Keen gardeners from across Oxford are being encouraged to get out and grow their food as the city celebrates National Allotments Week.

From chillies to rosemary, allotments have long given people the freedom to avoid supermarket shopping while getting some outdoors exercise.

There are 35 registered allotments in the city, with many having free plots for gardeners wanting to take their first steps into food growing.

Wendy Skinner Smith, chairwoman of the Oxford and District Federation of Allotment Associations (ODFAA), said there were plenty of benefits to renting a plot.

She added: “Certainly you are much more likely to be healthy if you grow your own food, and it’s far better than going to a gym.

“The real highlight is the taste of food which you pick fresh. It is fantastic.

“You’ve never tasted a pea unless you have picked it off a bush and eaten it.”

Many of Oxford’s allotments have been around for more than a hundred years, when they were mainly used by workers moving to Oxford.

Nowadays the experience appears to be more of a family affair, and Mrs Skinner Smith said half of plot holders in the city are now women. 

She said: “The demographic has definitely changed. These are not really something for the poor anymore but it is a good thing if you are trying to keep to a budget. There are now more women than ever before and the age profile is plummeting.

“A lot more young people are picking up allotments. They are also popular with families because parents can teach their children about growing vegetables.”

This year’s National Allotments Week has “Growing Together” as its theme, and is meant to celebrate the inclusive nature of allotments and allowing people from all walks of life to grow their own food.

For more information on allotments in Oxford and how you can join, visit odfaa.com.

Do have an allotment which you lovingly tend? Send us a picture of your hard work to news@oxfordmail.co.uk

Our reporter Kieran Davey went down to the Botley Meadow allotments in West Oxford to speak to some of their regulars:

Oxford Mail:

LISA TSE, a housewife from West Oxford, has had an allotment for the last three years and works with her son Philip Wai, 24.

She said: “We decided to join the allotment because we needed some fresh air and some exercise. When we moved in, we were thinking about the plots and how nice they were, and we knew some people who were here as well. 

“I spend a lot of time here, sometimes it may be more than 20 hours a week. You can stay one, two, three hours and you don’t notice that it builds up. 

“It’s all about doing it little and often, and if you have a plan for how you want to grow your plot it isn’t such hard work. Every time I come here I have something new to do. You can always ask other people questions too and everyone is very friendly. We have barbecues and we have made some good friends.”

Oxford Mail:

NICK JACKSON, 51, works at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Wallingford. He has had a plot for eight years and is secretary of the allotment group. He tends the plot with his partner Pól Ó Ceallaigh, 46, who works at the city council.

He said: “We started here about eight years ago. I’m a scientist and I’m used to working with farming systems. When I was travelling for work you couldn’t keep a plot so when my work changed it was something I wanted to do. 

“I love producing my own food. I always say it’s a lot better value than a gym membership and you have something to show for it at the end of the day. A lot of supermarkets sell discounted food now so this might not be so much cheaper – I think it’s more the taste than anything else. We do not generally use chemicals so it is more organic.

“It’s also fun experimenting and growing new varieties. We also have quite a few nationalities here, the Chinese will grow a lot of oriental foods that we did not know about, so now we can start growing them as well. One of the best things is the community here – I give people a bit of advice but I haven’t been here as long as some of the allotment grandees.”

Oxford Mail:

RETIRED Unipart employee Glenn James, 67, lives in Abingdon, and has grown on plots for 35 years.

He said: “I had my first plot in Binsey. It was a time when The Good Life was on television and I think that got a lot of people into it.

“There was a couple of people I worked with and we decided to get plots as a kind of competition. We would see who could get theirs dug first. I really enjoyed it, growing stuff and meeting new people. I moved to this site in 1989. 

“What you need is a lot of patience. When you take over the plot it is often unrecognisable from what you see when you get round to growing food. It can take about three years to grow the plot so you can use it. You do find when a new person takes over it is too much to start with. My advice would be a concentrate on a small part to start with.”