Think allotment gardens are just about food and flowers? Think again! Thoughts on an afternoon session of growth on the allotment.

Cabbage whites out on manoeuvres,

Get through those nets if you can,

Sunlight is bright despite all this cloud,

Trimmer blades rattle along a hedge in the distance,

Beans are climbing their canes, at last.

–

A welcome breeze sways taller stems back and forth,

Spins now and then two little sun bleached windmills,

Raises goose bumps on my now resting arms,

Maybe later, rain will come after all.

–

Between crops freshly hoe’d weeds now wither,

Choice plants must be drinking from just watered soil,

Glasshouse tomatoes should be thankful for tying them 

Once again to their bamboo supports,

Courgettes and pumpkins yet again need harvesting.

–

Another weekend allotment session has soothed my soul,

Toil’s tried my weary back and soil has dried my hands,

Fresh air and space has refreshed and free’d my mind,

Plants have frustrated and fulfilled my need for growth,

It’s not about allotment rules, it’s that allotments rule.

Growth Potential, by Gary Webb