Go green at annual allotment open day

Would-be kitchen gardeners will have a chance this weekend to pick the brains of garden plot gurus who have been growing their own for years.

Mansewood Allotments, off Burnside Road, is opening its gates to visitors at its annual open day this Sunday (August 10) from 1-4pm.

Allotment stalwart Hilary McCafferty told The Extra: “This is the fourth annual open day and they’re always great fun.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We have produce stalls where people can buy jars of homemade jam from our excellent showing of strawberries. There will be lots of activities for kids to get involved and to encourage them to get their hands dirty in a healthy way from a young age.”

The event is an opportunity for newcomers to register their name on the waiting list and get to know some of the other gardeners.

Hilary said: “It’s difficult to know how long the wait will be before an allotment comes up, but we’ve found over the years that sometimes people take up a plot fueled with beginners enthusiasm and their interest can begin to wane. So, plots can come up sooner than you think.”

Hilary explained that working a plot is a real commitment and most people will get really into it, especially once they harvest their first crop of juicy tomatoes which, she says, are much tastier than shop bought ones.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Her advice to anyone interested in taking up a plot is to start small with, say, a quarter-sized plot and expand their plot as they become more experienced.

An average sized plot may be around 50 square metres. For more, check out mansewoodallotments.co.uk.