Crocheted plantpots

Crocheted plantpots at the ready!

Crocheted plantpots

‘Crocheted plantpots?’ I hear you asking. ‘Is that what you’ve been busy with recently? I realise that I’ve not posted here for some time now, but I have indeed been VERY busy. When not teaching in person and on Zoom I’ve been working on my new allotment… (Don’t forget, if you’d like a crochet or knitting lesson, see here, face-to-face in Thanet, and on Zoom anywhere).

The tiny, overgrown, weed-infested plot became mine a few months ago. I’d waited a year for one to become free. Here’s how the plot looked when I took it over. Quite a daunting prospect!

So to work!

Every spare moment recently I’ve been digging, weeding, raking, more weeding! I needed lots of advice from allotment neighbours and websites, like this one – the National Allotment Society.

It’s been backbreaking work, but at least on rainy days, I found time to pick up my crochet hook. The allotment was still on my mind, so I came up with these sweet, crocheted plantpots to sit on top of my bamboo canes. Here’s one with a (real) little marigold plant I grew at home.

one of the crocheted plantpots

They were used to mark my rows of potatoes, and brightened up the allotment before the veg started growing.

A row of crocheted plantpots

Sunflowers and beetroot join the crocheted plantpots

The plantpots looked so cheerful that I decided to design some other toppers! And here are the next couple – sunflowers and beetroot.

(And now I really do have sunflowers and beetroot planted on the plot too.) I crocheted the toppers in acrylic yarn to make them stand up to the weather and lightly stuffed them with polyester filling. Each has a hole in the bottom, so it fits over the top of the cane. I then simply tied the topper place with garden twine.

My toppers have so far been drawing admiring glances from my fellow allotmenteers.

The allotment takes shape

I’ve now cleared half of my allotment.

I’ve actually planted potatoes, broad and French beans, beetroot, sunflowers, Swiss chard and runner beans. (Can you spot the cane toppers in the background?). I have tomatoes, kale and broccoli waiting at home in the cold frame. So hopefully soon, it’ll be my veg attracting compliments too!