Allotment sites across Fenland are proving hugely popular but there are vacancies in some villages including Manea

Ever fancied living the 'Good Life'? Are the constantly rising prices of fruit and veg making your head spin and your purse hurt?

Then why not take on an allotment so you can grow your own?

There are allotment sites across our district, some with vacancies ready for a green-fingered tenant to get dug in, while in other places there are waiting lists.

Places such as Wisbech have five sites, and at the moment they are full but a phone call or email to the town council can secure you a place on the waiting list, which is operated on a first-come, first-served basis.

March also has a waiting list, but in villages such as Benwick there are the odd vacancies as is also the case in Wimblington, which currently has three or four plots available.

As other villages, the Wimblington allotments are run by a group of volunteers and to apply you need to contact the management committee on 01354 741118.

Parson Drove has a waiting list, but a call to the parish council can put you on that list as is the case with Benwick.

Among those with plots available is Manea Allotment Association, which is run by a friendly bunch of volunteers, and is looking for new people to join their happy gang of allotmenteers.

For just £30 a year, you get your own full plot to grow whatever you fancy - half plots are also available at £15 per year – these are typical prices for an allotment site.

The growing season is just getting under way, and allotment holders across Fenland have been busily planting out the seedlings carefully nurtured in greenhouses, conservatories, and windowsills or planting seeds directly into our fertile Fen soil.

Of course, they have been working through the winter and early spring to prepare their plots ready for the season ahead, but that does not mean this not a good time to take on a plot.

There are still opportunities to plant vegetables, and the warm summer months are the perfect time to get out in the fresh air and do the groundwork ready for next year as not all plots come ready for planting - some take work.

There is nothing quite like picking your own homegrown beans, rootling for potatoes, and digging up carrots fresh from the ground ready for your plate.

The crops grown on the Manea allotments and, no doubt, on sites across the district, vary from the usual runner beans, carrots, potatoes, cabbages, cucumbers, courgettes, and tomatoes, to the slightly more exotic kohlrabi, sweet potatoes, and even melons.

Flowers that can be cut for a vase at home are also popular additions to the plots and of course, the all-important pollinators love them too.

Many of the Manea plots have well-established fruit trees with bountiful crops of apples, pears, plums, and cherries promised later this year.

There is no denying having an allotment is a commitment and can be hard work - digging is no easy task and, of course, there is the need for constant weeding through the summer months.

But the rewards are manifold, not only do you get to enjoy the fruits of your labour, but gardening is great for your mental well-being, it is good exercise to help with physical fitness and there is nothing quite like that feeling of being at one with nature.

In Manea members range in age from young families, to teenagers and upwards to people who are still happily working their plots into their seventies and beyond.

Most allotment sites are full of helpful people, willing to give advice and the occasional helping hand to those new to the art of growing their own.

In Chatteris there is currently a waiting list for an allotment, but you can add your name to that by contacting the town council clerk.

You don't need to be an experienced gardener to tackle an allotment, you just need commitment and a willingness to learn as you go along.

It is hard work and sometimes you have disappointments like watching your cabbages be decimated by Cabbage White caterpillars, but it is also fun.

If you think taking on an allotment in Manea is something you would enjoy then drop an email to: maneaallotments@yahoo.com

Failing that contact your own town or parish council to find out what’s available on your doorstep. No rules are stopping you from having a plot in a neighbouring village, but most councils and associations will give priority to residents especially where there is a waiting list.