EXCLUSIVE BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK - 2021

I’m Kirsty Ward – better known as ‘My Little Allotment’, I’m 31 years old, mum of two and an absolute grow your own enthusiast. I started ‘My Little Allotment’ just over four years ago, after taking on an allotment to help my mental health and well-being. After a very difficult and traumatic pregnancy and birth of my second daughter Mila, my mental health was severely affected. I was later diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). I took on my allotment after reading about the benefits of 'focusing' therapy and its positive effect on PTSD. My allotment very quickly became my refuge, a place where I could relax and which ultimately saved me.

Gardening now plays an important role in my life. My allotment and garden take up a large part of my free time, and when I'm not gardening, I spend a lot of time giving talks on the benefits of gardening for one's well-being, blogging about my allotment, browsing gardening books, and getting involved in some really great and exciting gardening campaigns and exhibitions. I can safely say that without gardening, I wouldn't know what state my mind would be in. My allotment gives me the strength I need to cope with everyday life. It has not only saved me, but has also become a great passion and hobby that I thoroughly enjoy, and I know that I would like to work entirely in horticulture later on. The wonderful team at Muck Boot asked me to help them with their stand at the Chelsea Flower Show 2021, and of course, I didn't let this opportunity pass me by. 

Over the past few months, I've been involved in many aspects of the garden. First, I put some ideas for the stand on a mood board, incorporating themes of well-being and grow-your-own. The ideas were then passed on to the "Save the Bees" design team, who incorporated many of their own ideas and some of mine into a wonderful design. My main personal concern was that the space would bring together all the ideas of a feel-good garden in one place where you could sit and reflect. But it was also important to me to create a small area for growing your own, to show that gardening, whether flowers or vegetables, is good for our mental well-being.

For me, the stand should represent all the wonderful aspects of gardening and show how each individual part, down to the sounds, textures, smells, aromas, and colors, is presented to demonstrate that they can all have a positive influence on our well-being. I must honestly say that growing for the show was anything but easy. In general, this year has been one of the worst for me personally in terms of growing, and I think many others felt the same way. With a very cold winter, late frost, very little rain, then heavy rain, powdery mildew, etc., it was a really difficult year. I had planted a few of my boxes but lost some plants early in the year due to diseases and late frost, and it was difficult to turn the contents of the boxes back into green, healthy, and colorful plants so late in the season. Normally, at the end of September, I clean the beds in the allotment and prepare the soil for the next season. Since the Chelsea Flower Show was postponed to September, the whole thing was an entertaining but also challenging experience... which I incredibly enjoyed! It's an absolute dream to grow and present something at the Chelsea Flower Show, and I can't wait to show off my creations and my pumpkin decorations.

It was so much fun planting the Muck Boot boxes – I'll definitely be adding some creations like these to my allotment and garden. Top tips for working with wooden boxes: Make sure you line the boxes with a weed membrane or similar so the soil doesn't fall out, but they are still permeable so water can drain freely. After planting, apply a thin layer of mulch to the surface to help retain moisture in the soil. The contents of the boxes dry out easily, so you should water regularly. I've grown many different plants in them; they really are suitable for almost anything, from dahlias, beans, aubergines to chillies, herbs, etc. A huge THANK YOU to the Muck Boot team for this great opportunity and for allowing me to be part of something so special.

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