The telegraph reports

Unused space in London, such as roof gardens and housing estates could be transformed into allotments under a new initiative by London Mayor Boris Johnson.

photo credit: LoopZilla

The unused spaces are to be converted into vegetable gardens which would grow potatoes and brussels sprouts in an attempt to feed the 2012 Olympic athletes with home-grown products.

It is thought the flat roofs in London comprise an area 24 times the size of Richmond Park - and their owners will be offered incentives to convert their space.

As environmental awareness has grown, growing vegetables on allotments has become more popular across the country, although London still produces little of its own food.

Where would you put the shed? and could unscrupulous estate agents use the shed as an extra room?

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Two great but differing examples of allotment sheds.

Allotment Tool Shed

Vratch Heights

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This is london reports.

Allotments could offer the solution to London’s obesity epidemic.

Council chiefs are offering residents more than 300 subsidised plots for as little as £10 a year in the hope of improving their diets and giving them more exercise.

Londonwide the popularity of allotments has soared, with waiting lists of up to a decade in some places. Now Harrow council, which has surplus spaces, has decided to offer hundreds of people the chance to grow their own for half price.

Councillor Susan Hall said: “I urge anyone who doesn’t have a garden to sign up. It’s a fantastic hobby that delivers a wide range of benefits, including the ability to grow your own pesticide-free fresh fruit and vegetables as well as providing a vital habitat for wildlife.” She said the allotments were particularly targeted at families who live in flats and properties without gardens.

“This is a great way of getting children out in the open air and gives them a chance to nurture something,” she said.

“It’s fantastic exercise - much better than being stuck in front of the TV - and people also get to eat organic food.”

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According the PA

Green-fingered Charlotte Church is desperate to own an allotment, she has revealed.

The multi-millionaire singer-turned-TV host said she already grows her own vegetables and collects eggs laid by her hens.

Church, 22, who is expecting her second baby in November with rugby star boyfriend Gavin Henson, said: “I love gardening. Gavin and I grow a lot of our own vegetables and we have some hens for fresh eggs. We’ve got dogs and geese as well,” she told Hello! magazine.

Well I hope she will share her shed when she gets it.

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This will be the odd post in the style of home and garden (maybe not) that will be a post about me whingeing about my failues as a gardener.

Today it’s about slugs, in Welsh Wales we have been getting lots and lots and blod%y lots of slugs in the wilco garden (and elsewhere Iam told!)

My little gastropod mollusk enemies have done the following damage so far

1) Eaten my strawberries
2) Munched their way through my courgettes
3) Decemated my peppers
4) Starting making their evil way to shed to see if they can get my broadbean plants before I plant them out (ok Iam late but iam a total beginner)

This had to stop, so took the advice of Bob flowerdew from this organic gardening book.

I bough some copper tape from ebay, this seems to have worked for my potatoes I grow them in bags, so put the tape on around the bag, but they pesky beggers are still around looking to nibble on any new plant.

So I have decided to take another more germ warefare route and bought some nematodes from Unwins, but you can buy it on ebay as well.

The control of slugs is very difficult, slug pellets are effective ,but can have serious effects on birds, pets and wildlife, They are also only effective on slugs at the surface. By treating with Nemaslug® it is specific to slugs and will not affect birds, pets or any wildlife and is effective both above and below ground. Nemaslug® is a naturally occurring parasitic nematode of slugs - Phasmarhabditis Hermaphrodita. The nematode enters the slug through the slug mantle - the saddle like structure on its back. Once inside, the nematode releases a bacterium which multiply and this is what the nematode feeds on. The nematodes multiply and within 3-5 days the slug stops feeding and will burrow underground to die.

I used the stuff last night so will let you know how I get on next week.

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