Introduce a new healthy chapter into your life by growing your own fruit and vegetables. Hannah Stephenson has tips on finding the perfect plot. TV COOK Jamie Oliver may now be growing his own veg, but so are thousands of people in this country, many of whom are taking on allotments along railway sidings, behind housing estates and on pieces of land on the outskirts of town. Allotments are no longer just the manor of the old-school cloth cap brigade. They are the epitome of political correctness, fitting in with the push for a healthier lifestyle, organic practices and GM-free food. If you want to turn over a new leaf this year and grow fruit and veg but simply don’t have the space, renting an allotment doesn’t cost a fortune but can provide both physical and psychological benefit, as well as a plethora of delicious produce. Call your local council or visit your library which should have a list of allotment sites in the area. Some councils provide literature, run courses for beginners and take part in National Allotments’ Week in August. But you need to do some research on choosing a suitable plot, advises Caroline Foley, garden designer and author of a variety of allotment books including The Allotment Handbook and The A-Z Of Allotment Vegetables. Her top tips for finding the right site are: Make sure it’s close to home. You will not want to catch a bus carrying tools or get in a car after a long, hard day at work, to get there. Choose a site which has fences, hedges and locked gates at night to deter vandals. Check water arrangements. Councils should supply mains water at a convenient distance for plot holders. Check out the land, examining the plot which is offered to you. Work out if you have plenty of sun or if the plot is going to be in shadow, which isn’t good for a lot of vegetables. Large trees may cast shade and sap the soil of nutrients. Study the neighbours’ plots. If they are neglected and dominated by tough, perennial weeds such as ground elder, you may be facing a losing battle. It’s important to feel comfortable there. Some sites have a clubhouse for meetings or a trading shed where you can buy gardening goods at more or less trade prices. Others will have tools or machinery for the use of members. It’s worth befriending the committee or manager, showing them you’re really keen, to try to fast-track the waiting list. See how the site is run before committing yourself. In two-thirds of council sites, local authority officers deal with the day-to-day management and any disputes. The remaining third of sites are run by allotment societies who manage the site on a lease scheme. Good leadership makes a difference. The committee may buy goods in bulk to sell cheaply to plot holders, bring in manure from local stables and old carpet for smothering weeds. Check the rules. Some allotments are run on near-military lines, with penalties dished out for late payment of rent or neglect of plot. Others are strict about what you may or may not grow. Many councils provide sheds. But check that you haven’t inherited a rickety structure made from bits out of skips. For information on allotments, contact the National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG), the nationally recognised body for the allotment movement, at www.nsalg.org.uk, or phone (01536) 266576. | 
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