Hello
I'm Jenny Thompson, an allotment holder turned professional kitchen gardener living in south Devon, UK
Hello
I'm Jenny Thompson, an allotment holder turned professional kitchen gardener living in south Devon, UK
I'm Jenny Thompson, an allotment holder turned professional kitchen gardener living in south Devon, UK
I'm Jenny Thompson, an allotment holder turned professional kitchen gardener living in south Devon, UK
Hello, I'm Jenny Thompson, also known as Organic Allotment Girl. You might have stumbled upon my Instagram account, where I share my love for gardening and document my cherished allotment.
Back in 2016, shortly after becoming a mother, I took on my allotment, and it turned out to be the best decision I ever made. Motherhood was unexpectedly challenging, affecting my mental health.
However, having a patch of land to care for, be creative with, and connect to was exactly what I needed.
Beyond growing beautiful vegetables, my allotment has brought me health, happiness, and a sense of purpose. I feel incredibly privileged to have this opportunity to create a stunning garden and teach my son about the wonders of growing food.
I'm proud to say that I embrace organic gardening practices, completely avoiding artificial fertilisers and chemicals. Instead, I focus on building healthy soil following no-dig principles, which has yielded amazing results.
In terms of my career, I previously worked in the hospitality industry, using my Management Degree and years of experience to support small businesses in all aspects of their operations including marketing, events and human resources.
In 2019 I decided to further my passion for growing and studied Permaculture to design and create a a small-scale flower farm on the edge of Dartmoor. This gave me the confidence and experience to leave hospitality management behind and I am thrilled to say I now work full-time as a Kitchen Gardener.
Oh, and by the way, I should mention that I am now well into my forties, so any suggestions for a name change are welcome! Perhaps Organic Allotment Lady?
Wishing you a joyful gardening journey! 💚
Jenny x
Gardening organically is not just about ditching the chemicals.
It is a mind-set, one which accepts and encourages Mother Nature's ways - working with her - to create an ecosystem that benefits more than just ourselves.
As part of my hospitality career I was lucky enough to manage The Riverford Field Ktichen and it really opened my eyes and taught me a lot about the benefits of organic growing and farming.
Whilst working for Riverford I met my partner Bob, a chef with a mastery of vegetables. Many years and one organic baby later, we love growing our own vegetables. Well actually I love growing them, he loves cooking them and we all love eating them - a perfect set-up!
The soil is everything.
By not disturbing the earth and mulching with organic matter from above we create a healthy, living soil teeming with microorganisms.
Feed the soil, not plants.
I first read about no-dig in a book called 'Salad Leaves for all Seasons' by Charles Dowding. I was hooked and knew 100% that this was the way I wanted to look after my plot.
A weekend market gardening course in 2017 with the man himself followed and I have never looked back.
The results from looking after the soil in this way have spoken for themselves.
Earth care, people care, fair shares.
For me permaculture draws on great knowledge, wisdom and practices that our ancestors and indigenous people have known way before modern agriculture and western ways of living started making a mess of things.
My journey and respect into this knowledge is only just beginning.
I completed my Permaculture Design Certificate in 2020 after 6 months of learning with the Apricot Centre in Totnes.
Permaculture has helped me to see the world differently. We are not separate from nature, we are nature, and we cannot carry on living so egocentrically taking whatever we need at whatever cost.
I write a bit too. If you need someone to wax lyrical about growing your own food & flowers get in touch!
Alongside tending to my allotment, being a mum and working part-time I designed and built a small scale flower farm
Copyright © 2023 Organic Allotment Girl - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder