Search - Articles

to having an allotment will inevitably mean a reappraisal of your garden at home. The most sensible thing to do is to make the garden as low-maintenance as possible, while still keeping the whole space a pleasant place to relax with family and friends.If you

on the train.Not one to miss an opportunity, I decided this might be a good time to 'share' the management of the whole allotment and make him a co-director. He was thrilled."I don't suppose you want to bother with borlotti beans", I ventured. What followed

and tolerate more shade than sweet cherries, though beware of claims that they grow well on north-facing walls as they can become spindly. When it comes to planting on an allotment or small space, their size and spread make them ideal.I've ordered a variety

that they struggle to have enough legroom and I'm sure it makes them more prone to that horrible mealy whitefly that brassicas get so often. It probably means that they don't sprout and shoot as much as they could too, which bothers me a lot as there's nothing

What a great chance to check out what other plotters are doing nearby! Events will be going on all over the country as part of this annual allotments week so keep your eyes on the local press for details. Or check out the ever useful worldwide web

and watering too often!It's all starting to make me think about next season and what my plot might have to offer. Okay the purple sprouting is underway and I've a few cabbages in the ground but not enough frankly. In my book you just can't have enough cabbages

. I think they're now ready for storage as the skins are dry and papery and they feel firm. Any that are soft or damp (which would make them prone to rotting during storage) will be kept in the kitchen to use first. The rest are going in string bags

and mushy – especially on the allotment. Overnight my nasturtiums, courgettes, squashes and pumpkins perished. Their remains looked messy and certainly didn’t reflect my autumnal efforts at weeding and tidying. Poor Ron next door has lost his rows of cutting

Making good compost has become something of an obsession for me lately. At idle moments, I've found myself contemplating the two heaps on my allotment. Affectionately called 'hedge heap' and 'new heap', I've been considering what else I could add

problems on the plot in the past couple of years. They make their nests down the side of my raised beds which means I get attacked and bitten when I'm weeding. I know an ant bite isn't much to whinge about, but there are an awful lot of them and they seem