Allotment Blog

Welcome! Pull up a chair, grab a rich tea biscuit, and hopefully somebody will stir their stumps soon to make a nice big jug of lemon barley water - it won't be me though because I'm busy being the welcome committee.

What's it all about?

Well, gardening is the new sex, isn't it? Which means that allotment gardening is the new Kama Sutra. Okay, not really, but with its own film "Grow Your Own" about to hit the big (okay middle-sized and art cinema) screen and with half the world seeming to want to eat food produced on their doorsteps, allotments are more popular now than ever before. Growing your own fruit and veg is better for you and better for the planet, having a place to commune with nature is good for your health and spirit and the waiting lists for allotments have never been longer. It sounds like a completely positive story, doesn't it?

But allotments are also a bit scary, aren't they? I mean, all those old crusty men in flat caps who grow mammoth onions and sneer at newcomers... well this blog aims to demystify some of what the crusties talk about in such mysterious terms, to get excited about allotments, to look at the new and downright sexy things allotment gardeners are up to on their plots, and to work out what some of the rules and regulations of the allotment world actually mean.

Along the way we'll deal with common pitfalls (and no, I don't mean traps dug at night by the crusties to trap vegetable thieves), suggesting the best kit and equipment for allotmenteering, sharing recipes and tips, and generally having a good time.

You're welcome to suggest your own topics or chip in with your experience which will probably be somewhat more substantial than mine - I'm pretty new at this after all - and maybe we'll have some competitions along the way; but not for giant onions!