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, but that's a lot of potatoes to plant if you only have a small amount of space. Some allotment shops buy in seed potatoes then break up the packs so that you can buy smaller amounts. Similarly, potato fairs like the one held at Garden Organic in Coventry

.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

I'm not a great one for growing flowers on my plot. Maybe I shy away from raising flowering plants on the allotment because I grow so many in my main job (as head gardener at The Bath Priory Hotel). I've grown marigolds as companion plants

I was pleased with this year's Christmas harvest – much of our Christmas dinner was allotment produce. King Edward potatoes from the garage were roasted, Charlotte new potatoes from store were steamed. Greens took the form of braised leeks and

next year. So here are my allotment New Year resolutions for 2009:I must grow crops that don't require regular picking as I don't live close enough to the plot to get there more than a couple of times a week. That's just not enough to harvest runner

. This was looking fab — big, bushy and full of promise for early spring harvests. That was until last week's winds which blew the netting off, exposing my lovely plants to the ravenous attentions of the local flock of peckish pigeons.Of course, my tardiness

will take place this week. I'll be planting main crop potato varieties and onion sets. The lighter evenings make such a difference — I'll be able to pop down after work.My main crop bed is already prepared. I dug it over and raked in blood, fish and bone. I

prolific weeds in my beds. It's actually quite a charming plant, with little blue flowers and a creeping habit. But it gets everywhere. It has a nasty habit of hiding under plants, where it sets its roots down close to the stem. This makes it difficult

I love this weather, it's just the right mix of fresh, dewy mornings and cracking sunny afternoons. The plants seem to enjoy it too, as long as they get watered regularly.On the plot, everything is coming along nicely - the onions and shallots have

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