The Allotment Diaries: A Year of Potting, Plotting and Feasting

by Kay Sexton

Anyone who’s ever spent their weekends, evenings and even lunchtimes at the allotment will delight in Kay Sexton’s stories of life at the Voodoo Plot and the entertaining characters that keep her amused throughout the year. As the plot thickens and the growers thrive or struggle to flourish, there’s an abundance of year-round horticultural advice for any kitchen gardener, with monthby- month sections on sowing and growing, crop care and allotment tasks, what to harvest and tried and tested seasonal recipes. Along with numerous helpful tip boxes, Kay’s diary takes you through a year in the life of an allotment site, from mulching to munching and everything in between.

Genres: Nonfiction

220 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2013

Reviews

[Polly Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. I borrowed the ebook from the library and I think it worth buying for the hints and tips and I love the recipes at the end of every monthly chapter.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a delightful little book on allotments. Sexton has written a book that has monthly tasks, foods to harvest, seeds to sow and a recipe for a seasonal food every month. For me the most interesting part was the select diary entries that begin each chapter. These are about the people and characters that she chats and interacts with on her allotment and a slightly plant mad friend who she sees on a regular basis. She is a little bit of a plant addict, and always seems to end up buying far more plants and seeds than she really needs. There is a melancholy bit when a resident who has her grandfathers plot decides to leave, but they are a charming set of anecdotes.

Worth reading if you are considering getting an allotment.

[carelessdestiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slightly lunatic account of a year of growing vegetables is very entertaining, very well written and if I ever need advice on vegetable diseases and habits, I know where to look. Fabulous recipes too.

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

A gentle read, but I much preferred Minding my Peas and Cucumbers, this book seemed more of the same, but not of the same quality.

[Didde Elnif · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars might be a bit generous. The book is part allotment diary, perfectly capturing life on the plot with all its characters—both green-leafed and human—and I absolutely loved that part. The rest of the book is part gardening and cookbook, which were good and factual, but, for me, a bit boring.

[Charlene Soan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light hearted and fun, it has made the endless wait for an allotment to be available even more difficult!