The Unexpected Gardener

Hi there, my name is Njoki, I'm an unexpected gardener who shares tips and tricks to get an abundant year round harvest. Stick around and learn with me.

  • The power of seasonal routines

    Having an allotment or gardening space is great! Time just seems to stand still as I work on a little patch, clearing some weeds or digging away in a new patch. As a mom however with other responsibilities, I’m conscious of how brief the snatches of time can be. Before long, the alarm you set…

  • Module Sowing vs Direct Sowing, which is better?

    When it comes to growing your own food, there seem to be two key methods that are popularly used in starting off plants. On the one hand, the received wisdom seems to be that module sowing is the best option for starting off your seeds. But I got to wondering, if it really was the…

  • How to restart a vegetable garden- A more gentle approach

    Sometimes, for whatever reason, a sickly relative to take care of or a difficult season dealing with pests or the  ravages of the weather, it becomes challenging to keep up with the garden. More weeds seem to be thriving than you’d like, and the pathways seem overgrown. The greenhouse looks like a jungle and even…

  • Amongst the weeds: plans, sowing, transplanting and harvesting for the week ending 8th June 2024

    We went away for a short holiday during the last few days of May and into the first few days of June and so there was no weekly reflection. On our return, I was suitably refreshed and raring to go again at the allotment. I realised that often my plans do not survive contact with…

  • Amongst the weeds: How am I faring on the allotment (week ending 25th May 2024)

    So I’m back with another update on how I got on at the allotment. I’ll be away from the allotment next week due to school half term so this update will be paused for a bit. But, I was glad of the progress I’d made last week and this trend continued at least on Monday…

  • Among the weeds: How am I faring on the allotment

    I thought it might be fun to review the week on the allotment, mainly to see what progress I’ve made (if any and reflect on how things are going). I know doing some reflective practice is useful, and I think especially so in gardening! What did I sow?  It’s been an absolute joy to have…

  • How to grow vegetables for your family all year round

    In the UK, it is considered difficult to grow enough vegetables to feed your family all your round from an allotment. Oftentimes, the advice given to ‘newbie’ growers- is to grow what you like to eat and be ready for the hunger gap! The common and accepted wisdom is that you’ll never grow everything you…

This is how it all started…

I have always had a simmering desire to grow food but thought I wasn’t such a good grower. Although I’ve been enthusiastic about it, it hasn’t always turned into reality. I grew up in Kenya, watching my mom, my dad, uncles and aunts all growing food with various levels of success. However, the realities of life soon kicked in, with going to university, working full time and then having a child. Time was suddenly very short, with demands even higher. I had my first allotment in the 2010’s but soon had to give it up. I couldn’t keep up but somehow the lure of a garden kept calling. I then signed up and got another one in 2021. It was unexpected as I’d just had a child and life felt even more complicated at times. But I remained hopeful, and kept learning. My allotment gives me great joy and its been my hope to continue growing. I hope to share what I learn as I go on a journey to becoming self sufficient in garden produce.