Be inspired by the best books on allotment gardening

Embracing the good life is easy with this guide to allotment gardening books.

Best allotment gardening books

by Natalie Knowles |
Updated on

The best books on allotment gardening are a wonderful instant reference guide or gift idea for a garden-loving loved one. With the cost of living so high, cultivating a plot on an allotment is an ideal source of organic fruit and veg. Whether you are a budding newbie or a seasoned gardener, there's a wonderful range of books on allotment gardening to help you create the perfect plot.

There's a wide range of top-rated gardening books out there - from practical how-to guides to allotment community and sustainability-focused books - so there's bound to be a book that's right for you. We've included allotment planners and cookbooks in our list to help you get growing and reap the fruits of your labour and make great allotment gifts.

Best books on allotment gardening at a glance:

• Best for intermediate gardeners: RHS Allotment Handbook and Planner - View now on Amazon UK

• Best for beginners: Alan Titchmarsh How to Garden: Allotment Gardening - View now on Amazon UK

• Best for expert advice: Allotment Month by Month: How to Grow Your Own Fruit and Veg - View on Amazon UK

We mainly refer to the hardcover and paperback editions, however many of these books are available in Kindle and other digital download formats, which you may prefer.

Best books on allotment gardening to inspire you

Simon Akeroyd for Royal Horticultural Society

Best book on allotments for intermediate gardeners

RHS Allotment Handbook and PlannerRHS/Amazon
Price: £21.64

This is a comprehensive book that has chapters based on the fruits and vegetables you would be most likely to grow. It even has a chapter on keeping livestock. There's a useful fold-out month-by-month planner so you can track the tasks that need doing.

It's an informative and enjoyable book that aims to teach and inspire. Reviewers say it's packed with all you need to know and do throughout the year and especially like the "wish I'd known" tips. The layout is clear and wonderfully illustrated with photographs.

Pros

  • Month-by-month planner and tried and tested advice
  • Handy "wish I'd known" tips from a pro gardener

Cons

  • Some reviews have commented on the Kindle edition being slow-loading and difficult to read

Alan Titchmarsh

Best book on allotment gardening for beginners

Alan Titchmarsh How to Garden Allotment GardeningAlan Titchmarsh/Amazon

Rrp: £21.95

Price: £12.38

You're in expert hands with Alan Titchmarsh, a beloved TV personality, and twice named Gardening Writer of the Year. The emphasis of this book is to give practical information about creating, planting, and harvesting your allotment.

As you would expect from a BBC publication the easy-to-follow content is illustrated with glossy photographs. Chapters are divided into getting an allotment and planning your plot, planting and growing, and an A-Z of vegetables. Reviewers report finding the tips and tricks especially useful.

Pros

  • Easy-to-follow practical advice from the king of gardening
  • A great option for allotment beginners

Cons

  • Published in 2012, this makes it feel slightly dated

Alan Buckingham

Best allotment gardening book for expert advice

Allotment Month by MonthDK/Amazon

Rrp: £49.99

Price: £26.25

This book is broken down into sections, starting with allotment know-how that's all about organising your plot and what to plant. An allotment calendar section takes you through tasks and tips month-by-month in a way that reviewers describe as straightforward and easy to understand.

The crop planner section is a comprehensive guide to cultivating all major vegetables, fruits and herbs. Finally, a troubleshooter section looks at common plant diseases, pests and parasites. There are plenty of photos and clear information, as you'd expect from a DK publication.

Pros

  • Offers an informative, practical guide
  • Described as comprehensive and easy to follow

Cons

  • Some reviews commented that they'd like it available in a digital edition

Sven Wombwell

Best allotment gardening book for reference

Allotment Gardening For DummiesFor Dummies/Amazon
Price: £30.22

The most encyclopaedic book in our guide, there's no allotment gardening question this For Dummies book leaves unanswered. It's a brilliant reference book and very much a practical guide. So, if you want to know what to do and when on your plot, this book covers everything.

Reviewers praise this book for its expert knowledge, clever dodges, and even tasty cooking ideas, saying it provides sound advice for the first-time gardener. There is a useful section towards the end of the book covering mistakes to avoid and troubleshooting advice.

Pros

  • Huge amounts of useful information written in an entertaining way
  • Comprehensive for all levels

Cons

  • There are no photos, only line drawings

Lia Leendertz

Best book on allotment gardening for productivity

RHS Half Hour AllotmentRHS/Amazon
Price: £20.00

Written by Lia Leendertz, this RHS title proposes that productivity is best achieved by working in half-an-hour slots. There are ten time-saving chapters that cover taking on your plot, what to grow, and how to manage it in its first year. The text is clear and illustrated with glossy photographs.

Also, there are handy tips in boxed-out lists, so it's a very accessible book for beginners - which reviewers rate as blooming lovely. This is a great choice for anyone who doesn't have unlimited time to spend on their plot but still want to get growing.

Pros

  • Clean and modern layout
  • No-nonsense text is said to be easy to follow

Cons

  • Some reviews have commented that it's not an in-depth gardening book

Simon Akeroyd

Best easy-to-follow allotment gardening book

Allotment HandbookDK/Amazon
Price: £34.77

This wonderfully designed and illustrated allotment handbook is synonymous with DK's visual approach. Information is broken down into easy-to-follow steps and is aimed at new allotment owners.

Simon Akeroyd is an experienced gardening author, who keeps the text succinct and delivered in manageable bite-size sections. He has penned over 30 gardening books in all and was previously Gardens' Manager for the National Trust, and the Royal Horticultural Society.

Pros

  • A very visual book that's beautifully designed
  • Offers easy-to-follow steps

Cons

  • Experienced gardeners may not get much new information from this book

Emma Cooper

Best small book on allotment gardening

The Allotment Pocket BibleEmma Cooper/Amazon
Price: £11.95

A pocket-size book of tips and techniques for both allotment beginners and experienced gardeners. The book has a vintage feel to it with an old-fashioned typeset, yet it's packed with useful and up-to-date information. Do be aware it's more of a factual guide than a photographic or illustrative one.

Along with traditional allotment plots, this book also provides information about growing produce in greenhouses and polytunnels. Unlike some other titles we've covered, this has a section on growing edible flowers so is great for the more adventurous.

Pros

  • Advice for greenhouse and polytunnel owners
  • Packed with contemporary information

Cons

  • Does not have photography or much in the way of illustrations

Roberta Wood

Best allotment gardening book for planning

My Allotment - Planning and RecordingRoberta Wood/Amazon
Price: £17.46

For enjoying your earthy pleasures, this planner is beautifully illustrated and many reviewers say that it makes the ideal gift for keen gardeners. It is very much a book to record your crops and harvest - not a guide - though it does have some tips and inspiring gardening quotes.

Featuring whimsical illustrations, amusing gardening-related quotes, and daily prompts, it's the ideal way to record how your garden grows. This also offers blank pages so you can sketch out your allotment plot and planting plan.

Pros

  • A lovely way to record what's happening in your allotment plot
  • Good for planning your garden

Cons

  • It's not a how-to guide

Pete Lawrence

Best allotment gardening cookbook

The Allotment CookbookPete Lawrence/Amazon

Rrp: £19.99

Price: £18.73

This recipe book is written in an engaging and easy-to-follow style. It has a wonderful vintage design with lovely line illustrations. Pete Lawrence's book is divided up into seasons with what to sow and harvest at that time of year. The recipes are based around individual vegetables, fruits and herbs.

Recipes encompass all kinds of meals with everything from comforting asparagus risotto to imaginative Christmas burgers with bubble and squeak patties. Reviewers appreciate the seasonal approach Lawrence takes so you can plan recipes as produce comes into season.

Pros

  • Appetising recipes that make your produce the showstopper of any meal
  • Best recipe book for newer gardeners

Cons

  • Recipes are simple for experts

Jason Johns

Best allotment gardening book in a series

The Complete Allotment GuideJason Johns/Amazon
Price: £32.99

Written by a passionate allotmenteer, this is volume one in a series that focuses on starting out and growing fruit and vegetables on your plot. It also covers areas such as composting and how to deal with pests. The book is written by an expert, who has authored several gardening books.

This covers vegetable patches, allotments, and even small holdings. The density of the text and some of the more advanced topics covered may alienate absolute newcomers. But if you enjoy Jones' authorial voice, then this book may be a gateway to the rest of his allotment series.

Pros

  • Advice from an experienced allotmenteer and gardening author
  • Offers a useful guide to composting

Cons

  • Text is a dense, black-and-white print

How we chose the best books on allotment gardening

All of these books have been hand-selected by our team of Modern Gardens shopping experts. We carefully considered the author's authority, level of advice, and design and layout in our selection of the best. Our team has spent hours investigating and researching books on allotment gardening to make it easier for you to find the very best, and we'd never recommend a product we don't believe in.

Where possible, we also test and share the latest and best products you should know about. And with help from Modern Gardens Magazine, Garden News and Garden Answers, we share expert gardening knowledge to help you get the most from your product.

What can I grow in my allotment for beginners?

As a newcomer to allotment gardening, you may want to start by growing some easy vegetables that will give you a great yield with the least effort. Vegetables such as salad tomatoes, potatoes, salad leaves, and spring onions are fantastic for beginners.

Tips for a new allotment plot

• Spend some time observing and assessing the area, don’t rush in too soon. Think about the plot's aspect, where it gets sun and shade and what sort of weeds you need to deal with.

• Plots don’t have to be clean and organised in a traditional fashion. Perhaps you might like a fruit garden or cottage style with lots of flowers or you may also want to include a pond.

• Think about what you want from it. Do you want to relax and potter in, or do you want the plot to be truly productive? Where are you going to sit? Where will the compost bin and path go?

• Spend winter deciding which foods you could grow instead of buying them. If you want to save money, grow crops that are expensive in the shops, such as rocket and sweetcorn.

Source: Garden News January 2020

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Natalie Knowles is a Homes & Garden Product Writer for Modern Gardens, specialising in garden trends. When she's not flexing her mow-how, Natalie is a successful artist and illustrator.

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