The First Edition of "Your Own Allotment" was published in early 2008 so this book is bang up to date. It is aimed 100% at the new allotment holder or anyone who is considering taking on an allotment. The book is divided into three key sections. Section 1 describes in detail how to go about about getting an allotment. The advice given clearly comes from personal experience.

Indeed, the author uses his own allotment in South East London as the basis for many of his ideas.
 

Organic and non-organic techniques are described along with the pros and cons of each. Organic techniques are not thrust upon you, but they are encouraged. In the first section all the basic ideas and principles behind initially setting up an allotment are described. The level of detail is impressive, the author even describes how to set a totally new set of allotments. The second section is concerned with the plants you may want to grow on your allotment. The basics of the life cycle of a plant are covered and then each of the plant groups is described in detail. For each plant the author describes how and when to sow / plant them, how to care for them and how to harvest them.

Even better, for each and every plant there is a section on what to look out for regarding pests, disease and generally. For both the new and established allotment holder, I would advise keeping a copy of this book in the allotment shed, it's a gem.

The last section is aimed at how to maintain your allotment. Pests and diseases, crop rotation, compost and much more are covered in detail.

So what's wrong with this book? Any review with just superlatives is suspect, there has to be a downside after all. We found only two areas of concern. The first was the lack of pictures, and the quality of those that were present, very poor. But, this book is not about pretty pictures, it's about clear, concise and accurate information presented in easily readable format.

The only other area of concern was that the various dates given in the book were occasionally based on the South of England climate.

SUMMARY
This book is logically arranged, easy to read and written in plain English. It is also clearly written from experience and with more than a touch of humour. At 365 pages long, it covers all the subject an allotment holder needs and represents very good value for money. We thoroughly recommend it. Click on the link on the right to buy this book at a great price.

Published By: Spring Hill Books
First Published: 2008
Author: Neil Russell-Jones
Title: Your Own Allotment
ISBN: 978-1-905862-19-1
Price: £12.99
If you want buy it direct, click the link below:
http://www.howtobooks.co.uk
OR phone:
01476 541080

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