Get yourself a plot at the Quaker’s Hall Allotments and benefit from the cost savings and health benefits you gain from growing your own produce

IMAGINE picking your own sun-kissed strawberries. How about sweet corn picked fresh and cooked just minutes later? Salad? You can have lettuce in June – and in January. Do you make your own jam? It tastes a lot better than store-bought and better still when made with fruit from bushes you have lovingly tended yourself. As do freshly dug potatoes and fresh brassicas, which could provide part of your five-a-day throughout the winter.

If this appeals to you, have you thought about having your own allotment? The Quaker’s Hall Allotments in Sevenoaks, managed by the Town Council, currently has some available and if you start now, you could be harvesting your own produce by the summer.

Of course, having your own allotment requires time and effort and, like any farmer, you will sometimes battle with elements, be it the ‘beast from the east’ or the scorching summer of 2018. But the rewards of hard work and patience can be considerable, and you will have the pleasure of working with nature in a beautiful environment where many of the plots offer stunning views of the North Downs.

For families, the allotments provide the ideal opportunity for little ones to engage with the natural environment and discover where some their food comes from, and that working in the fresh air also brings health benefits for young and old alike.

With many experienced growers on site you will also find that help and advice are never far away. Supplies are available at very reasonable prices from the allotment Trading Centre every Sunday, which is where the staff, volunteers from Sevenoaks Allotment Holders’ Association, are on hand to answer your questions.

Whether you are an experienced gardener or a novice, you can soon become part of the allotment community. Get to know your neighbours at the monthly Brew & Bacon Butty mornings (throughout the main growing season) or at the annual Open Day and take advantage of the advice offered in the quarterly newsletter, Com-Post.

If all this is of interest, contact Ruth King at allotments@sevenoakstown.gov.uk and experience the rewards of allotment gardening.