Thanks to John for a report from the West End Allotment. That is the allotments, the other side of the A34 from Tesco, on what was Abingdon Common before the A34 destroyed it.

Allotments don’t have to look pretty. Allotments were created to allow us town dwellers – with not enough land – to grow some of our own produce.

John says “in spite of the drought there’s some enterprising plots (not mine!). Here you find the latest in bird scarers; runner beans are pretty, squashes and pumpkins are popular, as are polytunnels and self-build sheds, even summer-houses.”

August is here and it is time to concentrate on bringing what is in flower to fruition – pinch out the top of tomato plants and let the plant concentrate on what it has already.

It is community gardening, and if you are new to it there will always be somebody there to give advice. The town council owns the allotments, but the day to day running of the allotments is done by individual allotment associations. There are three for the three allotments in Abingdon: West End featured here, Wildmoor (also over the A34 but a little further north) , and Drayton Road (so called because it was once on Drayton Road before houses crowded it out, and now is to be found close to the sewage works).