SOUTH Essex has become a little bit more green with a surge in residents wanting their own allotment.

With national allotment week in full swing even more growers are venturing out and caring for plants and produce.

The event sees allotment sites opening their gates, holders showing off their green fingers, sharing their joy in gardening and communal endeavour to encourage everyone to grow food in their own gardens, balconies and backyards.

This year’s summer heatwave has made for varied conditions to grow, nurture and even harvest produce at allotments across the south of the county.

Town and borough councils run and manage hundreds of sites for green-fingered Essex residents and sites are in high demand.

Basildon Council owns seven allotment sites - three are run directly by the council and four are run by allotment associations.

The current waiting list for the three allotment sites that the council runs is currently 18 months.

There are 171 plots in the three council-run allotments with 13 vacancies.

Southend Council has 14 allotment sites across the town.

In Southend, waiting lists vary from site to site, but typically society run sites which are bigger, like Hamstel Road, tend to have shorter waiting lists and plots do become available.

However plots very rarely become available at smaller sites, such as Edwards Hall and Sandringam Road, so someone could be waiting for a number of years if they are on the waiting lists at those sites, sometimes for more than five years.

Peter Harding, 74, from Canvey, has held an allotment for more than 20 years.

He said he loves growing vegetables at his site on Canvey.

He said: “I like it because it is exercise and it helps to get me out the house.

“I don’t know if it saves me money as I could buy vegetables that I grow such as potatoes from the supermarket but I think they are much better home grown.

“I grow enough potatoes to get us through the winter months.

“It is essential for me to have an allotment. I have been doing it now for about 28 years and it is really cheap to keep an allotment.

“I get a lot of pleasure from my plot and what I can grow there. It is good for people who are retired.”

“We don’t see many young people there but those I do see there do seem to like.”

The former chairman of the Canvey Horticultural Society said the popularity has just boomed but he can remember a time when it wasn’t as popular.

Earnest James, 75, from Benfleet has two allotments.

He grows a range of plants, flowers, fruit and vegetables at his sites in Benfleet.

He said: “This year has been very dry due to the hot weather but garden centres do offer used compost which is great.

“I like having a plot because it is nice and peaceful and a good way to escape life indoors.

“This year I have grown great cauliflowers and they are not easy to get right.

“I also like to give produce to my friends and family, as I often grow far too much.”

Canvey Town Council and Rochford District Council were approached for figures.