Val Bourne is an award-winning writer, organic hands-on gardener and committed plantaholic – and here she gives readers the full lowdown on growing your own veg
Among his recent musings about the progress of his allotment, our much loved diarist Paul Routledge revealed his secret weapon.
“There are lots of helpful books,” he said. “I swear by Val Bourne’s Ten-Minute Gardener’s Vegetable Growing Diary.” Val is an award-winning writer, organic hands-on gardener and committed plantaholic, with an allotment in rural Gloucestershire. She says: “My hundred or so dahlias are not appreciated by my Best Beloved, although he’ll take all the plaudits once they’re in flower.”
Val manages her third of an acre garden without using chemicals â something she has always believed in. Her latest book The Living Jigsaw, is all about her eco-friendly garden. She has been interested in the natural world since childhood and has actively tried to influence gardeners to be greener in order to help the survival of our planet.
Val, who is an ambassador for The Hardy Plant Society and worked in vegetable research for five years, has been judging RHS plant trials for the past 16 years. In this National Allotment Week, Val has written an allotment guide for Mirror readers and allotmenteers of all levels – with advice for newbies, next level gardeners and even suggested a bit of fine tuning for those so experienced it’s not just their fingers which are green…