by Cleve West (Author)
Cleve West is one of Britain's top garden designers, with six RHS gold medals to his name and a high profile Daily Telegraph sponsored garden at Chelsea Flower Show 2011. He is also a true allotmenteer, heading off to his plot whenever he can to get his hands dirty, find peace and contemplate life and nature. His book is a joy to read, humorous and humble, full of practical commonsense, and a belief in the values of community and sustainable living. There is plenty of advice here for plot holders - often of the what-not-to-do sort and written from sorry experience - and plenty of inspiration too in the creative ways that Cleve and his partner Christine make the most of their plot and enjoy the company of their fellow allotmenteers. There are easy to follow sections on Vegetables and Herbs, Flowers and Fruit, with recipes and troubleshooting tips as well as chapters on Community, Creativity and Children. Amply illustrated with Cleve's own beautiful photographs, fantastical drawings by Cleve and Christine and shots of the two of them at work taken by Cleve's cousin the garden photographer Derek St Romaine, Our Plot is also a visual cornucopia. To watch a video of the launch of Our Plot click here
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 192
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Published: 06 Oct 2011
ISBN 10: 0711232369
ISBN 13: 9780711232365
Book Overview: 'In this book Cleve beautifully and simply illustrates the world of the allotment: the successes and the failures, the camaraderie and the generosity of the fellow gardener; and how, despite worldly pressures on the environment, the food chain and green space, the gardener is the eternal optimist - for there is always next year.' Jekka McVicar 'Allotment envy or what? Not only has Cleve got umpteen Gold medals at Chelsea, but he also has the best allotment I've ever seen. He practically lives on it during spring and summer.' Joe Swift 'Until I met Cleve I thought that allotmenteering was something you did on a mountain with a compass and pair of sturdy boots. Having visited his plot I now know that it is something more satisfying, less windswept and (above all) much more delicious. You still need the boots, though.' James Alexander Sinclair