Recently I’ve been asked by a few people if they could come and visit my allotment, to have a little tour of the plot and to chat and drink tea. So I’ve been toying with the idea of having a Lavender and Leeks open day and simply wondered if it would be a good idea? Obviously there’s no point having an open day if noone wants to come!
I was thinking of having it in the Summer so there’s lots to see and we could go visit my Dad’s plot too, we could have a BBQ or a picnic with plenty of cake and tea made in the little purple shed as well. We might even be able to harvest some vegetables or fruit fresh from the plot and to cook and eat it right there.
It would be great to meet you all and to chat about all things garden related (and non garden related too!), it’s just an idea so far but it would be great to hear all your feedback and to see if anyone would want to come along and visit me down in sunny Southampton
12 thoughts on “Open Day”
Hey Katie
I think it’s and Absolutely Fabbalous Idea.
But get folk to bring Cake don’t do all the work yourself.
I would love to come but a bit distant away near Edinburgh.
However we are journeying down south often ( Relatives in Salisbury) and although we haven’t got any plans to be as far down as that in July or August at the moment you never know!
We are just about to travel down on 4th June to go across to France then on the way back attend Our Nephews Wedding on the 21st June in Warminster.
We’ve got a few days in Salibury between 15th - 19th June but will be catching up with my Family in Portsmouth.
Very excited to have received an invitation in the post yesterday to attend the Queens Garden Party at Holyrood on 1st July!!!
We are down in Yorkshire second weekend in August but I guess you’ll aim for a weekend for your open day anyway so it’s not like we could extend.
Hey ho I’ll catch up with you at one of your events if your not a celebrity gardener by then and presenting on Gardeners World or the like!!!!
Keep the vids coming and I’m gonna have to order something soon as I can’t wait that long till our next trip down!!
All the best Penny 😜😝😛😉
As a fellow Hampshire allotment holder it would be a pleasure to pay your site a visit, and you’re welcome to drop by on mine anytime.
Just a word of caution, you may lose your privacy if you do this ! I would think very carefully and also consider the people on the other plots.
Paul
I would advise against this. You would not only lose your privacy, but the other people at the allotment would be hampered in their work by the crowd. And then after it, people may feel they can just come by anytime. At our community gardens here in Ann Arbor, MI, USA there used to be a person who would just stroll through and harvest at will; I worry that an open house (fantastic though it would be!) would encourage more of that sort of thing.
Good luck either way, Melanie
ps I love your website and youtube videos - they are so encouraging!!
I know of someone who has a gorgeous garden at her home. Twice a year she opens up her garden for a tour with a select number of people and with a price tag attached. The people who show up are avid gardeners interested in seeing her garden and learning about how she grows certain things (she has gorgeous espaliered fruit trees amongst other wonderful things.) I think it can be done, but I also think you should charge a price that would encourage the serious gardener and not someone just curious about meeting someone they follow online. Good luck! (if I lived in the UK, I’d love to do a garden tour!)
While I think your intentions are wonderful, like the other commentators I would be cautious about opening this door.
“While I think your intentions are wonderful, like the other commentators I would be cautious about opening this door.”
Could not agree more and also for reasons that were not mentioned. I would love to visit, tho, but no. Still, we love you, Katie!
I know there are lots of allotments now that open up to the public in The National Garden Scheme and I’m sure they are not as nice as you beautiful allotment. I’m sure it would go well. Good luck in what ever you decide.
I would love to come, maybe another year, it is far from Sweden! A friend of mine had open garden last year, and it was a big succés: People could drop in between 10 o clock in the morning and 5 or 6 o clock in the afternoon. You could buy tea and homemade cake . The big question is: “Do plot 15 have enough room for all of us?
I’d love to visit, especially being 1 hourish away. My first thought was also, but what about the other allotments around you, how would they feel about the crowd? If you decide doing an open garden day, I’ll be there and even bring cakes.
Dear Katie, I am watching from Florida and really enjoy your presentation. I think if you made appointments for maybe doing an individual or small group workshop for a day or even half a day would be easier to manage than a larger group. I really think you should charge for your time and expertise. It would be a great day out especially if you prepared something from your garden. Keep up the good work.
I’d love it! I’m a fellow Hampshire Lottie holder and have been endlessly inspired by your blog and vids. You’ve got to feel happy obviously but I’d love a chance to have a real life look around and share ideas 😊