Look at my bulging trophy cabinet

That sounded more wrong than I hoped. But anyway. The wonderfully named Batman Has An Allotment has nominated me for the Liebster award, which has swelled my ego considerably.

“Liebster” (meaning favourite in German) is a blogging tool for amateur bloggers with under 200 subscribers, to share related blogs with each other. As part of the nomination, Batman has challenged me to answer ten questions.

Do you have a favourite gardening book?

I might have too many to choose from. My RHS Encyclodpaedias are used a lot and I also like Bob Flowerdew’s Organic Gardening Bible and James Wong’s Homegrown Revolution. That’s more than one book, sorry.

Do you use crop rotation on your plot?

It’s only my first year with an allotment, but I’m planning to.

What’s the worst pest on your plot?

SLUGS. The farmers hate them too. There are millions around here because of the mild winters and heavy clay soil that never dries out.

What’s your favourite thing you’ve grown?

Peppers. If you’ve never grown them then do it, they taste a million times more amazing than any you could buy.

What colour is your shed?

Green. Mr The Digger built it himself out of scrap wood and it looks awesome.

What exotic plant would you love to be able to grow?

So many to choose from but I’d probably say a cashew tree because we eat quite a lot of them. Or bananas, that would be handy as well.

What’s your favourite tool and why?

My bypass secateurs. They are constantly in my back pocket. I may have accidentally gone out with them still there, but at least my shrubbery is tidy (OK, I’ll stop now).

What is the one vegetable you just can’t grow?

Radishes and lettuce. The seedlings just disappear overnight. Bloody slugs.

What was the last bird you saw on your plot?

A fat wood pigeon sitting on the new fruit cage frame, thus proving that it is quite sturdy.

Do you use green manures?

I am planning to this year, I’ve just got my phacelia seeds through the post.

 

Now it’s my turn to nominate five of my favourite blogs. Soooo, I’m going to choose:

Smallholding Dreams, whose recipes always make me hungry.

The Biking Gardener, who understands the therapeutic benefits of both gardening and the open road.

Reclaiming Paradise, who has a very similar philosophy to me and is on an important mission to avenge some trees.

Been There, Dug That, whose allotment adventures I have been following.

The Blooming Garden, for her beautiful, inspiring photos which have increased my ‘plants I want to grow’ list by about 500%.

 

1) Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.

2)  Display the award on your blog (could be in your sidebar or as part of a post).

3) Answer 10 questions about your blog.

My questions for you:

What are you growing for the first time this year?

How do you encourage wildlife into your garden?

What’s your favourite native plant?

What’s your best organic gardening tip?

Which garden has inspired you most?

You have a glut of courgettes- what do you make with them?

What plants would you put in a shady border?

What’s been your proudest gardening moment?

Which plant do you just not get, despite everyone else loving it?

How would you describe your garden to someone that had never seen it?

4) Nominate 5 of your favourite blogs that have a less than 200 followers.

6) Create a new list of questions for the bloggers to answer.

7) Inform the people/blogs that you nominate and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!).

 

Batman missed out number five. That’s just how she rolls. Thank you again, Batman, for the nomination.