Our plot is on a newly established allotment site located on the edge of a field next to a farm road outside of the village of Brompton, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

The field has been in pasture for many years, with grazing from sheep and cows.

Before our arrival, the allotment site has been ploughed and worked. Each allotment plot has been pegged out, with wood chip paths laid out between most of the plots. A post and rail fence with rabbit wire now separates the allotment site from the rest of the field. The plot measures 12 meters by 9 meters, giving us an area of 108 square meters to work with.

Due to the present working of the land the plot is now covered in docks with areas where the grass is trying to re-establish itself. The soil is full of heavy clay clods, with various sized rocks located across the area. Along the fence side, there is long grass and nettles.

There is a mains water tap located at the front of the plot to our right, the tap has very low pressure. There are currently no storage sheds on the site and the car park is also wood chip. Access to the plot is on a wood chip path from the carpark.

The allotment site is on a slight south-facing slope with a flat area in the middle of the site where our plot is located. To the east of our plot where the fence separates us from the pasture, this area is open to the wind. To the west and the prevailing wind, there are large oak trees with touching canopies that have been left to grow out of the hedge. The north of the site there is a block of very large conifer trees blocking most of the northern wind. Our plot will get some protection against the prevailing winds from these trees. Our site will be in constant sunlight throughout the day time in summer, with the oak trees shading the late evening sun.  

In the two satellite images taken using Google Earth, we get to see the location of the allotment site on the landscape. Here we can get a better understanding of how open the local landscape is to the wind with no noticeable woodlands for many miles. The whole area surrounding the site is intensely farmed arable land.

Below are three images showing the path of the sun over the allotment site during the summer and winter solstices and the spring and autumn equinox.