At our latest monthly meeting, we welcomed the dynamic gardening duo Elaine and Julia (AKA The Potty Plotters). They swept in from Derby with armfuls of humour, down‑to‑earth gardening wisdom, and plenty of cheeky energy which had us laughing, and there were a few “potty‑mouthed” moments too.

Their stories from allotment life were as entertaining as they were relatable, proving that growing your own fruit, veg, and flowers doesn’t need to be complicated. Whether you’ve got a sprawling garden or just a sunny windowsill, they showed that delicious homegrown food is within everyone’s reach. Following this ethos of making gardening for everyone, The Potty Plotters’ speaker’s fee will go towards their charity to support other gardeners. The Plotters were especially proud of their legendary loofahs (which, as they gleefully reminded us, even Monty Don can’t grow for toffee!). In fact, The Potty Plotters were so proud of their loofahs that they handed out seeds for everyone to plant in March; encouraging us to grow them for use in naughty party games, as gifts, or slice them up and use as fully compostable dish scourers.

It was educational, hilarious, and refreshingly different from some of our usual sessions. A massive thank you to Elaine and Julia for reminding us all to find joy in the garden—mishaps and all.

Catch more of their advice on The Potty Plotters “Plotcast” on BBC Radio Derby, every Sunday between 11:30am and 12:30pm, or recorded episodes on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.