You've heard of PYO. Well, now it's GYO - Grow Your Own - and everyone's getting in on the act. Allotment 'old-timer' Paul Richmond-Darby isn't at all surprised. 

Tip 1

Tip 2

Tip 3

Don't be in too much of a hurry to sow and plant everything in late February or early March. Seeds started off later, when the soil is warmer, will catch up and overtake those sown too early in the season.

So why take on an allotment? Well, it's fun, healthy, cheap, you recycle stuff and you help the environment. And you know exactly what you are eating - fresher food, no chemicals. You can grow varieties of food that are not available in the shops and eat them when they are fresh, young and tender. The exercise and fresh air are good for you, quite apart from your improved diet.

Anyone can grow their own food: it's up to you whether you get an allotment or put a few vegetables into your flower borders. You can even grow fruit, vegetables and herbs in containers in your back yard. Many vegetables are suitable including carrots, potatoes, lettuce, radishes, cucumber and parsnips. In fact, Johnsons (www.johnsons-seeds.com) produce a range of compact veg seeds specially for the purpose.

If you choose an allotment, how much time does it take to look after it? As much as you like, really. The main thing is to consider it as a leisure activity, so little and often is the rule. A couple of mornings or afternoons pottering about each week suits me.

Don't work so hard at first that you get tired and eventually give up. Allotment holders I've spoken to reckon about half of the newcomers give up within two years because they find the digging too much like hard work. But it doesn't have to be. Little and often is the rule. Avoid too much early enthusiasm followed by an aching back. Hoe a little bit here and there to keep down the weeds. You can even try organic gardening the no-dig way. I'm all for that. Personally, I don't dig in my compost. I spread it on the top and let the worms do the work.

Observe techniques and ask fellow allotment holders questions. Some people favour covering the beds in winter to keep down weeds, but I think the damp darkness under there provides a slug heaven. Some people find raised beds easier to manage. You don't have to bend down so far and all the boxed edges look neat. You don't walk on the beds, so the soil does not become compacted and it's easy to weed.

The current popularity of allotments means that most sites have waiting lists. But don't be put off - half the applicants get bored with waiting and drop out. Annual rents vary. They can be anything from a few pence to around £10-40 for a full plot, half price for a half plot, usually with concession prices, too.

I try to take home something edible from my plot all year round. The gap in the season hardest to fill is the late spring when there's a lull before the main summer crops come up. I usually have some purple sprouting broccoli and leeks about the place. But my great standby is a reliable bed of self-seeding ground cress. It's just like watercress, but a bit more peppery - great for adding to sandwiches. And if there is nothing else, I'll eat the weeds. A dandelion salad with French dressing and tossed with warm bacon. Delicious.

Tip 4

Make friends with your weeds, then you won't stomp around your plot hating everything. A dandelion? Great for salads. Stinging nettles? They make great soup or when dried, a healthy tea.

Your local council will tell you about allotments in your area. Select one you can walk or cycle to and arrange to meet their local representative on the site. Check out any rules you may find inconvenient, like no sheds or no cars. You will need somewhere to keep your tools and to sit when it rains. Find out about the water supply and whether they have a trading hut where you can buy seeds, tools and other garden supplies cheaply.

Once you have your plot, grow what you like to eat. I grow a lot of leeks, which are expensive in the shops. Potatoes are cheap, but I like varieties like Ratte, Belle de Fontonaire and the ever-popular Desirée. Eat your own carrots young and you'll remember what they used to taste like.

A homemade compost bin for your allotment can be made by wiring four wooden palettes together with old coat hangers. Put some twigs in the bottom to let the air in then fill with layers of green (weeds, turves and left over veggies) and brown (soil and rotted down stuff). Keep it moist and cover it so that it 'cooks'. But burn roots of couch grass, bindweed and other perennial weed pests as well as any diseased material.