Growing your own vegetables, herbs, fruit & flowers? This is the complete practical guide to growing your own vegetables, herbs, fruit & flowers in an allotment, shown in over 530 hands-on photographs & illustrations. It explains how to get started on your allotment, from finding & applying for a site to assessing the conditions, planning the design & planting your first crops. It contains step-by-step instructions for essential techniques, such as testing the soil, weeding, composting, planting, sowing seeds, propagating & fertilizing. It
Includes:: down-to-earth advice on growing in the open & under glass, & how to deal with pests & diseases. This highly accessible book shows novice gardeners how to start their own allotment garden, from applying for permission & planning the garden through to planting, growing & harvesting vegetables, herbs, fruit & flowers. A brief history examines the origins of allotments, from their first official inception in the late 1500s through the World Wars & to their role in modern society. Next, the book explains how to keep your soil healthy, plan what to grow where, & how to choose the best plant varieties. It
Includes:: practical step-by-step instructions for everyday techniques, such as sowing seeds, propagation, pruning, & harvesting. Finally, a season-by-season calendar of care provides an at-a-glance checklist of what to sow, plant out & harvest for every stage in the gardening year. With its expert information & more than 530 photographs & illustrations, this is an essential volume for anyone interested in cultivating home-grown crops.