CHOICE OF AN ALLOTMENT 



ALTHOUGH it is not always possible to select an ideal 

 spot for an allotment garden, yet it is worth while to 

 know what to consider if a selection is possible. The 

 garden should not be on very high ground, since on high, 

 exposed positions drying winds and gales may do much 

 damage. Nor should it be too lowlying, since many low- 

 lying gardens are subject to fogs and late spring frosts, 

 and may even be waterlogged. 



It is also desirable that the garden should have a gentle 

 slope to the south, south-east, or south-west, so that the 

 crops get a maximum amount of sunlight and air. 

 Plants grown under these conditions ripen earlier and 

 resist insects and disease better than if these conditions 

 are impossible. 



We are often asked how large an allotment garden 

 should be. No general answer can be given. A man 

 with a good deal of time on his hands might cultivate 

 as much as forty poles (or quarter of an acre), but the 

 usual sizes are half a chain (or 8 square poles), ten poles, 

 and one chain (or 16 square poles). 



There is a decided advantage in having the allotment 

 garden long and rather narrow, especially if it is possible 

 to have it long from east to west and short from north 

 to south. 



The length should be from 40 to 50 yards and the 

 width from 5J to 9 yards, exclusive of the paths, which 

 between the allotments should be about 18 inches wide. 

 It is a good plan to make the paths as dry as possible, 

 by digging out the soil to a depth of 9 inches and filling 



