Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3932 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-25
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Synopsis
"Allotment Gardening" is a practical guide to growing your own fruit and vegetables organically. Aimed at those who have not had an allotment before, or are new to growing their own, it is packed with advice - from choosing and planning your allotment through to harvesting and storing your produce. In Part One, Susan Berger discusses the basics, from tools, planning and clearing the site, to soil, crop rotation, planting and protecting plants. She also looks at design, growing techniques - from feeding and mulching to saving seed and supporting plants - and how to prevent and cope with common problems. A gardener's calendar, with detailed activities for each month, completes the section. Part Two gives detailed instructions on the cultivation of individual fruit, vegetables, flowers and herbs, along with recommendations for particular varieties, chosen for their flavour. Ideas for companion planting, and tips on storage and use of herbs are also included.

Each fruit and vegetable entry features an easy recipe to help you make the most of your fresh produce: simple soups from pea to pumpkin, unusual ways of serving vegetables, from Frizzled Brussel Sprouts to Roasted Beetroot with Thyme; more exotic dishes, from Sauteed Kohl Rabi to an earthy Ribollita; and easy recipes for puddings and jams. Illustrated with line drawings and over 30 full colour photographs, "Allotment Gardening" also includes a directory of organic seed suppliers and useful organizations.

From the Inside Flap
Aimed at those who have not had an allotment before, Allotment Gardening is packed with advice: from choosing and planning your allotment through to harvesting and storing your produce. Part One covers: tools; planning and clearing the site; soil, crop rotation; planting and protecting plants; design; growing techniques; common problems; gardener's calendar. Part Two includes and A-Z of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers; companion planting; storage tips; directory of organic seed suppliers; useful organizations. Each fruit and vegetable entry features easy recipes, such as Pumpkin Soup, Frizzled Brussel Sprouts, Roasted Beetroot with Thyme, Sauteed Kohlrabi, Ribollita, Blackcurrant Sorbet and Rhubarb Jam.

About the Author
Susan Berger trained at the English Gardening School at the Chelsea Physic Garden. She runs a successful garden design company, and her garden has been featured in The Sunday Times, Gardens Illustrated and Marie Claire Maison.

Customer Reviews

Not concise enough
This book is neither one thing nor t'other. It is not a hand-holding guide to setting up your allotment step-by-step, and it is certainly not a reference book. It has helped give me a few ideas, and most vegetables are covered, but it's infuriatingly difficult to find what you need, and leaves you guessing in vital areas. The tone is nice, and friendly, and soft, and unintimidating for a beginner, but the information is something of a damp squib.

All the basics in one book
I've had a very productive and quite big allotment for 2 and a half years now. This is the first allotment guide I ever bought and still the one I use the most. All of the basics are there in a clear and concise format. I've got no idea what the one-star reviewers are on about: I agree that it is not an exhaustive guide, but note that it is for BEGINNERS! An excellent choice if you're just starting out.

Really useful starters guide
I've been meaning to write this review for a while now as I've found this book to be a really useful guide to starting up my allotment which has been up and running just over a year now. I think it contains just the right level of information to get the beginner up and running and not put them off by overwhelming them with complex and superfluous gardening jargon. I felt as well that it had just the right balance between ideas on how to get the allotment up and running, soil improvement, crop rotation, seed suppliers etc.. and information on various veggies, herbs, companion plants and common pests. The recipes were a nice touch as well.

Overall, once you've got started and know what you want to grow you'll probably want to search out more detailed information but if you want help reaching that stage in the first place, you can't really go wrong with this book.