Your Own Allotment

Having your own allotment is an excellent way to ensure that the fruit and vegetables you and your family eat are fresh, organic and actually have flavour. This book takes you step by step through the process of finding and obtaining your allotment and then offers practical information and tips on starting, and then maintaining your plot. In three parts it covers all you need to know about: applying for an allotment, preparing the soil, organic principles and planning and laying out your plot; the vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers you can grow, plus useful shrubs and trees; and. maintaining the allotment, including gardening techniques, pest and weed control, crop rotation, composting, harvesting and storage and tips on maintaining productivity throughout the year. REVIEWS: 'The advice given clearly comes from personal experience. The level of detail is impressive, the author even describes how to set a totally new set of allotments. For both the new and established allotment holder, I would advise keeping a copy of this book int eh allotment shed, its a gem. Clear, concise and accurate information presented in easily readable format. Covers all the subject an allotment holder needs and represents very good value for money. We throughly recommend it.' Gardenaction.co.uk'A veritable bible of information, accessible to both novice would-be allotment gardener and to those looking to maintain more established plots. Buy it, and you may never need to buy another book on growing your own food.' Four Shires AUTHOR BIOG: Neil Russell-Jones is a prolific author and a management consultant. He has an allotment in South London which he tends with his wife and two daughters. He is treasurer for the allotment society, which is run on organic principles, and maintains the website: www.dulwichallotment.org.uk. As a family they grow everything from asparagus to zucchini - not only do they get abundant fresh produce they also enjoy working together on a combined project that takes them away from the usual routine of work and school: but they also get great exercise from working in the fresh air; and cycling to and from the site. CONTENTS: About the author Preface Part 1 - Good Grounding - The Basics 1. All About Allotments 2. Our Allotment 3. Getting Started 4. Getting to Know Your Soil 5. Digging 6. Climate 7. Understanding the Basics 8. Tools for you Allotment 9. Shed and Tool Stores 10. Organic Principles Part 2 - Know Your Onions - The Plants 11. About our Crops 12. The Life Cycle of a Plant 13. Plant Families 14. Brassica - The Cabbage Family 15. Legumes - The Pea and Bean Family 16. Solanaceae - Tomato and Potato family 17. Alliaceae - The Onion Family 18. Apiaceae - The Celery Family 19. Asteraceae - The Lettuce or Daisy Family 20. Cucurbitaceae - The Gourd Family 21. Chenopodiaceae 22. Fruit 23. Perennial Crops 24. Herbs 25. Cereals and Grasses 26. Flowers and Trees Part 3 - Maintaining Your Allotment 27 Planting 28. Organic Matter 29. Dealing with Pests, Diseases and Weeds 30. Crop Rotation 31. Protecting Your Crops 32. Enjoying the Fruits of Your Labour 33. Food for Free 34. The Allotment Society - Getting Involved 35. Allotment Tips 36. The Allotment Year Index.Russell-Jones is the author of 'Your Own Allotment', published 2008 under ISBN 9781905862191 and ISBN 1905862199.