We cannot think of a better way to enjoy a weekend than by cultivating your very own vegetable patch, and so we have devised this list of 5 reasons why you should own an allotment.
1. Freshness & flavour
You cannot get fresher than home grown vegetables. The ability to pick your own juicy selection of fruit & veg and eat it just hours after it leaves the ground is unmatched by supermarkets. Tomatoes and strawberries really stand out here; you simply cannot beat home grown for fresh juicy flavour in these two.
2. Know what you are eating
The only things put into or on your food are those that you put there yourself! When you grow your own fruit and veg it is up to you whether you choose an organic / biological or chemical control method, however many prefer the organic option as it helps toward environmental sustainability, as well as ensuring your own health when you eat the crop.
3. Save money
Owning an allotment is relatively cheap. You can be flexible in what you grow and how much of it to grow, and without supermarket mark-up it will pay for itself in no time at all. Runner & French beans are easy to grow and have one of the largest cost gaps in comparison to purchasing. Of course this is all subjective, and will depend on the soil, climate, effort to grow etc. balanced against local costs for food, so grow what you love compare the difference over a year and use that to calculate your own savings.
4. Self-fulfilment
What could possibly be better than eating a meal and saying “I grew that!” Be proud of your efforts as you impress dinner guests with mouth-watering meals nurtured by your very own hands.
5. An excuse to operate machinery
Sure you could cultivate your patch with a spade and pitchfork, but a Rotavator or Tiller will make far more efficient work of preparing your land. That should free up time for planning, planting and pottering about telling everyone how much you love owning your new allotment!
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