A NEW West Devon allotment project is beginning to blossom — thanks to a lot of hard work and some small, but very important, grants.

The Lamerton allotment project began in 2009 — now, what was once a field which had only ever been used for grazing, is a thriving community facility.

Allotments association member Richard Dawson said: 'We started digging in about April 2009, so last year was our first growing year.

'I believe it had been the wish to find the village some allotment space for some years.

'Then William May Somerville very kindly gave us this field. He was very keen this would be something for the village to enjoy, and its use is restricted to Lamerton residents.

'It was a greenfield site and nothing had been done to it for at least 80 years, so it really was virgin soil.'

With initial support from the parish council, work began on rotovating the field. A generous donation of a ride-on mower and trailer from resident Bruce Grant proved a big boost.

As a result of a huge amount of hard work, the allotments first bore fruit, and lots of vegetables, last summer — so impressive was the crop it drew praise from the visiting judge at the allotment holders' inaugural produce show last year.

There are 24 plots on the site, including some half plots. They cost a maximum of £30 a year to rent and allotment holders can grow however, and whatever, they wish.

One of the most productive is the plot belonging to Lamerton Primary School.

Allotment committee member Jess Evans said: 'The children love it. They come down every week — there are so many that want to join the gardening club, they have to come in two separate groups.

'They have their own shed and tools — and they actually collected so many Morrisons vouchers that the shop gave them four apple trees.'

Jess said there were allotment holders of all ages — some couples, some groups of friends, some individuals.

'We get from school-aged children to people in their 70s — it's very much a community thing here. They come from all backgrounds — we're a very mixed bunch.

'A lot of us knew very little about growing to start with, so there's been lots of trial and error — and a lot of sharing of knowledge — and produce.

'It's small enough to be very friendly — some allotments are enormous.'

Having had a very successful first year, this year's wet weather has been frustrating for the gardeners, although the abundance of rain has been put to good use thanks to some more welcome support.

Although the allotment has mains water, the growers do not use it. Several huge storage tanks have been installed after a generous donation. Guttering from a stone shed on the land was erected after a grant from Devon County Councillor Debo Sellis, which collects rain off the roof. A second grant from Cllr Sellis will be used to connect the water collection system to a second dipping trough, to serve the lower end of the site.

Richard said: 'These aren't big grants — £250 in total — but they mean a huge amount to us.'

Plans include improving access to the site and laying down plastic grass grids from the entrance.

'We are also going to have to get some sort of hedge-trimmer and bits of machinery to make life a little easier,' said Richard.

'We aren't intending to be any bigger but we need to maintain it properly now we are up and running.'

Chairman of the association Mike Knight said it was great to see members of the community really enjoying the facility and sharing their experiences.

'We have a brunch at the start of the season, and we have a barbecue in the summer. We have the children coming up here — we have a lot of fun, the atmosphere is very good,' he said.

In common with growers everywhere, the allotment holders have found summer 2012 a challenge.

However, having been through the process of creating productive plots from nothing, they still have some top tips to share.

They include:

l Leaving some stones in the soil, as they will help drainage.

l Remember to protect crops from hungry neighbours — the Lamerton site has a particular problem with rabbits and pigeons, apart from this year's abundant slug population — so netting is a must.

l Use of well rotted manure to nourish the soil at the end of the growing season.

l Get a compost heap started — but leave out pernicious weeds like bindweed.

l Rotate crops — don't grow the same crop in the same patch every year.

And one from Mike: 'Get someone else to do the digging for you!'