Big farmer

Reader Steve Watkin from County Durham explains why new skills and sustainability make growing such a joy

The theme for this year’s National Allotments Week, from 11 to 17 August, is Wellbeing. Five women reveal how their lives have changed for the better by spending time on their plot

Four years ago, Joy Lewty, 62, from Garforth, Leeds, was handed a pack of seeds. That simple gesture set in motion a chain of events that would change her life.

On a busy street in a small town in south Devon, there’s a secret door. I tentatively open it, head into what feels like a tunnel and then up some steps... into a pocket of magic. It’s an urban garden

Fluctuating weather patterns, the future of agri-environmental schemes and a step back in time provide much to reflect on for Joe Stanley this month

Andrew Oldham is busy bringing together vegetables and flowers to make the most of a sloping site