“An excellent account” of Britain’s tradition of parceling out land for the public to grow food on, and the colorful history behind it (The Independent). This lively book tells the story of the private garden plots known as allotments—from their origin in the seventeenth century, when new enclosures that deprived the peasantry of access to common lands were fiercely protested, to the victory gardens of the world wars, and into the present day, when they serve less as a means of survival than as a respite from the modern world. While delving into the effects of the Napoleonic Wars, the Corn Laws, and the utopian dissenters known as the Diggers, the author reveals the multiple roles of allotments—and champions their history in the hope of protecting them for the future. “Foley’s book reminds us that the right to share the earth has always been an asymmetric struggle.” —The Guardian “Fascinating and handsomely illustrated.” —Daily Mail “Well-told . . . . [a] gallop through the history of useful rather than ornamental crops.” —Spectator Australia

Perfect for the complete beginner or the experienced allotmenteer, this handy reference will ensure your crops thrive and your table is laden year round. Allotment gardening is in the grip of a renaissance: there are now more than 300,000 allotments in the UK, and there are more young professionals on allotments than ever before, alongside the mainstays of families and even groups of friends. Advice is provided for picking crops and instructions highlight how to properly water and tend them, how to prepare for extreme weather, and such essential techniques as composting and crop rotation. This is the perfect book for those with a passion for the outdoors and a taste for food warm from the sun.

Telling the food story of spring, summer, autumn and winter, this is the definitive guide to cooking the right things all through the year. When it comes to the tastiest food, keeping in touch with the rhythm of nature allows us to cook the most delicious recipes with the freshest, most flavoursome ingredients. Each dish is a celebration of the best of local British produce, from Fishcakes with Wilted Chard, Red Pepper and Feta Fritters, Rocket Pesto with Sirloin and Panna cotta with Poached Rhubarb, The Allotment Cookbook follows seasonal produce to restore a natural way of eating. You don't need to have an allotment or big kitchen garden to enjoy this book; although all the ingredients can be found in the shops, have a go at growing your own in the garden, in a scrap of ground or in a pot on a windowsill - it's so easy and is one of life's most satisfying pleasures. The Allotment Cookbook is a joyful guide to a sustainable and nourishing way of life.

A new edition of the bestselling guide to making the most of your allotment, with seasonal advice, essential to-do lists, and more than 60 fruit and vegetable crop planners. Grow fresh, seasonal produce in your allotment or kitchen garden all year round with the bestselling guide from Alan Buckingham. Allotment Month by Month takes the uncertainty out of your harvest with clear, reliable gardening advice for every month of the year. In-depth crop planners show you when to sow and how to cultivate more than 60 herbs, fruit, and vegetables, including kale, rhubarb, spinach, strawberries, and apples. Month-by-month alerts help you guard against the season's garden pests and diseases to ensure a top-quality harvest. Prioritise key garden tasks, learn crop rotation techniques, and try step-by-step garden projects, such as sowing peas in guttering and making your own compost bin. This new edition has updated recommendations for the best varieties to grow and all the latest advice on pesticide use. Ideal for both urban gardeners and seasoned allotment owners, or as self-purchase or gift for first-time vegetable growers, Allotment Month by Month has everything you need to know to make the most of your plot.

Allotment Gardening For Dummies is a lively, hands-on guide to getting the most out of your allotment. Whether you're interested in eating fresh, saving money, getting exercise or enjoying wholesome family fun, this is the guide for you. The step-by-step advice takes you through all the stages in the process, from securing an allotment and preparing your plot, to choosing what to grow and enjoying the benefits of abundant fresh food and a sociable and healthy hobby. With over 50 handy line drawings, plus information on how to grow organic and advice on storing and cooking the food you grow, this guide really does have it all! Allotment Gardening For Dummies includes: Part 1: Getting to Grips with Allotment Gardening Chapter 1: What Are Allotments All About? Chapter 2: Getting hold of an Allotment Chapter 3: Getting Started Part 2: Preparing for Allotment Success Chapter 4: Deciding What to Grow, When Chapter 5: Preparing Your Plot Chapter 6: Keeping Your Soil Healthy Chapter 7: Keeping Your Plants Healthy Chapter 8: Growing Organic Part 3: Growing a Few of Your Favourite Vegetables Chapter 9: Going Underground Chapter 10: The Staples Chapter 11: Growing Leafy Greens Chapter 12: Planting Peas, Beans and Other Pods Chapter 13: Growing More Exotic Veg Part 4: Extending Your Allotment Repetoire Chapter 14: Growing Wholesome Herbs Chapter 15: Growing Fruitful Fruit Chapter 16: Nurturing Flowers on an Allotment Part 5: Getting the Most Out of Your Allotment Chapter 17: Involving Children Around the Allotment Chapter 18: Hobnobbing with Allotment Society Chapter 19: Growing Giant Veg Part 6: The Part of Tens Chapter Chapter 20: Ten Common Accidents and How to Prevent Them Chapter 21: Ten Ways to Revive a Flagging Allotment

A wonderfully illustrated celebration of the blood, sweat and joy to be had 'growing your own' in an allotment - with the in-depth, practical gardening know-how Collins is renowned for.

When Valentine Low decided to forego his world of dinner parties with the chattering classes to take on a pastime usually indulged in by old men with flat caps and rollups, he had little idea of the sea change it would bring about in his life. A year down the line he had developed a worrying obsession with potatoes, a resourcefulness that borders on kleptomania and an ever-strengthening relationship with a cheery Irishman named Michael (who thinks that zeitgeist is something nasty you get on your cucumbers). By turns entertaining and informative, and packed with allotment wisdom -- everything from who was responsible for the desecration of the purple sprouting broccoli (that'll be the pigeons) to how to build a proper manure heap -- One Man and His Digis an indispensable guidebook for all green-fingered urbanites

Although urban allotment gardening dates back to the nineteenth century, it has recently undergone a renaissance of interest and popularity. This is the result of greater concern over urban greenspace, food security and quality of life. This book presents a comprehensive, research-based overview of the various features, benefits and values associated with urban allotment gardening in Europe. The book is based on a European COST Action project, which brings together researchers and practitioners from all over Europe for the first detailed exploration of the subject on a continent-wide scale. It assesses the policy, planning and design aspects, as well as the social and ecological benefits of urban allotment gardening. Through an examination of the wide range of different traditions and practices across Europe, it brings together the most recent research to discuss the latest evolutions of urban allotment gardening and to help raise awareness and fill knowledge gaps. The book provides a multidisciplinary perspective, including insights from horticulture and soil science, ecology, sociology, urban geography, landscape, planning and design. The themes are underpinned by case studies from a number of European countries which supply a wide range of examples to illustrate different key issues.

The many congressional acts and plans for the administration of Indian affairs in the West often resulted in confusion and misapplication. Only rarely were the ideals of those who sincerely wished to help American Indians realized. This book, first printed as a part of the hearings before the House of Representatives Committee on Indian Affairs in 1934, is a detailed and fully documented account of the Dawes Act of 1887 and its consequences up to 1900. D. S. Otis's investigation of the motives of the reformers who supported the Dawes Act indicates that it failed to fulfill many of the hopes of its sponsors. The reasons for the act's failure were complex but predictable. Many Indians were not culturally prepared for severalty. Provisions in the act for leasing or selling their land enabled many to circumvent the responsibilities of private ownership, which reformers and bureaucrats alike had thought would provide a “civilizing” influence. The Dawes Act and the Allotment of Indian Land is the only full-scale study of the Dawes Act and its impact upon American Indian society and culture. With the addition of an introduction, revised footnotes, and an index by Francis Paul Prucha, S. J., it is essential to any understanding of the present circumstances and problems of American Indians today.