Orto di Casa Cecconi

My first allotment, and then one thing leading to another…

L’orto di Casa Cecconi Plants Recipes Me & Kew One Year at Wisley

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  • Pruning (Week 3, Friday)

    Pruning is something I have never done much for various reasons so I am keen to learn more. This early morning it was raining so we did not go out straight away, and I took the opportunity to try and sharpen my secateurs on my own.  I popped into the toolshed and observed a colleague…

  • Stripes and stars (Week 3, Thursday)

    Today I went back to the Japanese Landscape: it was a gorgeous sunny day and the grass is starting to grow fast, so we had to mow the lawn. There is a specific department that takes care of the sward at Kew with ride-ons, but for the smaller areas we use lawnmowers. My parents’ garden…

  • Fireblight (Week 3, Wednesday)

    The Rosaceae family of plants, and the sub-family Maloidae (those with pome fruits) in particular, are affected by fireblight, which is a disease caused by bacterium Erwinia amylovora; it affects blossom and shoots and may lead to the death of the plant. Fireblight used to be a notifiable disease, and governments are still trying to keep it in…

  • Squaring the circle – reprise (Week 3, Tuesday)

    Our teamwork today was again planting trees, something which I really looked forward to: 1. I had enjoyed it the last time 2. wanted to refresh my memory on the technique 3. the weather was good… You can see the square hole, the planting hole, and the planted tree clearly in the pictures. This time…

  • Kew’s library (Week 3, Monday)

    The highlight of the day today was a visit to Kew’s library, which was born out of the Herbarium (which we will visit next week) and which is actually known as “Library, Art & Archives” because it does not manage only books… have you ever visited the Marianne North Gallery? I usually prefer the outside,…

  • Zen and the art of leaf gathering (Week 2, Friday)

    It was with some hesitation that this morning I made my way to the Japanese Landscape. It is a rather formal garden, and working on it felt pretty daunting. Edging, which by now I can do fairly well, and picking up the magnolia leaves that the inclement weather has scattered all over the place the…

  • Going about one’s business (Week 2, Thursday)

    Another day of bed maintenance, which is what we are here to do! I am now mostly self-sufficient in getting the tools together before starting the day, such a relief! 🙂 When I first joined I had a locker assigned to me with a standard kit, then, over the last two weeks, I have collected…

About Me

M.Paola M.Paola, that’s me

I got my first allotment in the UK in 2007 and started gI got my first allotment in the UK in 2007 and started growing my own food. Learning as I went along was not enough, so I studied horticulture. Faced with the horticultural warfare, I became a conscientious objector: I use no chemicals and support organic principles and regulations.

Brexit gave me a new life in the Netherlands, three new plots by a nature reserve and an MSc in sustainable food systems.

I write in my personal capacity and, as a language perfectionist and a non native speaker, I keep reviewing my entries’ text for clarity.

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