Our Allotment

The children and I have always gardened. In my London garden they had their own strip - not a lot grew, but it was the best-sieved piece of soil for miles around!

When we moved to Tunbridge Wells several years ago, we inherited a quirky established garden, with a rickety gate at the back leading through to, joy of joys, allotments! Soon, for the princely sum of £18.00 per year, we had land.

With lots of help we started, planting one strip while the children played with the rest (one year my son dug a hole or ‘lion trap' as he called it). Our allotment is now very productive with fruit, vegetables, flowers, and best of all, chickens - who all have characters, though not all pleasant.

There is something so satisfying about knowing the right seasons for fruit and vegetables, and eating them in their season, when they taste so much better! Our carrots, leeks or whatever, leave no carbon footprints; just muddy ones all over my kitchen floor. It's also great seeing fruit and veg that come in all sorts of delicious shapes and sizes and not just the genetically modified ones, easiest for packing, preferred by the supermarkets.

Allotments are fun. Don't be put off by lack of experience or knowledge; your neighbours will always provide these if you're willing to learn and give things a go, anyone can enjoy having one.

In today's economy of rising food prices, it's so satisfying to grow your own and I promise the produce tastes so much better. Everyone likes potatoes, they are simple to grow - it's so exciting to see the shoots pop up and to cover them over again and again, until they are ready to be dug up. Remember you only need to dig up as many as you want for that meal. In my experience, if your children are fussy eaters, if they've carefully grown something themselves, they are usually very happy to eat it (even if it's green).

Over the years, my children have dipped in and out, sometimes coming to play or chat, sometimes really helping with planting or watering or digging. They are always willing to help with the chickens and everyone is willing to eat the fantastic eggs.

We've had so much enjoyment from our allotment over the years, it's wonderful for the children to plant and tend and harvest their crops and so many things are easy to grow. My own guilty pleasure is being able to have half an hour of lovely solitude, working on the plot, before the rest of the family realise where I've gone and come and ‘help'.

People on allotments are so kind and generous, always sharing seeds, cuttings, produce and advice. We grow quite basic fare but my neighbour is much more dedicated and experienced and grows wildly exciting things, which we of course benefit from. I'm always being urged to help myself, or to send the children up to pick something for supper. In October, although we grow our own pumpkins, I always have at least one left by the back door! And at the end of the day, what's nicer and more relaxing than having a drink and a chat with your fellow plot holders.

Article written for Winter 2008 issue by Lucy Hession

Photos by Janet Penny www.janetpenny.com