The Window-Box Allotment: A Beginner's Guide to Container Gardening

by Penelope Bennett

A guide to month-by-month container gardening for those wishing to maximize all available gardening space. The author has managed to cultivate a fully functional vegetable garden on the roof terrace of her London home. She also includes innovative ideas such as creating a wormery and a compost bin.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference

224 pages, Hardcover

First published May 22, 2001

Reviews

[Emma Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Window-Box Allotment is a year in the life of Penelope Bennett, as she attempts to grow some of her own food in very little space. It starts in January, rather an inauspicious time to start a gardening endeavour, and each month gets a separate chapter.

Bennett carefully describes the gardening tasks she undertakes each month, what she observes and what she learns. There's information about plants and varieties, and a recipe to make use of your home-grown produce. You'll also find information about ant farms, worms and small-scale composting.

If you have a very small space then this is a wonderful guide to growing your own in a micro-garden, but what makes this book different from other 'gardening in small spaces' books is the love that shines through every page. Bennett is growing these plants because they fascinate her, and because she wants to feel the magical connection to nature that they bring into the house. It's this, as much as her detailed information and inspiring projects, that will make you want to sow your own seeds, and keep you coming back to this book for years to come.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read
A simple and friendly guide to growing edible plants in containers in very small spaces. Organised by month, to give a guide for complete beginners.
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I read this very fast; there wasn't always enough detail for me. Some things I don't need to know, but others I want an idiot's guide to. Despite this book not being exactly what I wanted it to be, it was a pleasant read, and Bennett's enthusiasm shines through.

[Gemma Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is out of print, but I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone with even a few square feet of patio if you want to grow veggies. It reads a bit like a novel in a way and takes you through the year month by month so that you can plan out your crops.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a delight to read. It is written as a diary rather than a dry planting reference book and the author has a very nice style of writing. I sat and read the whole book in a couple of sittings!