Everyone needs a helping hand at the allotment once in a while. I built this guide from my own experience growing food in the UK, to help others do the same. Lower your bills, gain confidence and reduce dependence on the system.
If your new to growing and feel a bit lost, start with what to plant this month.
Planting without a plan works to a point. In an allotment however, it is easy to overcrowd beds or plant bad companions next to each other without a plan.
The Alloment Planner has built in companion alert system, spacing info and a growing database of hands on growing guides specific to British conditions.
If you’re new to growing, start here:
Introduction If you want better results from your garlic, timing does matter—just not in the neat, textbook way most guides make it sound. In the
Introduction Getting the timing right is the difference between plants that crack on… and ones that just sit there doing nothing — or get eaten
Introduction Companion planting UK advice can feel confusing at first. Most of the articles online are generic or not tailored to British allotments. So if
Introduction If you’ve ever stood in front of a tray of seeds in March and thought, “I’ll just grow a bit of everything,” you’re not
Introduction Planning Ahead for the New Season As another growing season approaches, the first question many UK gardeners ask is: Where’s the best place to
Introduction Spring is the busiest season for UK growers—and for good reason. After months of short days and soggy weather, the soil finally warms, the
Introduction: Why a UK Planting Calendar Matters Knowing what to plant and when is half the battle in gardening. In the UK, our seasons can
Introduction Bring bold colour and character to your garden with Lauren’s Grape poppy seeds. This hardy annual (Papaver somniferum) is prized for its rich plum-purple
Introduction As March arrived in 2020, the first real signs of spring began to show in the North West of the UK. Temperatures were slowly
Guides covering what fruit, veg and salads to grow each season.
Introduction – What to Harvest in May (UK) If you’re wondering what to harvest in May, this guide covers the vegetables, fruit, and herbs that
Introduction: Winter Gardening in the UK Winter might seem like a quiet time in the vegetable garden. However, it’s far from the end of the
Introduction Autumn might feel like the end of the growing season. However, for vegetable gardeners in the UK, it’s actually one of the best times
Introduction Summer planting on these grand isles is special, and even beginners will notice the shift straight away. By June, most beds are producing an
Introduction This article is to help you when you wake up a bit fuzzy on a Sunday, get to the Allotment, and realise you have
Introduction Nature does not follow a timetable, and that is the same for your garden. Conditions are variable and therefore no year is exactly the
Introduction Spring is the busiest season for UK growers—and for good reason. After months of short days and soggy weather, the soil finally warms, the
Introduction: Why a UK Planting Calendar Matters Knowing what to plant and when is half the battle in gardening. In the UK, our seasons can
Introduction If you’re wondering what you can grow in autumn and winter in the UK, the short answer is: more than you probably expect. A
Learn how to grow your favourite veg on the British Isles. You can also see our ‘Plant Library’ if your after a specific guide
Introduction Parsnips are not difficult once they get going, but they can be awkward at the start. If you have ever sown a row, waited
Introduction Spring onions should be one of the easy wins in a veg patch. Sow a few seeds, wait a while, then pull them fresh
Introduction Growing lettuce in the UK sounds almost too easy: scatter some seed, add water, pick salad. And sometimes, it really is that simple. However,
Introduction Winter squash is one of those crops that makes a garden or allotment feel properly productive. The plants sprawl, the flowers are hard to
Introduction Learning how to grow pumpkins in the UK is mostly about getting the timing, warmth and space right. Pumpkins are not hard in the
Introduction Growing cucumbers in the UK is completely doable, but they are one of those crops that can sulk if you get the early bit
Introduction Broad beans are one of the first proper crops of the year, which makes them a great choice if you want something productive in
Introduction Learning how to grow borage is fairly straightforward, which is why it turns up in so many UK veg patches, allotments and wildlife gardens.
Introduction Yes — you can grow blueberries in the UK, and they can crop really well. But there’s one thing that catches most people out
Introduction Blackberries are one of those crops that just fit the UK. They handle our weather, don’t ask for much once they’re in, and if
Learn how to feed your soil for a healthy ecosystem and better yields!
Worm Casting Tea: How to Brew, Use & Boost Your Garden Organically If you’re into organic gardening, chances are you’ve heard the buzz about worm
Worm Castings vs Compost: What’s the Difference? If you’re looking to boost your soil health naturally, two tried-and-true options often come up: worm castings and
Introduction Worm castings might not look like much, but don’t be fooled—they’re one of nature’s most powerful organic fertilizers. Also known as vermicast or worm
Introduction: When is the Best Time to Rotavate a Garden? Timing is everything when deciding the best time to rotavate your garden.. If you start
Everyone has problems here and there, I’ve written these guides to help you along the way.
Introduction Summer can be one of the most productive times in a UK vegetable garden, but it is also when small problems show themselves quickly.
Introduction If a tree in your garden suddenly starts leaning, dropping leaves early, or showing fungus at the base, it’s easy to wonder whether something
Introduction Looking for a mole windmill that actually works? This DIY wind-powered mole deterrent — sometimes called a “Mole-Mill” — is simple to build and
Introduction: Why Make a Bug Hotel? If you’re looking for a simple, rewarding way to support local wildlife, learning how to make a bug hotel
Introduction Slugs can undo weeks of careful gardening in a single damp night. One evening everything looks healthy; by morning, your lettuce has vanished, seedlings
Learn how to harvest and store your produce properly to make the most of the growing season.
Introduction Learning how to store potatoes properly sounds simple enough, until you have a sack of muddy spuds, a damp shed, and no clear plan
July is where the UK harvest calendar changes gear. Earlier in the year, you are often waiting for the first proper pickings. By July, the
Introduction — What to Harvest in June UK If you are wondering what to harvest in June in the UK, this is the month when
Introduction If you’ve grown garlic before, you’ll know this is the point where it either comes together nicely—or goes slightly sideways. Harvest too early and
Introduction Courgettes are one of those crops that go from “not quite ready” to “way too big” almost overnight. One day you’re checking a few
Introduction Growing tomatoes in the UK isn’t as simple as waiting for them to turn red and picking them. Some years it works like that
Introduction April marks the real start of spring harvest momentum in many UK gardens. The days are noticeably longer, the soil begins to warm, and
Introduction March sits right in the middle of the UK’s “hungry gap” — that stretch where winter crops are winding down but true spring abundance
Introduction This UK harvest calendar shows you exactly what to harvest each month in the UK, whether you’re growing on an allotment, in a back
Introduction Every gardener and forager knows the feeling when everything ripens at once. Bowls of tomatoes, baskets of apples, and piles of courgettes are a
I’m a gardener by trade and have my own allotment plot, these are tools reviewed on my experience.
Introduction Preparing soil properly is one of the most important steps when starting a vegetable garden or improving existing beds. After all, healthy soil supports
Introduction If you’ve ever balanced on the top rung of a ladder trying to tame an overgrown hedge, you’ll already understand why long‑reach pole hedge
Bosch Universal HedgePole 18 Review: Clean Cuts Without the Ladder If you’ve ever juggled a ladder, a trailing cable, and a top-heavy hedge trimmer, you’ll
Introduction Keeping tall hedges tidy often starts as a simple garden job. However, it doesn’t always stay that way. Before long, ladders come out, extension
Einhell GE-HH 18/45 Li T-Solo Cordless Hedge Trimmer Review If you’ve ever battled tall hedges, deep garden borders, or those hard-to-reach spots your regular trimmer
Introduction If you’ve ever stood at the bottom of a tall hedge, hedge trimmer in hand, weighing up whether to fetch a ladder or just
Introduction These days, most lawn mowers push buyers towards cordless systems, proprietary batteries, and steadily rising prices. For many gardeners, that makes sense. Cordless lawn
Intro: Real-World Use on a Maintained Lawn One of my regular clients recently upgraded to the EGO LM1903E-SP, a 56V self-propelled cordless lawn mower, for
Introduction: When power tools stopped earning their place I didn’t set out to make a statement about tools this year. I wasn’t chasing nostalgia, and
Introduction: Husqvarna 350iB Review The Husqvarna 350iB (also known as the Husqvarna Leaf Blaster 350iB) is a premium cordless leaf blower designed for anyone who
Short diary posts keeping up with the evolution of my allotment plot here on the Wirral (NW UK).
Introduction This week the allotment started to feel less like a clearing job and more like an actual growing space. I managed to get up
Introduction I finally got started on the allotment this week, and the first job was clearing what was already there. What looked like a few
In an age of AI slop and charlatans, these guides offer hands-on experience from me (Fred the Gardener). The emphasis is always on: