A passion for plotting

Do you tend your plot on your own? If not, who helps you?

I am the official, paid-up plot holder, but when I took on my first allotment, kitchen gardening was supposed to be a joint affair; an opportunity for my husband, Stuart, and I to do something together. fu we both had desk jobs at the time, we thought it would be a great way to get us out in the fresh air, sharing a rewarding hobby that would keep us fit as well as provide us with a healthy diet of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Do you have an allotment or veg plot in your garden?

My allotment plot is on one of three allotment sites in Soham. Our site hosts our local community garden and was granted money about six years ago to secure the perimeter and install water. There are about 20 plot holders on the site, gardening plots of between 10 and 20 poles (a pole is just over Sm), and this year, some of the larger untended plots have been divided into smaller start-up plots.

I'd always wanted to grow vegetables but the initial acquisition of my allotment came about by accident - I was in the right place at the right time and made a spontaneous decision. Thankfully, I'm not afraid of athe seasons and years have passed, my original potager plot has become a really well established and highly productive kitchen garden, offering me a variety of spaces in which to plant. By July 2016, my initial 10-pole plot had been joined by the neighbouring 10-pole plot, so I currently garden about 500 square metres, or the size of two tennis courts side by side.