As we are now definitely in the bleak mid winter, with the earth as hard as iron, activity on the allotment is curtailed. There is however, and will continue to be, frantic activity in the warm indoors on the allotment's behalf.
Now is the time for planning, learning from last year and consulting the oracles from the comfort of the armchair, with a suitably warming drink in hand (see How to make Hot Toddys). That is, reading the many books we have accumulated, and referred to, over the past year. It is good to seek the advice offered in the pages and compare and contrast advice given.
So, here is my reading list, in no particular order, for Allotment Christmas, handy reads for allotmenteers and those aspiring to allotmenting.
Allotment month by month by Alan Cunningham
Royal Horticultural Society Allotment Handbook
Grow your own, Kitchen garden year (again by the RHS) The Kitchen gardener, and or, the Gardener's year by Alan Titchmarsh The Edible Garden by Alys Fowler
Grow your own veg by Carol Klein
Plus, this is a book for those with grand ideas for the allotment and beyond;: The Complete guide to self sufficiency by Dick and James Strawbridge
Enjoy reading and allotmenting.
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A castle for sale just down the road from Gleneagles, where everyone from George VI to a farmer and his pigs once roamed the grand hallsOrchil Castle has seen it all in a tumultuous century and a half — but it's getting back to its best, and now needs a brave new owner to take it on the next step of its journey.
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Five émigré artists who greatly enriched Britain's intellectual and creative scenesFrieze Masters kicks off this week and several contributing galleries are using it to shine a spotlight on the artistic contribution of émigrés past and present.
