There is no better way to grow your own food and to benefit from the physical and mental enjoyment that gardening brings than by working an allotment. But getting an allotment into shape and keeping it that way is a challenge. The Allotment Experience is the inside story of having an allotment, and of cultivating your garden away from home. It is told with the help of the wise and often witty words of Ruth Binney - and more than 40 other allotment gardeners she has interviewed for the book. This is not a book about 'perfect' gardening, but a practical guide that is totally true to life. Apart from hundreds of invaluable tips and techniques it also contains stories of failures and disappointments because, as one allotment gardener so rightly says, 'It's all trial and error'. Whether you are a thinking of having an allotment, or have one already, this book will prove an excellent guide to growing vegetables, fruit and herbs as well as favourite allotment flowers. It is also packed with good ideas for cooking and preserving the fruits of your labours. From spade to table, The Allotment Experience covers: A* Allotment Passions - the joys and woes of allotment gardening. sheds, wildlife and recycling. A* On the Plot - from clearing the site to sowing, watering and dealing with pests and diseases. A* Growing Vegetables, Fruit, Salads, Herbs and Flowers - how to cultivate everything from beans and broccoli to raspberries, radicchio and gladioli. A* Allotment Harvest - the best way to harvest your crops, with lots of ideas about how to cook and preserve them. REVIEWS: 'An excellent book for all allotment holders, which offers practical advice on all aspects of allotment gardening...It stands head and shoulders above many other books on this subject because of its honesty' www.gardenaction.co.uk AUTHOR BIOG: Ruth Binney has, with her husband Donald, been cultivating allotments for more than 25 years, in London and most recently in Dorset, where she now lives. She is an editor and author who, during a long career in publishing, has been involved in the creation of books on gardening and many other topics, particularly country wisdom. She is secretary of her local horticultural association and an occasional prize winner at its annual shows. This is her sixth book. CONTENTS: Introduction1. Allotment passions2. On the plot3. Growing vegetables4. Salad leaves, herbs and flowers5. Growing fruit6. Allotment harvestIndex.