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Stone Cottage Garden

@stonecottage_garden_

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From the cottage garden to the allotment — growing food, flowers and confidence. Shropshire soil really is magic! @muxton_meadows #StoneCottageGarden

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Just a little shout out to everybody 🌿✨

For those who don’t know me, I’m Laura 👋
Usually covered in compost somewhere between Hereford, Bridgnorth, Ludlow and Tewkesbury/Cheltenham areas 😂 My allotment plot is @muxton_meadows @rootsallotments and my garden is back home in Bridgnorth/Hereford/Telford

I’ve got two cats, Borris & Bella 🐾 and two rescue dogs, Zeus & GG 💚 who definitely keep life interesting.

I’m still very much here, although I haven’t been as active recently. Sadly we’ve had a death in the family, and between health issues and finalising business plans, days and weeks seem to disappear very quickly lately.

I also want to say a massive thank you to @redhairedgardener and @ts_little_garden for checking in on me. We’ve only connected through gardening, which honestly proves exactly why they say gardeners are such special people 🌱

Over the next few weeks I’ll be catching up on everybody’s progress because everything I’ve seen so far is looking absolutely amazing 🌸

Pumpkin challenge accepted too @hit_and_miss_gardener 🎃😂 super impressed with yours so far and my double patch allotment game is coming on strong now.

I’ve also applied for the 2027 London Marathon in the hope I can raise money and awareness for ADHD UK and late ADHD diagnosis, as receiving my own late diagnosis has genuinely changed my life.

Apparently so have another million people though 😂 so fingers crossed for me 🤞💚 #happygardeninglife by @stonecottage_garden_

🧡 October is ADHD Awareness Month.

Before I was a woman diagnosed at 38 with severe combined ADHD, I was a little girl who grew up being told she was “too much.”

Too loud. Too sensitive. Too emotional. Always talking. Always being told to calm down.

When you hear those things growing up, you start believing you’re the problem. You carry that shame into adulthood, trying to understand why things feel so difficult and why you can’t just be like everyone else.

As a teenager alcohol and cocaine took over my life. What became a way of escaping what was happening inside my head brought more pain into my life.

In March, I’ll be three years sober. That means so much to me. But being sober hasn’t silenced my mind. I still struggle with dark, intrusive thoughts that can take over and have a huge impact on my mental health. You can see me smiling and have no idea what I’m trying to get through inside.

Sowing seeds and watching things grow has saved me. Having something to nurture, something to look forward to, and somewhere to put all those thoughts and feelings has given me a way through some of my hardest days. Gardening hasn’t made every struggle disappear, but it has brought purpose, moments of peace and hope back into my life. 🌱

I often grieve for what could have been. Had I known as a child or teenager, I could have had medication, support and a chance to learn how to manage my behaviour and emotions. I can’t know exactly how different life would have been, but I wish I’d had that opportunity.

Instead, I spent years blaming myself for things I didn’t understand.

A diagnosis at 38 gave me answers. It didn’t undo the years of shame, addiction or feeling misunderstood.

That little girl needed help understanding her brain. She needed someone to see beyond her behaviour and ask why she was struggling.

I’m sharing this because awareness needs to lead to support. Children deserve to grow up understanding themselves, and adults who were missed deserve to be heard too. 🧡

#ADHDAwarenessMonth #WomenWithADHD #LateDiagnosedADHD #ADHDRecovery #HiddenDisability GardeningForMentalHealth by @stonecottage_garden_

Big love to @rootsallotments —it’s becoming such a special place for me. A lot of planning, muddy hands and learning as I go, but I’m proud of this little plot 💚

A little autumn planting for a lovely spring harvest 🌱💚

Today at the plot: 7 rows of 6 cabbages planted out, plus 42 cloves of ‘Sprint’ hardneck garlic! 🥬🧄

I sowed these ‘April’ cabbages back in August using seeds from @kingsseeds , which I won in @sams_growingfood ’ competition. Seeing them go from tiny seeds to filling a bed is such a good feeling 🥰

I bought my garlic at the Malvern Autumn Show @malvernshows and started it off in September as advised, using egg boxes just like last year. Once the cloves have rooted, I plant them out 🧄🌱

I’ve also used nematodes from @ladybirdplantcare to help control the slugs—a biological approach using living organisms to protect all that hard work.

Sprint is an extra-early hardneck garlic, with the supplier suggesting harvesting from April onwards. Hardnecks suit colder growing conditions, although with my heavy clay, good drainage is still key!

The aim is spring cabbage and early garlic harvests around April, weather and growth allowing, then space ready for the next round of spring and summer planting 🙌

Shoutout to @trapaeolum for her photography on the cabbages 😘 by @stonecottage_garden_

Gifted by Wool Pots 💚 @woolpots.uk

June’s harvest is why I’m starting again 🌱

My last batch of broad beans started in wool pots and gave us this lovely harvest in June plus many, many more. Now I’m sowing 30 for next year—and the wool pots are back out!

Lottie and her dad Graham, co-founder of Wool Pots, kindly sent me these as a gift after discovering my absolute love for them and British farming. Thank you both 💚

A little Wool Pots tip from Lottie: leave a 2–3cm gap between each pot so more oxygen can reach the roots and the roots don’t tangle together. 🌱💚

I’m a Hereford girl, and I still remember standing in the market, holding my grandad’s hand and listening to the sheep being sold. He’s the man who inspired my love of gardening in the first place. Growing with wool brings those two parts of my life together, and that means something to me.

They help me use less plastic, and the whole pot can be planted into the soil, helping reduce disturbance to developing roots. The wool gradually biodegrades, returning organic material to the soil.

Wool Pots also recommend leaving the rim slightly above the soil to help deter slugs and snails—something that certainly appeals to me with the slugs in my garden!

Swipe through for the growing, the June harvest and the next beginning at Stone Cottage Garden 💚

Have you tried wool pots? by @stonecottage_garden_

A wheelbarrow full of carrots and a table full of pumpkins. I stood back and thought: this is a dream come true. 🧡

We harvested celeriac, beetroot, leeks and carrots from five different varieties. I’ll do a separate post about the carrots, but the purple ones did best this year! The sunflower heads came home too, ready to save their seeds.

There’s more food here than we can eat ourselves, so plenty is being passed on to friends and family. Nothing wasted. Seeing it all together after months of growing feels amazing.

Murphy, Lisa’s dog, joined us for the day too 🐾 Thank you to Rach for our mini seed swap — I’m looking forward to Saturday! And thank you to Elish for the delightful tomatoes.

I have to mention the organic Vitax feed I used this year. Honestly, the best feed I’ve ever used!

And pumpkin growers, look out… next season I’m dreaming pretty big! 🎃🌻🥕 by @stonecottage_garden_

Malvern Autumn Show, you were exactly what I needed 🌸🎃

My endometriosis decided to show up in typical style and was playing up like hell. I packed heat pads and medication, and we picked Friday because I hoped it would be quieter. Arriving super early meant we missed the queues too, which made such a difference.

Meeting @petercooksbread was a dream of mine. His sourdough is honestly the best I’ve ever tasted. If you haven’t visited one of his bakeries, please do. He even makes the buns for The Beefy Boys, who are a pretty big deal in my hometown of Hereford 🍔 Peter is a national treasure.

@chris.bavin hosted the baking demonstration and was fabulous. Being neurodivergent, I can lose interest fast, but I felt so comfortable listening to him. Hearing advice from people like Chris and Peter, who’ve worked their way up, hits differently when you’re trying to build something yourself.

I also watched @jonathanmoseley flower arranging demonstration. It was getting busy, so we stood at the back, but I could have listened to him for hours. I got a cheeky photo with him and picked up a few bits from his stall. Yorkshire people really are bloody lovely 🌼

My partner in crime carried everything and made sure I actually stopped to eat, because ADHD 😂

Growing has changed my life, especially growing food and flowers. Sowing a seed asks you to be patient. On the heavy days, waiting for that first little shoot gives you something to hope for. Being outside, hearing the birds and the wind, then seeing what grew from something so tiny — I can’t really explain what that’s done for me.

A big thank you to everyone @malvernshows . The show was beautifully clean and spaced out, so I could enjoy it without feeling overwhelmed. And the plant station? Genius. I came home tired, inspired, and already thinking about what I want to grow next year 🌱 by @stonecottage_garden_

King Kong is HUGE 🎃😂

Three Atlantic Giants growing this year from @unwins.seeds, fed with @vitaxgarden organic tomato feed. I’ve popped wood underneath, carefully turned them where I can to even out the sizing, and now I’m leaving them until the foliage dies back. All three will be gifted. 🧡

And look at my carrots 😂🥕 Planted in March — six different varieties purely to see what performs best on our @rootsallotments @muxton_meadows . The big protective barrier has really helped with carrot fly and the Autumn Kings are looking unreal 😍 Harvest next week, then I’ll show you what actually worked!

I’ve had the best time doing this and learnt so much from the allotment community along the way.

Next year is the exciting bit — taking our own pesticide-free, organically grown produce straight into our food business and starting to connect with people across the UK.

Plot to plate. Literally. 🌱

Watch this space 💚 by @stonecottage_garden_

Old King Kong 🎃👑💚

My Atlantic Giant from @unwins.seeds is certainly living up to his name 😂 Look at the size of him! From one tiny seed to this absolute monster and he’s still going 🎃

I’ve been feeding him with @vitaxgarden Totally Organic tomato feed and I absolutely recommend it 🌱💚 He clearly approves 😂

I also have to give some credit to the lovely people at the allotment @muxton_meadows @rootsallotments @redhairedgardener @trapaeolum @cfitz69 who have been helping keep him watered while I’ve been otherwise engaged 😂💚 It really does take a village to raise a King Kong apparently 👑🎃

And FINALLY my hand is back to normal after being stung 🙌🏻🐝 Note to self… never help yourself to apples in summer without checking first because apparently drunk insects like to hide in them 🤣 Totally my own fault.

Did it hurt like absolute hell? YES 😂
Do I blame the little flying lunatic? Absolutely not.

Still love everything that buzzes, flies and makes our gardens what they are 🐝🦋💚✨

#AtlanticGiant #OldKingKong #organicgardening 🎃🌻💚 by @stonecottage_garden_

This is exactly why programmes like this worry me. Thankyou again @adhduk.co.uk

People watch documentaries and assume that because it’s on national television, what they’re being shown must be a fair and accurate representation. For many people watching, this may be the ONLY information they ever seek out about ADHD — and that matters.

ADHD isn’t a trend, an excuse or something invented by social media. It’s a recognised neurodevelopmental condition that affects people’s education, employment, relationships, finances, emotional regulation and everyday lives.

You can absolutely have conversations about diagnosis, medication and the way ADHD services are run — those conversations SHOULD happen. But calling something “The Great ADHD Myth?” before it’s even aired already sets a narrative. It invites people to question whether ADHD itself is real rather than having a balanced conversation about the issues surrounding it.

And involving a child coming off medication for television makes the responsibility to handle this properly even greater.

Those of us actually living with ADHD then have to deal with the aftermath — the comments, the disbelief, the “everyone’s got ADHD now”, the judgement around medication and people suddenly believing they understand our condition because they watched one programme.

Debate the system. Debate waiting lists. Debate prescribing. Debate diagnostic standards.

But please don’t turn the existence of ADHD into entertainment and call it a “myth” for engagement.

We already spend enough of our lives trying to explain that our disability is real. 💜

#ADHD by @stonecottage_garden_

Meet King Kong 🎃😂 @rootsallotments @muxton_meadows

My Atlantic Giant pumpkin that I absolutely DID NOT expect to become this invested in.

Started off as “oh I’ll grow a giant pumpkin this year, that’ll be fun” and has somehow turned into me checking on him like he’s a dependent, feeding him, moving him onto his little wooden throne and getting ridiculously excited every time he’s put weight on 🤣

He is currently taking over half the allotment, has absolutely no respect for personal space and I’m fairly certain he has plans for world domination.

But LOOK AT HIM 😭🎃💪 ( those Italian white sunflowers 🌻 🥰😮‍💨)

ADHD gardening at its finest… casually plant one seed and three months later it has a name, a organic feeding schedule and I’m emotionally attached. 😂

Come on King Kong… let’s see how bloody massive you can get! 🎃🔥 @hit_and_miss_gardener @fork.n.hell_allotment I’ve shown you mine now you show me yours 🤣. Seeds @unwins.seeds 💚 by @stonecottage_garden_

I haven't had much time to post recently because I've been making the most of the sunshine and spending every spare moment at the allotment, in the garden, or 🏃‍♀️running ☀️🌿

These past few weeks have been full of early mornings, seed sowing, watering cans, harvests and watching everything come to life. There's something incredibly rewarding about growing your own food, picking fresh vegetables, and seeing all the flowers bloom after months of care.

Back at home, my dahlias are finally starting to put on a beautiful display too, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the season brings. 🌸

Gardening has given me so much more than fruit, vegetables and flowers. It's given me peace, purpose, friendships and a real appreciation for the simple things in life.

Whether it's at the allotment or in the garden, there's nowhere I'd rather be. Here's to everyone I've met on here, and to a healthier, happier way of life. ✨💚

Happy growing, everyone. 🌱🌸 Good luck England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

#rootsallotments #farmergracy #flowers #fresh vegetables 😋 by @stonecottage_garden_

After chatting about my broad bean harvest this year @bbcgwlive , I was completely blown away to find these beautiful @woolpots.uk waiting for me in the post. 🥹🐑🌱

You can already see from my broad beans just how well they’ve grown, so I’m genuinely excited to see what else I can grow using these.

It was so lovely meeting everyone at the show and sharing our passion for gardening. A huge thank you for such a thoughtful gift. You truly are the future of gardening. Supporting British wool, reducing plastic, and backing our farmers is exactly the direction I hope gardening continues to move in.

Please get behind these if you can—they really are the future of gardening. Small changes like this can make such a big difference for our gardens, our environment, and @farming.uk
Shout out to @dilly_dally_farm for my tickets 🎟️ 🥰 another pair of stars in the making.
Thank you again for your kindness and generosity. I can’t wait to get these planted up and share the results with you all. ❤️🐑🌿 by @stonecottage_garden_