The beginners' guide to growing fruit and veg

Allotment Handbook has everything you need to leave the supermarket behind in favour of tastier and healthier home-grown fruit and veg. Avoid bland, pesticide-tainted produce flown in from the other side of the world and start growing your own with this reassuring guide, complete with a glossary of gardening terms and a picture gallery of common weeds.

Allotment Handbook takes you through 10 steps to preparing your plot and teaches you need to know techniques such as sowing, plating, feeding, mulching, watering and weeding. Armed with the basics, you'll learn how to grow over 70 types of fruit and vegetable crops. You'll also find easy projects such as making a simple compost bin and planting a fruit tree and tips to attract wildlife along with simple, delicious ways to enjoy your produce. A handy troubleshooting section covers identifying and dealing with weeds, pests, and diseases.

Whether you prefer to start small with a few herbs and veg staples or you are more ambitious and intend to feed your whole family all year round, Allotment Handbook will show you how.