Allotment gardening has become very popular recently, as more people look to grow their own food, free of pesticides. And at the same time, enjoy a fun hobby for the whole family with guaranteed fresh air and exercise. Given the increased demand, there are often waiting lists for allotments. But it depends on where you live as some areas have plenty of vacant spots. Source: Photo by Tim Umphreys on Unsplash Where to start an allotment garden Mushrooms are a fungus that you can grow either with a windowsill kit, or a log plugged with dowels impregnated with mushroom spawn, or finally grow from impregnated plugs which you hammer into holes drilled in any fresh logs (except from pine trees). Rather than eating what you grow, turn the concept on its head and grow what you eat. When you get out your seed catalogues this autumn, ask yourself, would you cook it if you didn’tgrow it? Microgreens like typically radishes, mustard greens, chard, broccoli and lettuce can easily be grown at home, if you have a sunny perch and a shallow container to put them in. Spinach, swiss chard and kale are also possibilities for your indoor garden. CELERY Inside the beautifully-illustrated metal keepsake box, you'll find 12 hand-iced lemon biscuits modelled after Emma Bridgewater's Bluebell collection.

You can now grow your own herbs with the stylish Indoor Allotment Gift Set. This windowsill plant box brings the outdoors indoors. With city living many of us struggle to enjoy vast outdoor spaces and allotments so this indoor version is great for style conscious green-fingered types.

How to keep your indoor allotment alive

The best-selling Indoor Allotment is a great gift for gardening enthusiasts, city dwellers, interiors fans and keen cooks. The stylish Indoor Allotment offers an alternative miniature allotment that can be placed on the windowsill indoors. Essentially, companion planting is the idea that some plants like growing near each other while others prefer not to. It’s all about complementary plant relationships and making the most of your allotment space. Benefits include better nutrient uptake, improved pest management, enhanced pollination and ultimately higher yields. Source: Photo by Dan Burton on Unsplash Swap– Try growing cut-and-come-again leaves rather than heads of lettuce, for a low effort crop you can harvest for longer. Everything is here to get you started on your own herb garden. Making a great house-warming present for friends who have just moved into a new flat or apartment. Place it on the balcony or window ledge for a touch of lovely greenery. Also, we show you that you really can have an allotment indoors. In Indoor Allotment you’ll find everything you need to get started, including advice on how to grow your own tomato plants, which not only look great they smell divine too! Saving Money

Mail a friend a tiny garden patch to enjoy right on the windowsill. The Postcarden pop-up allotment, below, arrives flat then opens and unfolds into a tiny plot with waterproof tray into which you simply add the included seeds, water, and get sowing. In a few days your tasty micro-greens will start to sprout and do so for 2-3 weeks. This tiny wood fenced windowsill allotment, above, includes everything you need for your little indoor herb garden. Three mini pots with drainage trays, three soil pellets, and approximately 50 each of coriander, basil, and oregano seeds. When you lift the tiny garden shed’s roof and swing open the door, you’ll find snips (gardentalk for herb scissors) that you can store there with your left over seeds. And as you can move your little allotment from windowsill to table to bookcase, consider a mobile garden. Get the family together or office mates to participate! Conversely, planting members of the same plant family together means they’ll compete for soil nutrients. So it’s best to disperse them across your plot (for example, related plants like onion, garlic, leek and chives). You’ll find a wealth of information about companion planting online. 8. Build a bug attractorCompost production will be part of your allotment gardening duties. Depending on the size of your plot, and whether you can join composting forces with allotment neighbours, a domestic compost bin may suffice. You might end up building an open compost bay, like a DIY triple-bay compost bin. These triple bays contain one bin for fresh scraps, one for decomposing material and one for usable compost. Note that open compost bays need the weekly turning of compost to create a hot, rapid compost and to minimise rodent breeding. Source: Photo by Eva Elijas from Pexels 19. Create social spaces Collaboration is a fundamental aspect of allotment gardening. Here in the UK, even if your local council has no allotment land available, you can make an application requesting allotment land if you get together with six or more others on the electoral roll. Your local authority must consider it, although there’s no specific timeframe for them to provide land. But the more support you have from other keen potential allotment gardeners, the more persuasive your application will be. What’s best to grow in an allotment garden?