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When I first started growing shallots I did so on the advice of Sam, on our allotment (aged 90 he was still tending his plot twice a day). He told me to plant shallots on the shortest day and harvest them on the longest. I'm a bit more haphazard

We've just been allocated more space on the allotment, so we now have a full sized plot. As well as planting many more spuds - which will keep the 'old man' happy - we can also plant the cutting garden my daughter always wanted. Despite

the last quarter and the new moon.Plant leafy crops in period one, fruit crops in period two, root crops and perennials in period three, and take a break in period four (do housework, hoeing, pruning, making raised beds. Don't plant anything unless you

means getting them to produce nice little sprouts - just like they do when you've kept them in the cupboard for too long! Chitting potatoes is essential for producing good crops of early varieties and can also make a difference to maincrop harvests

.The allotment seems to be the ideal solution. There the fig can have its head and enjoy some space to expand. It will make a lovely, fast-growing, leafy plant for my plot and will add to the selection of fruits I already grow. Figs sucker terribly from

not been using aminopyralid.Dow AgroScience, which makes aminopyralid-based products such as Forefront, is offering advice to gardeners and allotment holders via the email address ukhotline@dow.com. Information collated by the manufacturers will be passed

, pelleted chicken manure or, best of all, urine. Men have the natural advantage when it comes to making compost - they can wee standing up.   So, two things have happened since the change of "stewardship". The first is that we have done away with collecting

Over the next few weeks, you may find a large wasp on the plot, which will turn out to be a queen. Having overwintered, queen wasps look for a place to start a brood, and may well decide that your shed (or in my case, compost heap), would make a

blackberries into large colanders.I say all this wistfully, because I still haven't found a good jam-making blackberry that I want to plant on the plot. An allotment friend has kindly given me a rooted cutting of 'Black Butte', but I note from the details

August can often feel like a tricky time on the allotment. Lots of things like salad potatoes and beetroot have been harvested, leaving large gaps or whole beds free. Then there's the interruption of a summer holiday - should you sow anything new