Allotment Diaries Part 12 – Summer Water-Saving, Slug Tips and Free Plants
Tutor: Rachel Moore, print artist
Join Rachel for the twelfth instalment of her Allotment Diaries series!
Join keen wildlife gardener, allotment grower and resident VVH print maker and artist, Rachel Moore, for the latest instalment in her Allotment Diaries series. Rachel has been working her Kent allotment for nearly 20 years.
In this episode, Rachel sows biennials like foxgloves and honesty for next year’s flowers, tests more organic slug deterrents and shares water-saving tips for the summer months. She also shows how to get free plants from the garden centre (legally!).
Harvest season continues with onions and garlic, and Rachel shares her tips for curing and storing them through autumn and winter - all marking a full year of Allotment Diaries and a season of learning, growing and plenty of plot-side ups and downs.
Biennials are plants that live for two years and produce flowers in their second year. This video was recorded in June 2025.
In the Allotment Diaries series, join Rachel throughout the year as she shares tips for growing your own produce, along with the successes and challenges she faces each season. You’ll gain insight into what happens on an allotment, the unusual vegetables she's growing, and the wildlife that visits.
As Rachel says: “Don’t expect pristine produce or immaculately weeded, straight rows of veg!”
Video time
5 minutes
Catch up on last month's Allotment Diaries
Don't worry if you missed the last episode in Rachel's Allotment Diaries series, you can watch part 11 here!
