Overview

New paperback edition of Collins’ best-selling gardening title. This wonderfully illustrated book celebrates the blood, sweat and joy to be had in ‘growing your own’ in an allotment. Includes in-depth, practical gardening know-how, stories from allotmenteers and recipes. No longer considered the preserve of old men in sheds, allotment gardening is currently enjoying a renaissance of interest. People of all ages and from all walks of life are digging their own plots in search of the ultimate in fresh, organic produce – and you cannot get more locally-sourced than your own allotment! This book testifies to the new vibrancy of allotment culture, aiming both to inspire the next generation of plot-holders and to provide all the practical knowledge needed to turn a patch of soil into a lifelong adventure. Open to all the new eco-gardening techniques, and the various weird and wonderful ways people make use of their plots, contents include: • the history of allotments – from 19th century origins, through wartime ‘Dig for Victory’, to the cosmopolitan communities of today; features photos and interviews with current plot-holders • planning your perfect allotment – finding it, assessing it, clearing the ground and working out what to grow • the brown stuff – all you need to know about soil management, the key to growing success • choosing a gardening method – organic, biodynamic, rotation beds, companion planting, greenhouse, multi-level, potager, cottage garden, and so on… • the hard stuff – constructing sheds, compost bins, cold frames, fruit cages, ponds, seating and play areas • selecting crops – what and how to grow, from parsnips and peas to chilli peppers and lemon grass • cultivation techniques – digging, sowing, feeding, weeding and harvesting, plus troubleshooting pests and diseases • the allotment calendar – extensive, month-by-month look at what’s in season, jobs for now and looking ahead

Full Product Details

9780007270774

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Reviews

'It is full of colourful and relevant illustrations...The content is packed with excellent down-to-earth advice. Andy Clevely captures the essence of the allotment, showing how it is a relaxing a socialble way to garden. The Allotment Book is a must for the bookshelf.' - The Garden magazine 'This is an excellent book.' - The Telegraph 'It's the ultimate guide to a bumper harvest.' - Sunday Magazine 'Clear and concise, it will take pride of place in your garden shed.' - Daily Mail 'This book testifies the new vibrancy of allotment culture, and provides all the knowledge needed to turn a patch of soil into a lifelong adventure.' - The Northern Echo 'This is a book you'll want to return to again and again.' - Garden Answers 'This book is excellent, rising above the usual dutiful trek through chores and cultivars and capturing the life-expanding possibilities of a new plot.' - Optima Magazine

Author Information

Andi Clevely has been a working gardener for 35 years. He grew his first vegetable crops in the corner of a field whilst studying for an English degree at Oxford. Later, he rebelled from academic life to embark upon a gardening career, first in Leeds and then with the Crown Estate at Windsor Great Park, thereafter in private service. A vegetable grower at heart, he has always raised as much of his family’s food as possible, including a few years of ‘the good life’ with pigs, goats, rabbits, poultry and bees, as well as near self-sufficiency in fruit and vegetables. He now lives in mid-Wales and divides his time between writing, reclaiming a grassed-down allotment, and mentoring his grown-up children as they in turn discover the joys of growing their own. He has written over 20 gardening books and countless articles, and was awarded Practical Journalist of the Year by the Garden Writers’ Guild. He is also a regular TV presenter, appearing on Granada TV’s Cook’s Garden , filmed at a Manchester allotment, as well as presenting his own kitchen garden series From the Ground Up for Carlton TV.

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