Hi, I’m Keir
I’m a 58-year-old landscape gardener based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire —
and I’ve been growing vegetables for the best part of 40 years.
It started on my grandfather’s allotment. He had a proper plot — beans up canes,
potatoes earthed up in neat rows, the smell of tomatoes on the vine in his greenhouse.
I spent summers there as a kid and never really lost the bug.
These days I grow at home. My back garden is roughly the size of an allotment plot —
every square metre is put to work. Raised beds, a greenhouse, containers along the fence.
The goal is simple: grow as much of our own food as possible and cut the food bills.
As a working landscape gardener I understand plants and soil — but I also know that
most people who want to grow their own food aren’t horticulturalists. They just want to
know what to sow this weekend without wading through conflicting advice written
for a climate nothing like ours.
That’s what The Allotment is for. Everything here is written from a UK perspective —
Yorkshire growing conditions, UK varieties, UK frosts. What works on a plot in the North
of England, not what works in California.
I won’t pretend I get it right every time. Slugs happen. Late frosts happen.
But 40 years gives you a feel for what to do when things go wrong — and that’s
what I try to share here.
years growing vegetables
West Yorkshire, UK
wasted on fluff
Honest Advice from an Actual UK Grower
The Allotment covers:
- Monthly growing guides — what to sow and plant each month in the UK
- Vegetable growing deep-dives — how to grow specific crops from seed to harvest
- Companion planting guides — which plants help each other in UK conditions
- Container and small space growing — making the most of a small garden or balcony
- Printable planners and journals — tools to track and plan your growing season
No paid promotions. No sponsored posts. No affiliate links hidden in “honest reviews.”
Just growing advice from someone who does it every year.