In the original dust cover. Board binding the same as the dust jacket.

We provide an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available

• Note: This book carries a £5.00 discount to those that subscribe to the F.B.A. mailing list

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 for which Collins is renowned.

No longer considered the preserve of old men in sheds, allotment gardening is currently enjoying a renaissance of interest. People of all ages and from all walks of life are digging their own plots in search of the ultimate in fresh, organic produce – and you cannot get more locally-sourced than your own allotment!

This book testifies to the new vibrancy of allotment culture, aiming both to inspire the next generation of plot-holders and to provide all the practical knowledge needed to turn a patch of soil into a lifelong adventure.

Open to all the new eco-gardening techniques, and the various weird and wonderful ways people make use of their plots, contents include:

• the history of allotments – from 19th century origins, through wartime ‘Dig for Victory’, to the cosmopolitan communities of today; features photos and interviews with current plot-holders
• planning your perfect allotment – finding it, assessing it, clearing the ground and working out what to grow
• the brown stuff – all you need to know about soil management, the key to growing success
• choosing a gardening method – organic, biodynamic, rotation beds, companion planting, greenhouse, multi-level, potager, cottage garden, and so on…
• the hard stuff – constructing sheds, compost bins, cold frames, fruit cages, ponds, seating and play areas
• selecting crops – what and how to grow, from parsnips and peas to chilli peppers and lemon grass
• cultivation techniques – digging, sowing, feeding, weeding and harvesting, plus troubleshooting pests and diseases
• the allotment calendar – extensive, month-by-month look at what’s in season, jobs for now and looking ahead 

Andi Clevely has been a working gardener for 34 years. He rebelled from academic life at Oxford (Hons degree in English) to start a gardening career, progressing to the Crown Estate at Windsor Great Park and thereafter employed as a head gardener in private service (initially for J B Priestley and Jacquetta Hawkes, who encouraged early potting-shed writing projects). Now responsible for managing a country estate and sprawling garden, which is gradually being restored as a cottage and forest garden, based on self-sufficiency, eco-friendly and pro-wildlife practices.

He has written numerous books and is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines. Andi was awarded Practical Journalist of the Year 2003 by the Garden Writers’ Guild.

NOTE: This is an original  book from the library gathered by the famous Cambridge Don, computer scientist, food and wine connoisseur, Jack Arnold LANG. Note: Jack founded the Michelin Guide ‘Midsummer House’- Cambridge’s paramount restaurant. This dining experience is hidden amongst the grassy pastures and grazing cattle of Midsummer Common and perched on the banks of the River Cam.

In 2008, Jack was one of the co-founders of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, alongside other members of the Department, and acted as the Foundation’s Chair. The project’s original goals were modest: to build and distribute low-cost computers for prospective applicants to our Computer Science degree. Initially the project was a “success disaster”, as Jack would say, as demand far outstripped the low-scale manufacturing plans. Ultimately the Raspberry Pi became the UK’s most successful computer with more than 60 million sold to date. Jack was drawn to the educational possibilities of the Raspberry Pi, its potential uses in emerging economies and the way it could support self-directed learning.