently had poor crops so next year I will invest in better quality compost. Hang on in there, here’s to a better gardening 2025!!
Thank you for posting this and being real about the struggles you've had this year. It's an encouragement to the rest of us who also have our ups and downs!
Love your happy-go-lucky attitude. All those weeds on my allotment would completely stress me out. Had a lovely crop of Sweet Corn until the local Muntjac deer trashed it all. Difficult year with blight in the tomatoes and no strawberries or raspberries. Where are all the bees? Not in Essex that's for sure. My Medaca all died over the winter/spring time and won't be replaced.
I can tell you feel low, and I just hope all's well with work and life in general. Don't let the pressure of having a RUclips channel pull you down. Take as long as you need to between videos; we all understand it's hard work. As for the garden, it should be a place of rejuvenation, even if it's weedy. Just enjoy the life and natural beauty of it all!
Great to see you back,looks like you've got a lot of work to clear your plot later on!.Still I'm sure you'll harvest lots of fruit and veg till the end of the season 😀
I know exactly how your feeling , I’m fed up with slugs I hate the little monsters, I’ve had something burrowing into my peppers and chilli’s in the Greenhouse I’ve had to chuck them , the latter half of August has given a few days of sun which has perked me and the garden up but as a growing season it’s not been very good but the beans have been very good so we have to take the highs and look to next season . Good luck with you whatever’s going on , I think you’ll need help shifting all those weeds especially the bindweed so take care , good to see you back. X
Katrina! I felt exactly the same as you. You did so well compared to me 🙏 your plot looks amazing and so much harvest. 😊I worked so hard all winter and raised all my baby plants. Planted them out, caring for them and slugs ate everything 😢😢😢😢😢 nothing recovered 😢 it was too late to start everything again 😢😢😢 I bought a couple of plugs but they never trived 😫 I am getting inspired watching your videos now so I can plan for next year ❤❤❤❤
Your not alone, it's been a terrible year, nationwide from what I hear, slug's pigeons, wet winter dry summer.... don't be disheartened, and you take it easy...your positively glowing 🙏🥰🙏
Hiya Katrina, enjoy your harvest, I’m sure you picked some blooms to take home. Whatever your future holds 🤞I wish you all the best. Luv Ontario Canada 🇨🇦🐝
your plot is still lovely. The flowers are the real stars of the show right now. The veg will be awesome when you harvest it. When I had overwhelm, I broke weeding down into blocks of a foot at a time. Much easier to muddle through.
Lovely to see You. You're not alone 🫠😮💨. Lack of motivation mixed with strange weather blessings and The Imperial Bindweed march. May the force be with us.
Hello, I am in the Central US and I have always had years that are different than the last. One year I am wheeling out tomatoes by the wheel barrel load and this year I can barely get enough to can. This season my tomatoes plants are 12 feet tall but I didn't plan on that, so it is difficult to keep them trimmed. We don't watch your channel because every year the garden looks like there is not a plant out of place, we watch because we relate to what you are doing and are happy to ride along with you. Please remember we as human being's change with the seasons just like our gardens. I don't see anyone in the comments judging so keep it up and thanks for all of the extra work it takes to post videos. It's a lot of work.
You don't understand how much better this has made me feel! I've been feeling so disheartened this year. Everything either got eaten, rotted, shrivelled up or reluctantly grew up stunted and disappointing.
Same for us rain, slugs, wind and lack of sunshine. Also it made me feel better that the local garden centre and allotments have all had the same issues.
I think this wet and dull season has been so testing. We all feel a bit miserable and overwhelmed when the weather is gloomy. There’s so much beauty on your plot, even though it’s hard to fully enjoy the plot when you can see the work involved to get it back to where you want it to be. Good luck with whatever you have going on that you don’t want to jinx. Hopefully see you again soon 😊
Don’t give yourself a tough time … do what you can and remember to enjoy first and foremost - you have some crops, you have a beautiful flowers and a wonderful full plot that is teeming with life. It’s beautiful , weeds and all.
Katrina it's so lovely to see you back, you've been missed! Your garden is just beautiful! It's like a fairytale.... a secret garden, just stunning. So lush , it has everything. I have natural hedges all round like you, i know how much work is involved, it will all get done. Once the feeling comes back , you'l enjoy getting stuck in, out in the fresh air, and enjoying it all again 😄. You have a little peice of paradise there, i love the way you garden, great see you back
I feel your pain. I had started my 2024 garden, then had to leave it behind and help my husband as he was having some health issues. Along with incredibly hot and dry weather and my poor plants didn’t stand a chance. It was deeply disappointing, but I had to let it go. Now I’m looking forward to my favorite season…Fall!🍂Thank you for showing us your garden, and letting us see that not gardens are perfect. 💕
Thank you Katrina we all appreciate you including us in your life and videos. Just think of all the floral & insect biodiversity that your "weeds" are encouraging behind the scenes. The slugs might have the upper hand at the moment but their numbers will be thinned by Mr Robin and his winged friends - by the way I have no idea if robins eat slugs! LOL As my mother keeps reminding me when I look at my plot and it's weeds - take it 15 minutes at a time. Much easier when the growing space is only about 12 square metres and not an allotment. :D As a viewer from the Southern hemisphere (Christchurch, New Zealand) our winter has been mild followed by periods of bitterly cold weather but drier than usual. Nasturtiums I thought didn't like the cold but I have loads of self seeded ones and they seem to happily handle temps that drop infrequently below -2C.
Sometimes we just loose the thrill. This years weather has certainly been unpredictable and so gloomy. Weeks become months and then you are were you are. In the meantime its been a haven for wildlife and a much needed pollinating station for the struggling insects this year.
Thank you for posting this….its reality! Its has been a weird season and very worrying that there have been so few pollinators…..and hardly any butterflies….your allotment is wildly beautiful!
My goodness, your plot still looks incredible even amidst the chaos. Maybe I should share video of mine so you can get a bit of good perspective, haha. Been a tough few years, to be completely frank, between switching jobs and losing miss Kenna. A lot of my motivation went away when she passed. The difficulty of being in the yard without her pretty much kept me away from it entirely. It's good to see and hear from you! Be well and take care.
Don't beat yourself up Katrina. We only have one pair of hands. Your video is still showing lots of your hard work. Worth it just to see bees on your patch. Stay good. 🙂👍
Some years our schedule and the weather dictate abundance, and other years chaos. The wild takes over! We understand, and we still love to see it, and YOU, you’re beautiful. Here in Australia we’re coming into Spring and the wind has just not stopped howling for a week- so many jobs are hard in the strong wind, so I’m impatient! Thank you for sharing, sending love. 🇦🇺
Ur right the slugs and snails have been a massive challenge have hardly nothing left .never been so bad .Beets so east to grow and hardly any came up .
Same here, life has been extra busy and the weather not really playing ball when I do have the opportunity. Also don’t forget you had a busy wedding year and successfully grew your wedding flowers! Only natural to ebb and flow 😊
Really enjoy your videos, love your sweet garden ..glad to see you back. I think that`s a Teddy Bear sunflower! Know how you feel, our Summer here in Ohio has been the opposite...way too hot! ...and all my tomatoes being eaten by a resident groundhog! ugghhh
Yup, I’m up in Hucknall and it’s been a tough old summer, but a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor 🫡 Keep your chin up, and next summer will be glorious!
I feel your deflation Katrina. I set myself the task of growing all my wedding flowers for my September wedding and they've done really badly. I think a combo of the constant rain in June washing the nutrients out of the soil and the slugs.. I planted 41 dahlias and only 4 have got to flowering stage. The majority didn't get above a foot high (lack of nutrients in soil) and the rest heavily eaten by slugs! It's pretty rubbish and means I'll be importing a chunk of my flowers which wasn't the plan. But I'm trying to channel the feelings of despair into thinking of ways to improve next year. I think focusing on what went well and how to improve next year is the best and only way forward. I hope you find your mojo again soon x
Perhaps you could present some bouquets to convalescent facilities? Just go around picking them then get volunteers to arrange them. Fantastic! I think you will have some exciting new responsibilities to juggle!
Thank you for your honest video. It’s good as you say to share the lows. It’s has been really hard this year. It’s my first year of having an allotment and there were days when it just made me feel depressed and anxious with the overwhelm of me versus nature. But I’ve learned to treasure the highlights and joys. My first bucket of potatoes, the onion harvest and so many other victories in the face of so many problems. It’s been a good course in resilience I think. 😊
Looks like the raspberries are doing well, and some runner beans coming on there as well. I've got plenty of runner beans, and some mangetout, and my tomatoes are starting to be ready, I've got Tigerella and Golden Sunrise again. The Kea plum trees at my parents house are now fruiting, and maybe ready to pick. The Kea plum is a well known local variety here in Cornwall which is more like a damson really, they got the tree as a tiny stick about 20 years ago and it has grown quite large, and also produced root suckers one of which has grown into another tree which is fruiting as well now.
So happens to every gardener....this year weather in the NE USA was and is crazy...heat, humidity and rain...too much !!! And, got a new puppy...trying to put it all in perspective....next year! 🌿💚🌞🤭
I got like 3 tomatoes from whole greenhouse with 30 plants this year, i had first ants then spider mites and now when a few green ones emerge from plants blight. Not one year has been this bad on tomatoes, aubergines and peppers. But its great to see again i have you on my weekly list what to watch when i plant and sort my seeds.
alls good here got the garden looking good..slugs attacked some plants but had some nice sunny days..north holland .1 dahliah survived and a few sunflowers
so good to see you again. thank you for showing us round. my tomatoes are doing ok and some are a little bigger but not ripening. I truly believe in the weather modification programs going on and it is not conducive to growing crops. I know many shout 'conspiracy!' but it isn't.... the frequency that is used to manipulate the weather also depresses us - as we are 90% water.... it is all under control now however and everything going on on planet earth at this time is much bigger than ppl realise!! I love your energy. and so do your plants! things will be AMAZING next summer. and we will grow so much awesomeness!!! much love! 💙💙💙
Katrina I hope you know that however you feel you need to work these videos around your life is completely fine. If there's not as much time, or motivation to keep up with it, that's ok too. I know I can only speak for myself, but I'm just happy to see your bright face and lovely allotment whenever you choose to share them with us.
There are many beautiful, successful things in your allotment....amazing sunflowers too. It may have been a challenge for us humans but I imagine the wildlife are loving your place right now! Focus on any success no matter how small!
Urgh, I feel your pain Katrina. The weather in the UK has been shocking this year. But, your beans look great and hopefully you’ve got more raspberries, and potatoes on the way. The shaggy texture of that sunflower reminds me of bumble bees, absolutely stunning ❤
I'm also in Nottinghamshire and feel just the same. Apart from lettuce, garlic and onions, the weather seems to have thrown everything out of whack. I've grown the cucumbers and tomatoes outside for the second year because the greenhouse is just too hot. I think we are beginning to slowly adapt and we are learning to choose better growing crops. Let's see what happens eh! Keep at it - it's great to see a local RUclipsr on here
Hi Kat, it has very much been a year of struggle in the garden. Slugageddon and so much rain and very little sun. All the rain though has meant a good berry harvest (not strawberries, the snails got most of mine it was soul destroying) but I have lots of apples and now my french beans have grown through the snail damage we have got a glut which we are enjoying. It has been difficult to keep positive for sure, but it is all part of the learning curve. Nice to see you back. Your dahlias and Zinnias are stunning.
I agree about the slugs, they've been horrendous this year & with all the rain & low light levels it's been challenging to say the least. I've grown the Golden Wonder variety this year, They are a hard potato & didn't really do mash or roasted very well for me. Crisps however are fantastic, I cut lots of thin slices with a mandolin & they make fantastic crisps.
I really feel for you and understand, I think many many people are feeling the same and for many reasons that just get into your head and hurt. If it was possible to give out a massive group hug I would. Loving having a roam around your allotment so thank you for that, and its lovely to see you back.
I found some times you just have to sit and watch the garden grow the way it wants too. Then the next year start again; keep it fun that the answer, if it goes wrong it goose wrong but it when it goes right it goes so right
Hey good to see you. Sometimes life just takes over. The garden may be a bit wild but you’ve clearly got some great things happening too. Don’t stress about the things that didn’t go quite right and embrace the wins. We’ve had a really nasty drought in South Australia through Autumn and Winter. It’s really put the mocker on some of the crops we usually enjoy. And life has thrown some bumps in the road for me too. But we’ve had some good wins and kept improving the garden through it all. Take very good care of yourself Kat. Best wishes from down under.
It's great that your garden is still alive. I went on vacation for 1 week during the summer in 2019 and found my veggies and fruit all dead. The only thing thriving were my crepe myrtles and my asparagus.
We have never had a year in the 18 years we've lived here in Cambridgeshire that our raspberries have been untouched, they get sawfly so bad, they decimate the leaves and end up with wrigglers in the fruit :( And that's even with brand new ones, Summer and Autumn ones. So it's amazing to see you're looking so good!
You are not alone with how you're feeling about this season! I was so dejected this year as well. Sowed carrots twice only to fatten up all the slugs in the garden, same with cauliflower and here in Ireland it's rained probably 90% of the days since March. I finally got a little pick me up when I harvested a good lot of charlottes and August has been alright weather wise. Great seeing videos again but take your time and relax back into it
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Katrina...please don't leave us, we need you
Don't worry about it. The worst thing is to have a hobby that starts to feel like a full time job, then you don't enjoy it as much any more. I grow on a much smaller scale than you and even I still get that feeling some times when I'd rather be exploring other hobbies and interests in life. Best thing to do is take it easy this year and during the winter, make lots of plans for new things that genuinely excite you in the garden and will give you a reason to get out there more often.
I notice that my favorite gardens are the ones where the gardener is saying they have let it go and there are weeds everywhere and it's messy. That's what I love best. Your gardens, especially your wildlife areas have always been inspiring to me.
Rest assured that you are not the only one having a season like this!
I wish I could give back to you a tiny portion of the hope your videos gave me when I found you channel during the worst of the pandemic. Thanks a million for taking us back into your beautiful garden!
I love your garden, it's still beautiful, even with the weeds. The colours are stunning and nature's just had her way with you this summer. I live in New Zealand. We've had a couple of tough (very wet) winters. I visited England in July for a family wedding (I'm British born, but I've live in NZ for most of my life). I flew to the other side of the world to a non-existent summer with temperatures that were the same as my semi-tropical winter in Auckland. Don't beat yourself up! I always get so much enjoyment from your garden and this video is no different. Take it easy and enjoy all those berries and apples!
Don't despair Katrina, there's a whole lot of people delighted to see you back. In west Scotland we've hardly had two consecutive days of dry, sunny weather this summer and wild weather is raging right now.
Forage what you can and thank the garden for its gifts to you and pick yourself a large bunch of flowers to take home and make you smile. Restart next season.
I'm glad you are back, I was looking yesterday for a new video and now here you are with your beautiful soul. ❤🎉 You bring light into our lives.
It's so so so lovely to see you
I've missed you xxxxx
However bad an allotment year is you can't beat it as exercise! Better than going to the gym. Its not about how much you grow each year its about being outside and being active.
Theres 1.6k+ who love watching your allotment , who love seeing your smile, who love watching you. so dont give up its been an annus horribilus year for allotmnts but it will get better
Chin up, take pleasure in the little wins. It’s a wonderful place for you and for wildlife. This year has been a battle, you are not alone 😊
Great to see you back. We’re experiencing similar problems in South Wales. Squash courgette and chillis not so good but beans peas and beetroot are making up for it!
Hey, you have got this kiddo.. I hope you look back at this and see the positives, sending hugs and keep going. M
Thanks for sharing, your allotment is so fruitful. It has been a dreadful year in UK. My lettace and French beans were eaten by slugs and didn't manage to plant main potatoes and they are moulding in the dining room!! Weeds weeds everywhere and no motivation. I do have onions and broad beans where plentiful and I gave some away. Runner beans are doing okay, and I have some fruiting tomatoes at home. Sometimes life and weather conspire together.
Good advice about early season clearance and gathering blackberries. Lovely to see you again.
I am in the UK and I have a bindweed archway lol.... and an allotment that looks pretty much like yours as I have been unable to get to mine for nearly 6 months after illness struck... so do not despair there is always tomorrow!! bit by bit you will get it back "under control" I find when I feel overwhelmed as I did when I went back to my allotment and saw the "nightmare" growth of weeds is to give myself three tasks per day or every other day depending on my health, to do and things are getting done. At least you have something to harvest..Enjoy!!! You can do it!!! Thanks for coming back and sharing your truth.
So lovely to see you and your garden again which despite all the hiccups is still stunning. Main thing is you are ok.
Your current wet and cloudy season will have its benefits, your allotment will be a bonus for many wild animals and birds, certainly a boost to your delightful British hedgehogs, munching through the slugs.
Take your time don’t despair!
Looking forward to more of your videos 👏
Greetings from Zimbabwe 🇿🇼
Thank you for your honesty. Im starting to get back into gardening after a long hiatus. I still take it slow and no longer pressure myself to get it all done. Ive mostly given up on strawberries because if the slugs didnt get them, the woodlouse did. For berries i now have tayberries and wineberries. When i have time and enegry to be more dilligent, ill go back to strawberries. Just go with what works with your enegry levels. Also couldnt cope with the raspberries running. Ive let them take over and will deal with that in a couple of years. Enjoy you fruits but take it easy on yourself too
It happens that what once was a pleasure seems somehow to turn to a punishment that can grow to something that feels overwhelming. The key to it is - as you say - staying positive and doing small tasks oftewn rather than large tasks that get you exhausted deflated. I'm sure your gardening mojo will bloom again. I look forward to it. 🌻
Lovely to see you again, always feel like we've had a chat after watching your Vlog, your garden looks amazing, filled with colour and Berries. Never apologise as we are all in this together, as we sit in our Winter Blues, coming into spring so there's always hope in the future. XX
nice to see you again, in the netherlands maybe a bit the same problems with the weather. In my garden also a lot of snails despite removing. The most frustrating were the beans. I think I re-sowed beans 10 times in the same place. Snails eat them but also birds. I had to sow them inside constantly but also pressed beans into the ground. but I remain positive.
Oh I know how you feel. It is definitely the same in my garden and life this year. Lots of rain and lots of heat and then cold. Just pulled tomatoes because of blight. I think you are not the only person in this position. I have however missed your lovely face and smile. Cheer up. All will be well. One foot in front of the other💝🇨🇦
Really appreciate this video! Gardening can really suck and feel like a pointless battle against weeds and pests... certainly doesnt help when other gardeners gloss over these issues. I managed to grow carrots for the first time but spent weeks picking cutworms off the seedlings every night until they were established. Worth it in the end, but sooo demotivating.
A lovely video update from the plot ! From all the comments, everyone of us has been battling the bind weed, slugs, snails and unpredictable weather. My allotment has also been a bit hit and miss, however when I am up there it calms and restores my faith in nature and the seasonal changes taking place. Take care of you.
I feel your "on the backfoot". I've had the same sort of season this year. :-) Next year for sure!
Your level of honesty showing us the good & the bad is refreshing x Seems like 2024 will go down as the year of the slug for most UK gardeners 🌱🌿💚
Nice to hear from you Katrina, it's been a difficult year for many of us, and we're certainly still catching up from a late start, but each year is different so we can only wait and see what next year has in store for us ! You had such a busy and productive year last year this year was always going to struggle to measure up but as it coincides with a tricky growing year it highlights the contrast, I guess on reflection it was great that you had a good year last year for all your wedding flowers ! Hang on in there everyone, keep the faith and keep growing !
this too shall pass...sending love
Worry not, it still looks lush and lovely and there are clearly things to harvest. The great thing about gardening is there’s always next year.
This has been my most challenging year too, and I’ve been growing for 30 years!
this year i haven't gardened much either. i miss it, and my gardens are a mess, but weather & life... well, you know.
Lovely to see you. Your plot is absolutely beautiful in my humble opinion! Take care and sending love to you and hubby. Xx❤
It’s August! My garden is absolutely swallowed by weeds!
But the flowers are blooming and making people smile when I cut them and put them in bouquets!
Your plot is lovely as always. It is perfectly imperfect because it is a product of a human living life in an imperfect world. Katrina, you are doing just fine! Thank you for filming and reminding me that grace abounds. Give yourself some grace, girl! ❤️
Thank you for sharing!
You are definitely not alone. It’s lovely to see you again though. ❤
My veg garden has had all the same problems this year and it doesn't look nearly as beautiful as yours. Don't be so hard on yourself. We are all learning how to deal with unusual weather.
Been a crazy year here to in BC Canada. Take the good with the bad, it's one of those years. Great to see you!
So good to see you back. As the comments reflect nearly all gardeners have had a terrible year. This is the first time I have considered giving up but I am slowly starting to clear my plot and cover it for the winter. The lottie is my go to happy place where I can wind down and see some positivity with things growing but this year it just added to my stress levels! But I have noticed in the last couple of weeks I am thinking about next year and how I can reduce the work load, things I won’t grow any more. I made the big mistake of buying cheap peat free compost to fill my raised beds and consequently had poor crops so next year I will invest in better quality compost. Hang on in there, here’s to a better gardening 2025!!
Thank you for posting this and being real about the struggles you've had this year. It's an encouragement to the rest of us who also have our ups and downs!
It’s been an awful season. To add to the fun we had to have a new roof, done during some of our stormier weather. Exiting! Take it easy.
Love your happy-go-lucky attitude. All those weeds on my allotment would completely stress me out. Had a lovely crop of Sweet Corn until the local Muntjac deer trashed it all. Difficult year with blight in the tomatoes and no strawberries or raspberries. Where are all the bees? Not in Essex that's for sure. My Medaca all died over the winter/spring time and won't be replaced.
I can tell you feel low, and I just hope all's well with work and life in general. Don't let the pressure of having a RUclips channel pull you down. Take as long as you need to between videos; we all understand it's hard work. As for the garden, it should be a place of rejuvenation, even if it's weedy. Just enjoy the life and natural beauty of it all!
Great to see you back,looks like you've got a lot of work to clear your plot later on!.Still I'm sure you'll harvest lots of fruit and veg till the end of the season 😀
I know exactly how your feeling , I’m fed up with slugs I hate the little monsters, I’ve had something burrowing into my peppers and chilli’s in the Greenhouse I’ve had to chuck them , the latter half of August has given a few days of sun which has perked me and the garden up but as a growing season it’s not been very good but the beans have been very good so we have to take the highs and look to next season . Good luck with you whatever’s going on , I think you’ll need help shifting all those weeds especially the bindweed so take care , good to see you back. X
Katrina! I felt exactly the same as you. You did so well compared to me 🙏 your plot looks amazing and so much harvest. 😊I worked so hard all winter and raised all my baby plants. Planted them out, caring for them and slugs ate everything 😢😢😢😢😢 nothing recovered 😢 it was too late to start everything again 😢😢😢 I bought a couple of plugs but they never trived 😫 I am getting inspired watching your videos now so I can plan for next year ❤❤❤❤
Your not alone, it's been a terrible year, nationwide from what I hear, slug's pigeons, wet winter dry summer.... don't be disheartened, and you take it easy...your positively glowing 🙏🥰🙏
dry summer ? what summer ?
Hiya Katrina, enjoy your harvest, I’m sure you picked some blooms to take home. Whatever your future holds 🤞I wish you all the best. Luv Ontario Canada 🇨🇦🐝
your plot is still lovely. The flowers are the real stars of the show right now. The veg will be awesome when you harvest it. When I had overwhelm, I broke weeding down into blocks of a foot at a time. Much easier to muddle through.
Lovely to see You.
You're not alone 🫠😮💨. Lack of motivation mixed with strange weather blessings and The Imperial Bindweed march.
May the force be with us.
Hello, I am in the Central US and I have always had years that are different than the last. One year I am wheeling out tomatoes by the wheel barrel load and this year I can barely get enough to can. This season my tomatoes plants are 12 feet tall but I didn't plan on that, so it is difficult to keep them trimmed. We don't watch your channel because every year the garden looks like there is not a plant out of place, we watch because we relate to what you are doing and are happy to ride along with you. Please remember we as human being's change with the seasons just like our gardens. I don't see anyone in the comments judging so keep it up and thanks for all of the extra work it takes to post videos. It's a lot of work.
Amen to that!
Your doing great and showing us reality!!! See you next time,whenever you can manage it,we'll be here!!
You don't understand how much better this has made me feel! I've been feeling so disheartened this year. Everything either got eaten, rotted, shrivelled up or reluctantly grew up stunted and disappointing.
Same for us rain, slugs, wind and lack of sunshine. Also it made me feel better that the local garden centre and allotments have all had the same issues.
I think this wet and dull season has been so testing. We all feel a bit miserable and overwhelmed when the weather is gloomy.
There’s so much beauty on your plot, even though it’s hard to fully enjoy the plot when you can see the work involved to get it back to where you want it to be.
Good luck with whatever you have going on that you don’t want to jinx.
Hopefully see you again soon 😊
Don’t give yourself a tough time … do what you can and remember to enjoy first and foremost - you have some crops, you have a beautiful flowers and a wonderful full plot that is teeming with life. It’s beautiful , weeds and all.
Katrina it's so lovely to see you back, you've been missed! Your garden is just beautiful! It's like a fairytale.... a secret garden, just stunning. So lush , it has everything. I have natural hedges all round like you, i know how much work is involved, it will all get done. Once the feeling comes back , you'l enjoy getting stuck in, out in the fresh air, and enjoying it all again 😄. You have a little peice of paradise there, i love the way you garden, great see you back
Stress all around! Sending love and light for brighter times! 💜🪻💜🪻💜
Lovely to see you again 😍 some seasons rock and others ... not so much. Xx
I feel your pain. I had started my 2024 garden, then had to leave it behind and help my husband as he was having some health issues. Along with incredibly hot and dry weather and my poor plants didn’t stand a chance. It was deeply disappointing, but I had to let it go. Now I’m looking forward to my favorite season…Fall!🍂Thank you for showing us your garden, and letting us see that not gardens are perfect. 💕
Thank you Katrina we all appreciate you including us in your life and videos.
Just think of all the floral & insect biodiversity that your "weeds" are encouraging behind the scenes. The slugs might have the upper hand at the moment but their numbers will be thinned by Mr Robin and his winged friends - by the way I have no idea if robins eat slugs! LOL
As my mother keeps reminding me when I look at my plot and it's weeds - take it 15 minutes at a time. Much easier when the growing space is only about 12 square metres and not an allotment. :D
As a viewer from the Southern hemisphere (Christchurch, New Zealand) our winter has been mild followed by periods of bitterly cold weather but drier than usual. Nasturtiums I thought didn't like the cold but I have loads of self seeded ones and they seem to happily handle temps that drop infrequently below -2C.
Sometimes we just loose the thrill. This years weather has certainly been unpredictable and so gloomy. Weeks become months and then you are were you are. In the meantime its been a haven for wildlife and a much needed pollinating station for the struggling insects this year.
Thank you for posting this….its reality! Its has been a weird season and very worrying that there have been so few pollinators…..and hardly any butterflies….your allotment is wildly beautiful!
My goodness, your plot still looks incredible even amidst the chaos. Maybe I should share video of mine so you can get a bit of good perspective, haha. Been a tough few years, to be completely frank, between switching jobs and losing miss Kenna. A lot of my motivation went away when she passed. The difficulty of being in the yard without her pretty much kept me away from it entirely. It's good to see and hear from you! Be well and take care.
Don't beat yourself up Katrina. We only have one pair of hands.
Your video is still showing lots of your hard work. Worth it just to see bees on your patch. Stay good. 🙂👍
Some years our schedule and the weather dictate abundance, and other years chaos. The wild takes over! We understand, and we still love to see it, and YOU, you’re beautiful. Here in Australia we’re coming into Spring and the wind has just not stopped howling for a week- so many jobs are hard in the strong wind, so I’m impatient!
Thank you for sharing, sending love. 🇦🇺
Ur right the slugs and snails have been a massive challenge have hardly nothing left .never been so bad .Beets so east to grow and hardly any came up .
Same here, life has been extra busy and the weather not really playing ball when I do have the opportunity. Also don’t forget you had a busy wedding year and successfully grew your wedding flowers! Only natural to ebb and flow 😊
Stay strong and take it bit at a time.
Really enjoy your videos, love your sweet garden ..glad to see you back. I think that`s a Teddy Bear sunflower! Know how you feel, our Summer here in Ohio has been the opposite...way too hot! ...and all my tomatoes being eaten by a resident groundhog! ugghhh
Yup, I’m up in Hucknall and it’s been a tough old summer, but a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor 🫡 Keep your chin up, and next summer will be glorious!
What a great saying! :)
I feel your deflation Katrina. I set myself the task of growing all my wedding flowers for my September wedding and they've done really badly. I think a combo of the constant rain in June washing the nutrients out of the soil and the slugs.. I planted 41 dahlias and only 4 have got to flowering stage. The majority didn't get above a foot high (lack of nutrients in soil) and the rest heavily eaten by slugs!
It's pretty rubbish and means I'll be importing a chunk of my flowers which wasn't the plan. But I'm trying to channel the feelings of despair into thinking of ways to improve next year. I think focusing on what went well and how to improve next year is the best and only way forward.
I hope you find your mojo again soon x
Perhaps you could present some bouquets to convalescent facilities? Just go around picking them then get volunteers to arrange them. Fantastic! I think you will have some exciting new responsibilities to juggle!
Thank you for your honest video. It’s good as you say to share the lows. It’s has been really hard this year. It’s my first year of having an allotment and there were days when it just made me feel depressed and anxious with the overwhelm of me versus nature. But I’ve learned to treasure the highlights and joys. My first bucket of potatoes, the onion harvest and so many other victories in the face of so many problems. It’s been a good course in resilience I think. 😊
So glad to see you back!
Looks like the raspberries are doing well, and some runner beans coming on there as well. I've got plenty of runner beans, and some mangetout, and my tomatoes are starting to be ready, I've got Tigerella and Golden Sunrise again. The Kea plum trees at my parents house are now fruiting, and maybe ready to pick. The Kea plum is a well known local variety here in Cornwall which is more like a damson really, they got the tree as a tiny stick about 20 years ago and it has grown quite large, and also produced root suckers one of which has grown into another tree which is fruiting as well now.
So happens to every gardener....this year weather in the NE USA was and is crazy...heat, humidity and rain...too much !!! And, got a new puppy...trying to put it all in perspective....next year!
🌿💚🌞🤭
SO Good to see you again ❤🎉
I got like 3 tomatoes from whole greenhouse with 30 plants this year, i had first ants then spider mites and now when a few green ones emerge from plants blight. Not one year has been this bad on tomatoes, aubergines and peppers. But its great to see again i have you on my weekly list what to watch when i plant and sort my seeds.
alls good here got the garden looking good..slugs attacked some plants but had some nice sunny days..north holland .1 dahliah survived and a few sunflowers
so good to see you again. thank you for showing us round. my tomatoes are doing ok and some are a little bigger but not ripening. I truly believe in the weather modification programs going on and it is not conducive to growing crops. I know many shout 'conspiracy!' but it isn't.... the frequency that is used to manipulate the weather also depresses us - as we are 90% water.... it is all under control now however and everything going on on planet earth at this time is much bigger than ppl realise!! I love your energy. and so do your plants! things will be AMAZING next summer. and we will grow so much awesomeness!!! much love! 💙💙💙
You are not alone. This year has been a tough one xx
Good to see you. Slowly does it ☺️🌸💕
Katrina I hope you know that however you feel you need to work these videos around your life is completely fine. If there's not as much time, or motivation to keep up with it, that's ok too. I know I can only speak for myself, but I'm just happy to see your bright face and lovely allotment whenever you choose to share them with us.
Nice to see the allotment. We too here in NE US have had so much rain. Your dahlias are lovely, and I think your white flower is a phlox.
There are many beautiful, successful things in your allotment....amazing sunflowers too. It may have been a challenge for us humans but I imagine the wildlife are loving your place right now! Focus on any success no matter how small!
So lovely to see you, Katrina! All the kind, supportive comments here: I second them all!
Urgh, I feel your pain Katrina. The weather in the UK has been shocking this year. But, your beans look great and hopefully you’ve got more raspberries, and potatoes on the way. The shaggy texture of that sunflower reminds me of bumble bees, absolutely stunning ❤
Its great to have you back Katrina. Everyone I know is disheartened this year, both of them even talking about throwing in the trowel for good.
Perhaps it's exactly what " they're " hoping we and all the farmers do! 😤
Same everywhere hun. Next year will be better
I'm also in Nottinghamshire and feel just the same.
Apart from lettuce, garlic and onions, the weather seems to have thrown everything out of whack.
I've grown the cucumbers and tomatoes outside for the second year because the greenhouse is just too hot.
I think we are beginning to slowly adapt and we are learning to choose better growing crops.
Let's see what happens eh! Keep at it - it's great to see a local RUclipsr on here
Glad to see you back, and you have some lovely flowers in your garden, even if a tough year with the veggies 👍👍
Great to see you back, your garden still looking marvellous 💚💚
Hi Kat, it has very much been a year of struggle in the garden. Slugageddon and so much rain and very little sun. All the rain though has meant a good berry harvest (not strawberries, the snails got most of mine it was soul destroying) but I have lots of apples and now my french beans have grown through the snail damage we have got a glut which we are enjoying. It has been difficult to keep positive for sure, but it is all part of the learning curve. Nice to see you back. Your dahlias and Zinnias are stunning.
I agree about the slugs, they've been horrendous this year & with all the rain & low light levels it's been challenging to say the least.
I've grown the Golden Wonder variety this year, They are a hard potato & didn't really do mash or roasted very well for me. Crisps however are fantastic, I cut lots of thin slices with a mandolin & they make fantastic crisps.
I really feel for you and understand, I think many many people are feeling the same and for many reasons that just get into your head and hurt. If it was possible to give out a massive group hug I would.
Loving having a roam around your allotment so thank you for that, and its lovely to see you back.
I found some times you just have to sit and watch the garden grow the way it wants too. Then the next year start again; keep it fun that the answer, if it goes wrong it goose wrong but it when it goes right it goes so right
Hey good to see you. Sometimes life just takes over.
The garden may be a bit wild but you’ve clearly got some great things happening too.
Don’t stress about the things that didn’t go quite right and embrace the wins.
We’ve had a really nasty drought in South Australia through Autumn and Winter. It’s really put the mocker on some of the crops we usually enjoy. And life has thrown some bumps in the road for me too. But we’ve had some good wins and kept improving the garden through it all.
Take very good care of yourself Kat. Best wishes from down under.
It's great that your garden is still alive. I went on vacation for 1 week during the summer in 2019 and found my veggies and fruit all dead. The only thing thriving were my crepe myrtles and my asparagus.
We have never had a year in the 18 years we've lived here in Cambridgeshire that our raspberries have been untouched, they get sawfly so bad, they decimate the leaves and end up with wrigglers in the fruit :( And that's even with brand new ones, Summer and Autumn ones. So it's amazing to see you're looking so good!
You are not alone with how you're feeling about this season! I was so dejected this year as well. Sowed carrots twice only to fatten up all the slugs in the garden, same with cauliflower and here in Ireland it's rained probably 90% of the days since March. I finally got a little pick me up when I harvested a good lot of charlottes and August has been alright weather wise. Great seeing videos again but take your time and relax back into it
Much love from the Midwest, US! It has been a rainy season here, too. It’s nice to see you again!