When the going gets tough, the tough get growing
With lockdown initially making food harder to get and limiting people's time outside, allotments have provided the perfect antidote.
Cross Houses Community Allotments, near Shrewsbury, is one location where people have been busy getting green-fingered during the lockdown, with around 27 plots turning out all manner of produce for its committed growers.
Cameron Moffett, who runs the site, said that they had seen more people signing up to the waiting list for a plot during the past few months, while those who already have one have been benefitting from getting out and enjoying some hard work in the open air.
Cameron said: "It is very good for your mental health and in the last couple of months a few people who live in flats have said it has made all the difference to be able to get out for a while, and people have really appreciated their allotments."
What people produce largely depends on the season, with recent harvests including asparagus, artichokes and new potatoes, with the crop now moving on to soft fruits.
Cameron, who has had her plot for more than 20 years, said the benefits to having your own allotment are not only at the dinner table, but also in terms of physical exercise.
She said: "It is a lovely setting that allotment but any allotment, just to be outside doing physical work – that is your exercise, you don't need to go to the gym just go to the allotment.
"I make all my own jams and chutney and we will probably have our own potatoes for getting on half of the year. You can easily grow more than is convenient to deal with!"
