Allotment guide | 4Food

Jamie At Home Guide to keeping an allotment

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Date Published:: 25/10/2007

Allotment advice

While you await your plot it is worthwhile doing a little preparation, and the internet can provide the perfect kick-start for your gardening adventure.

The National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners has long been recognised as the national representative for allotment gardeners.

Allotments UK provides a comprehensive guide to the subject with an excellent forum where gardeners swap hints and tips.

Allotment Growing is a more personal site, offering advice, forums and recipes as well as a brilliant diary updated regularly that takes you through the gardener's year.

Also indispensable is a gardening handbook to keep on-site that will help you tell your weeds from your Winter Savoy (allotments are not very wi-fi friendly).

There are plenty to choose from but of the newer ones, The Allotment Keeper's Handbook by Jane Perrone will get you started.

Where to get started

Try and get a plot near a water supply (this will save on endless traipsing back and forth with heavy buckets).
If you have children, get them involved with their own corner of the plot and their own tools.
Your plot should be within easy walking or cycling distance.
Be sociable. You may need some watering doing when on holiday.
Growing organic crops is not easy. Think carefully before committing yourself to this, especially if you are inexperienced.
Some crops are more pest-proof than others, so choose these for your first year.