About Us

 Right then, let me introduce myself! I'm Simon, a 60 year old father of six and a very proud grandad to seven wonderful grandchildren. I work evenings through to the early hours, which means most of the day is mine — and trust me, the garden and allotments don't let it go to waste!

I have two allotments that I work alongside my son Sam and my youngest daughter Iris. Together we make a proper little team, and I love nothing more than watching them learn the old ways — how to grow real food, how to get their hands dirty, and how to feed themselves properly. There's no better classroom than a muddy allotment on a crisp morning!

When I'm not up the plots, you'll likely find me in the workshop with a lawnmower or rotavator stripped down across the bench. Anything with a small engine has me absolutely hooked, and I've lost count of the old mowers, strimmers, generators and hedge trimmers I've brought back from the dead over the years. My latest rescue was a Wolseley Merry Tiller Super Major, and my faithful old Mantis tiller and Wolf-Garten kit do most of the heavy lifting up on the plots.

My greenhouses are always buzzing — something's germinating or growing in there every single month of the year. I grow as much as I possibly can from seed, veg and flowers alike, chemical-free for over thirty years now. I reckon I get all this passion from my dad. He was an allotmenteer most of his life and started teaching me when I was just a young lad. Some things just get passed down, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm married to my wonderful wife Sara, and we've been together since 1986. She keeps the home running and is the undisputed preserving queen around here — if it can be frozen, bottled or stored for winter, she'll have found a way. Her own blog, Frugal in Lincolnshire, is well worth a visit if you fancy learning what to do with a glut once we've dug it up. Then there's our daughter Fern, who steers well clear of the digging and the mud, but never misses a mealtime once whatever we've grown makes it to the table — different children, different talents, and she's found her own way of loving the allotment.

Sam's the muscle and the enthusiasm on the plots, forever charging in fork-first. Iris has the eye for a good photograph and a real knack for growing. And when the three of us aren't up there, you'll usually find me in the kitchen too, elbow-deep in dough — I bake all the family's bread myself, every Saturday, without fail.

This blog is simply us sharing it all: the harvests, the failures, the machinery, the mud. Thanks for stopping by — happy growing, and we'll see you on the plot.