Published: 21 December 2025 · Watch on YouTube
Welcome back to My Windy Garden. This vlog is filmed in my garden in Chichester, West Sussex, and it’s a very December kind of update: not much is blooming, most plants are winding down, and the work is more about clearing, tidying and planning than flowers.
The main job this month has been in the veg patch. My raspberries have started spreading underneath and into the raised bed, and once I began digging I discovered an impressive (and very annoying!) network of roots running through the soil. I didn’t realise raspberries could travel quite so aggressively, so the decision is made: the raspberries are moving to the allotment.
I start by cutting the canes down to around knee height (about 50 cm) to make the area easier to work in. Digging the canes out fully will be another session, but trimming is the first step. Then I keep working through the bed, removing as many roots and new shoots as I can so they don’t pop up again everywhere in spring.
Once the raspberry roots are out, I really want to clear the whole section properly, add fresh compost, mulch it and let it rest for the remainder of winter. The digging disturbs the worms and the soil life, so the goal is to feed the bed afterwards and give it time to recover until spring.
I’m also sharing a quick update on the allotment. After the rain we’ve had so far, my plot is quite waterlogged. I’m hoping this is seasonal and things will settle as we head towards spring. I’m planning to mulch heavily with wood chips (especially around the raspberries once they move over) to help improve drainage over time.
I’m behind with garlic this year — the allotment wasn’t released until the end of October, and then my health took a turn, so the bulbs started sprouting in the shed (some even rotted). To save what’s left, I planted two varieties into modules rather than risking them rotting in the boggy allotment soil. I also finally got around to planting spring bulbs in pots: mostly narcissus, muscari and a few crocuses. No tulips for me anymore — they tend to rot in our wet winters.
Thanks so much for watching, and for the likes, comments and subscriptions. It genuinely means a lot and keeps me motivated. I’ll see you in the next video after the New Year.