The Good Life

Above: Dave Colborne with one large parsnip!

Above: Allotment Committee Secretary Cyril Hovard

In the words of the glorious Carol Klein: 'Tending your own vegetables will bring you into contact with the seasons and the natural rhythms of life, heightening your awareness of nature'.

All over Dorset, local town and parish councils have seen a vast increase in the number of residents who agree with Carol, and who want to grow seasonal vegetables on their own allotment plot. They can all grow varieties that suit their plot's soil and weather conditions – not just the standard all-year-round varieties available in the local supermarket. At the same time, it's a very sociable 'hobby' because with everybody's different time constraints of work or family commitments, they'll always find somebody else working there.

Last year's season is probably best forgotten, as the abnormally wet first months of summer caused all sorts of problems. But gardeners are a hardy and optimistic lot, so throughout 2008, we'll be visiting some of Dorset's pockets of planting passion and finding out what they are growing this year. We'll be asking why they choose to put so much hard work into digging, planting and tending their plots, and what they get out of the adventure. We'll be finding out what plants grow best in Dorset's various soils and getting the experts' Top Tips. 


Christmas bulk buying...

Lamperd's Field Allotments, where the ground is a shallow layer of previously farmed soil on chalk sub-soil, comprises 63 plots of 250 square metres. It is very well drained, but its elevated position exposes it to strong winds. The site has been occupied for just five years, so the farm's fertilisers have only recently completely disappeared.

The Allotment Committee Secretary is 82-year-old ex-teacher Cyril Hovard, a striking testament to allotment living. Just before Christmas, Cyril organised bulk seed purchases for everybody, and ordered mountains of horse manure which plot-holders can buy for the bargain price of 'a baker's dozen wheelbarrows for £5.00', quite a puzzle to the younger ones. Some plots are completely 'organic', meaning that no chemicals or non-natural pesticides are used and, all over Lamperd's Field, the most popular fertilisers are blood, fish and bone, and pelleted chicken manure for essential nitrogen.


Everybody helps everybody...

Plot-holder Dick Colborne explained how the free-draining soil favours leeks, parsnips, carrots, runner beans and soft fruit. He told me how Lamperd's Field is a little community, where everybody helps everybody else with gardening advice, and even physical labour. Dick's last parsnips were harvested by February, and so were the sprouts and Swiss chard, and the plots have all been dug and mulched with manure ready for the new season.

The seeds ordered before Christmas have been propagated on window-sills and in home greenhouses, and some will be planted-out in the open ground this month, where the plots have been pre-warmed with polythene or fleece covers. Two years ago, Cyril bought a second-hand polytunnel frame and a new cover. In the 12 rented-out sections, lettuces, early-cropping beans, potatoes and cauliflowers are ready for harvesting.

Lamperd's Field usually has a waiting list, and it's only for Blandford residents. This season's costs are £26 per plot plus £10 towards the eventual rebuilding of the Storage and Facilities Building, but these charges are offset by the 'bulk' prices for everything purchased on site. If you fancy your own allotment, even if you're a complete novice, ask your local council for details.

If you’re an allotment holder, or perhaps nurture a veg patch in your garden, why not tell us, via our forum at www.dorsetmagazine.co.uk what grabs you about ‘growing your own’. 

To Do in March...
Sow vegetable seeds in trays and pots for transplanting into open ground in May. Plant broad beans directly into the soil when it's warm enough and not too wet.

Top Tip for March...
Digging and mulching should be done already. Your plants will only be as good as the soil in which they’re grown. 

Top Plot Plants...
Things grow big at Lamperd's Field. Last year, Tony Champion grew a giant pumpkin weighing in at 131 kilos, and Dick Colborne gave me the biggest parsnip I've ever seen.


Thanks to Linda Scott, Blandford Forum Town Council for much appreciated assistance.