Owning and working on an allotment can be very rewarding. You get plenty of exercise out in the fresh air; you meet likeminded people who are more than happy to pass on their knowledge and experiences, and you get the satisfaction of producing healthy fruit and vegetables.

I, unfortunately, no longer have an allotment due to home commitments but during my nine years of cultivation I turned a rundown plot into a productive hobby. Growing mainly fruit, as I love to make jam. Potatoes, peas, onions, sweetcorn, courgettes and tomatoes featured high on my annual production line.

February and March were my months for planning, ensuring to carefully rotate the crop beds. During March I would remove the plastic sheeting covering the ground, this helps to suppress the weeds and also helps to warm up the soil ready to try the first dig. The ground can still be very hard.

Seeds would be chosen carefully, drawing om experience as to which variety performed best in previous years.

And so my year would begin.

For more information about allotments visit Birmingham & District Allotment Confederation website.