Stoney Road Gardens Association

Hoorah! Your name has reached the top of the waiting list and you've got your very own allotment! Now what...?

Before you take on an allotment of any description, first of all ask yourself a few questions about yourself. Such as…

Tucked away behind the modern houses of an unassuming Coventry suburb lies a secret that might surprise many local people: an allotment site so historic and so special that it is one of only four in the whole country to have attracted a listing from English Heritage. Twenty-first century gardeners who work this land are following in the footsteps of generations of gardeners before them. Dotted around the site there are also concrete reminders of the past in the form of small huts or bothies where gardeners and their families stayed in the summer.

Some advice on how - and how not - to get it into shape.

Daunting though it may be in some ways, a derelict allotment is actually a great opportunity: a blank canvass upon which you can create something new, beautiful and made to your exact specifications. After you’ve collected your keys, your top priority (apart, perhaps from erecting a shed) will of course be to clear the ground and get it ready for cultivation.