Hello gardeners – I’m back with the 3rd in this series of interview posts. I set out to talk to gardeners who have blogs or YouTube channels.
I wanted to learn more about them, their interests, what kind of content they create, how they got started with gardening, and more.
Below, you can read our third interview with Emma Bailey, who runs the blog The Pink Shed.
Enjoy!
1. What is your name and location?
My name is Emma Bailey and I am from South London, UK.
2. What is the name of your website, and what topics does it focus on?
My website is called The Pink Shed and it focuses on allotment gardening.
3. What is an interesting fact about you?
I have no gardening experience prior to getting my allotment plot 3 years ago. I learned how to grow my own food through trial and error and document my journey on YouTube and over on Instagram so others can feel confident enough to give growing a go too!
4. What is an interesting fact about gardening that not many people know?
That failure is actually the best way to learn! The best thing that happened on my allotment plot, was when my entire crop of pumpkins were eaten by pigeons.
It taught me the importance of early crop protection. I’ve never made that mistake since. My failure turned into one of my biggest gardening lessons.
5. What is your favorite topic in gardening? What got you interested in that topic?
Growing food is my favourite topic in gardening. I think there is just something so incredible about being able to grow something you can then take to the kitchen and cook and eat. It’s an invaluable life lesson that everyone really should know how to do!
6. What is your favorite plant? Why?
My favourite plants are pumpkin plants. I find them so magical and it always amazes me how such a huge crop can come from a seed.
7. What is your gardening nemesis?
Slugs! These slimy, ravenous creatures are my greatest challenge at my allotment plot and I’m constantly trying to find better eco-friendly ways to deter them from eating everything!
8. What is the biggest gardening mistake you have made? What did you learn from it?
My biggest mistake was probably spraying my pumpkin plants with washing up liquid mixed with bicarbonate of soda in an attempt to stop the mildew.
The soap caused bubbles on the leaves, which allowed the sun to absolutely scorch the plants into oblivion!
9. What is your favorite gardening gear? Why?
I’m a big believer that you don’t need to spend a lot to grow a productive garden, so I use whatever second hand tools I can find. I do believe in a good quality pair of gardening gloves though.
10. What is your favorite gardening article that you have written on your site?
My favourite article is ‘5 biggest mistakes I made when I first got my allotment plot’ (you can read the article here).
11. Are there any gardening blogs, apps, YouTube channels, Pinterest pages, etc. that you like?
I have my own instagram here: http://www.instagram.com/emmasallotmentdiaries but I also like Amy from Chicks and Veg.
12. How many posts do you have on your website?
I have over 50 posts on my website.
13. How many posts do you write per week/month?
I write between 8-10 posts a month on my website.
14. How long have you been interested in gardening?
I’ve had my allotment plot for 3 years now and this will be my 4th growing year! But I’ve been interested in gardening for a long time before getting my allotment.
15. How many different types of plants do you have?
I mainly grow annuals, but I try to grow as much as I can every year so I always have something to harvest.
16. Is there anything else about gardening or your website that you would like to mention?
I vlog on my Youtube which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/@emmasallotmentdiaries
Emma, thank you for taking the time to do this interview!
If you want to check out Emma’s posts on allotments, growing food, and gardening, you can find them here.
I hope you enjoyed this gardener interview, and I hope you learned something interesting today. Check back soon for more interviews!
You can find our previous gardener interview here.
You can find the next gardener interview here.
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~Jonathon