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Bodleian Library Publishing has reissued this compact gem from the editor of Smallholder magazine, written during the First World War by “garden guru” Brett. With a new foreword by former Observer food and allotment writer Allan Jenkins, the book is lauded for its concise, practical wisdom. Jenkins writes that he wishes he had discovered it 20 years ago, a testament to its enduring relevance and clarity.
Brett (1887-1944) writes with the discipline and directness of wartime necessity. His focus is unwavering: food production above all else. There is no room for ornament or distraction, just method, produce, and purpose.
The Allotment Book offers clear, step-by-step guidance on how to plan, set up, and maintain a productive allotment. Chapters cover everything from soil preparation and tools to choosing the right crops. The contents move systematically through “Taking a New Allotment,” “How to Handle an Old Plot,” and “The 10-Perch Plot” (about 250 sqm), progressing to larger holdings up to 160 perches. The advice is straightforward yet ingenious: on a standard 10-perch plot, Brett suggests growing around twenty crops in strips, rotating and reusing “nursery seed beds” mid-season for maximum yield. Larger plots, he explains, allow room for fruit bushes, trees, and intercropping to further boost productivity.
Brett’s style is refreshingly authoritative with no fluff, no sentimentality, just solid horticultural expertise. He covers everything from bastard trenching to dug-out frames, devotes references on 33 pages to the subject of manure alone, and provides concise growing instructions for each vegetable (six lines apiece) detailing soil type, depth, variety, watering, and harvest timing. The result is a single-minded manual of immense value: 130 pages of pure practicality.
Unpretentious yet remarkably instructive, The Allotment Book remains as relevant today as when it was first written. It’s an indispensable companion for anyone serious about growing their own food, then or now.
