Tamanna, Ayman and Halla Tend an Allotment

Background Information

Between 1939 and 1945, Britain was at war. It was difficult to bring food into the country. Everyone was told to 'dig for victory' by growing their own food. Many pieces of waste ground were turned into allotments.

Today, there are not as many allotments, but they are still around. Find out where they are in your area – look at a local map, or ask at the library. Allotments are rented out to grown-ups who want a small piece of land to grow vegetables and flowers.

The first thing to do with an allotment is to dig it over, pulling up the weeds and brambles. This is very hard work! You must get all the roots out of the soil, or weeds will re-grow. Wait for about six weeks, so that any weeds you have missed begin to grow – then you can spot them and pull them up. Leave some areas of grass as paths and just dig over square or rectangular beds (about 1m wide). This makes it easy to reach the plants.

Plants need food. Well-rotted horse manure is the best thing to use. Dig in the manure with a fork. Next, rake the beds flat. Now the ground is ready. Potatoes, beans, parsnips, turnips, leeks, onions and carrots are often grown on allotments. Find out more about the things people like to grow by following the links from this site. There are even special competitions for kids!