The famous World War II ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign encouraged British people to get around food shortages by growing their own. It was so successful, parks and bomb sites were ripped up and turned into vegetable patches. In the late 1940s there were an estimated 1.4 million allotment sites in the UK.
Yet being forced to grow their own food turned many of the post-war generation off allotments. From the late 1960s onwards, frozen food and ready meals became the norm, and Britons fell out of love with allotments.
That meant many councils sold off allotments during the 1980s and 1990s as people simply didn’t want them. The total number across Britain is now estimated at around 300,000.
Recession times
Happily, recent years have a seen a massive increase in their popularity. Increased interest in sustainability and fears of climate change have been key factors in this increase. Add in the financial collaspe of 2008 and the demand to be self-sustaining grows. Sales of grow your own vegetable plants has been steadily rising since the start of the recession in 2008. Something that also happened during the previous two recessions.
They are especially important for people without much garden space or the two million Britons living in flats and apartments without a garden.
Now there are often long waiting lists for an allotment. Getting ahold of one can be like finding the goose that laid the golden egg. However, according to the National Allotment Society, almost 2000 new plots were built in 2013. So get down to your local council and get your name on the list!
Still not convinced?
The average family spends over £56 a week on food and drink. And we’re buying less fruit and veg than before the recession, as we all try and tighten our belts.
An allotment is the perfect solution for a healthier diet for all the family, bringing you fresh, cheap produce all year round. Plus, you’ll save on that gym membership by getting free outdoor exercise!
Renting a plot
Allotments are rented in rods. A rod is about 25 square metres, and you’ll be charged by the rod. Prices will vary from council to council, but you’re probably looking at around £100 a year to rent five rods. Most councils have discounts for OAPs.
That’s a fair amount of space – 125 square metres. It’s roughly half the size of a standard doubles tennis court – and will give you a lot of planting options all year round.
And it’s cheap!
If you spend around £50 on seeds and plants to get started, you could be seeing the financial benefits in a year. By years two and three you’ll be enjoying real savings.
Plus, there are always deals. One year you’ll find onion plants going cheap, another year it might be carrots.
You just need to be clever with your planting. A single crop of spuds should be planted in several stages so you’ve got a continuous supply, rather than one big glut. You could practically make back your seed money in a single season.
Add in some fruit trees or bushes, which will give fruit for years, and you’re laughing to the kitchen.
Total savings
Research has suggested allotment owners could save an average of £950 a year by home growing. More than half of those quizzed rented a plot to save money, while a third did so to be in control of the pesticides used on their food.
Teaching children about food was another important factor. Almost a third of allotment owners found growing their own was a great way of getting the kids interested in where fruit and vegetables come from.
Extras and add-ons
Sheds and toilets are both useful additions to your allotment. A compost toilet that breaks waste down into fertiliser is a great idea. But it shouldn’t be used on vegetables, only around fruit trees and bushes.
Here’s the really amazing thing. Under the 1950 Allotment Act, it’s an allotment holder’s right to keep hens and rabbits on their plot, as long they are for private use and not for business or profit.
Eating rabbit isn’t really in fashion. But keeping hens for their eggs is hugely popular and allotment coops are a brilliant solution for people who’d love to give it a go but just don’t have space at home.
Check your local tenancy agreement to make sure it’s okay, then have a go!
Escapism
Remember, it’s not only about growing your own. It’s about setting up a shed and having an escape from home life. They can be a real bolt-hole away from the hustle and bustle of daily life.
Somewhere you can go and enjoy quality time and good conversation with your fellow allotmenteer. You’ll meet friendly people who are prepared to come and splash some water on your spuds when you’re away!
Speak to your local council in the first instance about allotment availability, and visit the National Allotment Society at www.nsalg.org.uk for more information.
There are three reasons to turn old household objects into plant containers:
1) Recycling is good for the environment
2) They’re more interesting than your usual plastic and terracotta tubs
3) They’re free!
If you don’t have an old sink, toilet or bidet gathering dust in your garage, you can pick one up at your local tip. They make really quirky garden containers and fit in well with your border or rockery. Plus it’s a hell of a talking point at parties!
Try half-burying a sink to blend it in with the rest of your garden. Or buy feet from your garden retailer to raise your container and make it a stand-out feature on your patio.
You can keep your new container au naturel, but why not give it a faux stone look? Cover the whole surface in PVA glue and let it dry.
In a bucket, mix one part Portland cement, one part building sand and one part peat with water. Once it’s nice and viscous, smear it all over the surface of your container.
The PVA glue will help the mixture bond to the surface, while the cement mixture will dry to give the appearance of stone. This also helps plants and moss attach to the container, making it fit in better with your garden.
I planted household objects like this sink for BBC Gardener’s World Live 2009
Fill it
Before you start, move the container to its final position in your garden, because it will get heavy quickly. Now stick some rocks and gravel in the bottom to aid drainage and stop the plughole getting blocked with peat-free compost (take the plug out too!)
Then add a mixture of peat-free compost and grit, approximately two parts to one.
As always with containers, start in the centre and work outwards. Plant a dwarf conifer in the middle and surround it with a selection of alpines and bulbs.
You can then add trailing plants like ivy to run over the edges, or add a few small boulders to create a mini alpine rock garden. As a general rule for containers, better too many plants than too few. Add a sprinkling of gravel to finish.
Container gardening is brilliant. You can put plants in places that have no soil and refresh the contents each season. You can design the garden from scratch and revamp it by simply moving the pots around.
But with so many possibilities, why do so many of us settle for plain old plastic and terracotta pots? Unusual containers are much more fun and dynamic, as well as letting you put your own personal stamp on your garden.
The choices are endless – you’d be amazed what can hold a plant! Clothing, household objects, even stuff from your recycling bin. Here are some great ideas from my live planting challenge at the Ideal Home Show!
Saucepan
Recycle old saucepans from your kitchen, rather than just throwing them out. Or if you don’t want to plant up your best pans, you can buy cheap old ones anywhere.
If you can, drill holes in the bottom and add a layer of gravel to help drainage and stop your plants getting waterlogged.
Saucepans are usually quite deep and wide, making them great for herbs. It’s also a fun novelty to grow food in cookware items.
Put them outside by the back door so they’re close at hand when you’re cooking. Parsley, thyme and oregano and great fresh herbs to cut and use.
Wine glass
Orchids are the best plants to put in wine glasses. Moth orchids like this phalaenopsis are sold in clear pots and should be planted in clear containers. This is because in the wild they grow on the sides of trees and their green roots contain chlorophyll, meaning they can photosynthesise. But they need light in order to do this, so don’t cover them up!
The wine glass allows light to reach the roots and gives the orchid a bit more height and a really classy look.
Pint glass
Another good object is a pint glass, which is very deep. Be careful when you use glass containers because they have no drainage holes. Water little and often to stop your soil getting waterlogged.
Ivy is perfect for this kind of container as it’s a tough plant and trails nicely down the deep sides. The glass also provides interesting reflections.
Teapots
If you don’t have any spare teapots, you can buy them from recycling centres and charity shops for a few pennies. There are hundreds of different shapes, colours and designs, so why not create a display with a mismatched selection?
You can put them outside in the garden filled with spring bulbs, or use them to house different herbs for your kitchen. You can even fill them with houseplants and put them on the windowsill!
Here, I’ve used ivy again because it trails nicely around the container. You could just as easily use Flaming Katy, peace lilies or hypoestes.
Coffee cups
These are usually quite ornamental and the corrugated exterior adds a nice texture. It’s the perfect pot for a short term bedding plant like primula or spring bulbs.
Simply pull them out of their original plastic pots and pop them into the coffee cup for a fresh windowsill display.
Lampshade
Lampshades make excellent container covers. It’s best not to actually plant in the lampshade itself, but line it with a carrier bag and stand your planter inside it. Here I’ve used Sansevieria, also known as ‘the mother-in-law’s tongue’. The contrast with the lampshade makes a striking container display.
To water the plant I usually take the plant back out of the container cover, water it in the sink it and return it to the cover later.
Torch
I think this is really quirky and it adds a bit of colour too. I’ve planted an African violet in the top to directly contrast with the bright yellow of the torch, adding a bit of personality to any container display.
Cups
Cups are great things to plant up, and they’re easy for kids to do, making them great Mother’s Day gifts. On the one side I’ve used a crassula, also known as a ‘money tree’ which looks really quirky.
Or try a failsafe trailing ivy. Just remember to water little and often because there are no drainage holes.
Helicopter
I think this used to have an Easter egg in it before. I’ve planted a kalanchoe or ‘Flaming Katy’, which is a nice little succulent plant. It has an abundance of flowers and lasts really well in containers.
Rather than plant directly into this container, I’ve used it as a pot cover. It’s a very fun container and a great novelty for kids to make.
Boot
It’s always good fun to plant up a boot and leave it by the back door. Drill in a few drainage holes to stop it getting waterlogged.
I’ve planted ivy, but it would work with a whole host of flowering plants – fuchsias and geraniums work well.
Cat cookie jar
This is one of my favourites. I asked the live audience if they would prefer a fern or a flower and they all voted for the fern. So I planted it up!
Again, water little and often to make sure the soil doesn’t get waterlogged.
Vanity case
It’s perfect as a little basket planter. Here I’ve used a primula and a little palm to give a good effect. But it’s deep enough to hold a range of plants.
Socks
Use old socks to brighten up flowering plants like these balled primulas. I wrapped the sock around the container to make perfect windowsill plants.
You can choose socks to contrast or complement the colour of the flowers. When you’re finished with the display, you can take the socks off and plant the primulas in the ground.
Bucket
They make great containers because they’re big and can hold plenty of compost. Don’t forget to drill a few holes in the bottom!
Here I’ve planted rosemary – place the pot outside your back door and cut off a few fresh sprigs for your lamb dishes. Marvellous!
