Product Description

Allotment gardening is becoming increasingly popular as more and more people discover that growing their own organic vegetables, fruit and herbs is an attractive and achievable option. Gardening also has additional benefits: it is an excellent way to take exercise and can be very therapeutic. The Allotment Handbook is full of practical information and tips on every aspect of growing produce on an allotment. Beginning with the basics, there is information on finding a plot, preparing the soil, dealing with weeds, crop rotation and planting the beds. A chapter on gardening techniques covers propagation, protecting your plants, pruning and harvesting. A useful month-by-month section provides at-a-glance information on key tasks and gives pointers and tips to help keep the allotment productive all year round. Comprehensive directories of vegetables, fruit and herbs include information on sowing, varieties and pest and disease control. The book also includes useful information on allotments and the law, with resources and addresses for gardeners. With reliable, practical information and an easy-to-use format, this is the perfect companion for every existing or prospective allotment owne

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23043 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 192 pages

About the Author
Caroline Foley is a freelance garden writer who contributes to newspapers and magazines including Country Living and Gardens Illustrated. She trained as a garden designer at the English Gardening School and with the City and Guilds. Her first book, Practical Allotment Gardening is also published by New Holland. She lives in Islington, London.

Customer Reviews

everything you need to know about growing food
This is a brilliant book. I have been growing fruit and veg on my allotment for a couple of years now and this book has really helped me. I have plenty of heavyweight gardening manuals and guides, but this is my first point of call whenever I have a problem or question about what to do next. It covers all of the basics and a bit more without going into too much depth. Nine times out of ten it has all the info I need. It is well laid out and is full of useful information and practical advice.

If you are interested in growing your own food, but don't know where to start, or if you are an old hand but want an easy to read reference book that doesn't weigh in at 4 tonnes, then this is the book for you

the only allotment book you'll need - fantastic!
I agree entirely with the two reviews here. I won't bother repeating the same things they have said but just add one new point:
The thing I particularly like about this book is the section that is split into months - a 'chapter' for each month. This tells you all the things you should be doing that month including the preparations you should be making for planting, sewing, etc., in the following months. The information is clear, well put, and to the point.

It really is a great book. In my house there are several gardening books, but this is the one that I look to first - and it is usually the only one I need to look at too.

First point of reference
I have quite a number of books on allotment and vegetable gardening from the technical to the anecdotal. This is the one I refer to for planning and planting on a day to day basis.