QueenBee allotment news

from QueenBee Harmony issue Autumn 2021

by Kathryn Grace

Ami with an i...

By Lucy Grace, our greenfingered QueenBee allotment manager

Growing our own in harmony with nature

“The harmony of something is the way in which its parts are combined into a pleasant arrangement.”

Greetings to you, reader.

I see you - I see that the past year and a half has turned your world upside down in more ways than you thought possible... and I see how hard you are working to get things upright again, through a new perspective, even despite the still uncertain ways of the world around us. You’re doing amazing things!

For many of us at the moment, it is a difficult time to catch hold of the word ‘harmony’ and feel it in our bones. But, what’s beautiful about the theme of this issue, is that it reminds us that harmony is waiting for us on the other side of all this, especially with everything COVID has taught us. Harmony itself is like a lesson we’ve learned; one of the positives to come out of it all.

Also, it reminds us that harmony has been co-existing with us all this time, outside, out in the urban wild where so many animal species and habitats have flourished in our absence. In our gardens this has been happening, too - especially since so many have taken to the soil since lockdown began, creating all things bright, beautiful and edible!

At the QueenBee allotment plot, harmony has really taken over this year as we’ve let it do it’s thing! With all the early Summer rain, the veg planted in late spring was well taken care of, without the need for us to visit and water plants ourselves. No visits means no weeding, so of course the ‘weeds’ grew too - many different wild flowering plants that would usually be considered a nuisance or removed from the ground well before it’s had the opportunity to show itself off. Letting these flower on our plot has attracted so many more insects, and it’s benefitted our veg instead of stunting it’s growth - by sheltering the ground and keeping in the moisture, making the place look very luscious throughout!

**Our plot has been so fruitful this year!**

It has been so welcoming to return to the plot recently, and so fruitful! Check out the purple variety of potato below that we’ve grown - it’s like our veg is loving us back!