Allotments: A practical guide to growing your own fruit and vegetables (Smallholding) - Hardcover

An allotment is one of the best - and cheapest ways - of getting hold of valuable gardening space to grow you own. Plus it offers one of the most relaxing atmospheres with the chance to mix with fellow gardeners. Your allotment can provide enough fruit, veg and herbs to feed most small families (and cut flowers to adorn the kitchen table) - produce that will taste and look much better than anything shop bought. Jane Eastoe guides you through allotment life, from how to find an allotment, how to plan one out, what to grow, crop rotation, how to store your harvest plus some of the best recipes so you enjoy the fruits of your labour. Great gardening information is given for each crop - the obvious to the not so obvious - from potatoes and carrots to aubergines and chillies. What to grow when, what to grow where plus a calendar of work for the laziest to the most energetic allotment holder. With all the details on the cost of having an allotment, self-management, and protecting your allotment, this is the easiest guide to getting starting on allotment life. In addition to all the practical gardening techniques, the book has background information on local authority control, self-management options, and how to protect your allotment.

Jane Eastoe has been a journalist and author for over 25 years. She was chief contributor to the National Trust Book of the Countryside and is author of Home Grown Fruit, Allotments and Britain by Bike, published by National Trust Books. She is also the author of Pavilion's bestselling Vintage Roses and Peonies.