I’ve had squirrels and mice dig up onions, broad beans, nibble peas, and the occasional fox leave a bit of chaos behind after rooting around where it shouldn’t. The badgers seem to love my sweetcorn too.

It can be disheartening when you’ve spent time sowing and tending things, only to arrive and find leaves full of holes or fruit gone just before it’s ready. 

Every allotment holder will know that feeling. Growing your own isn’t always the peaceful dream people imagine, sometimes it feels more like a constant negotiation with nature.

But over time, I’ve come to see that as part of the charm, especially when you see a young deer cuddled up amongst your produce!

For every pest, there’s something genuinely lovely to balance it out. The robin that appears as soon as the fork goes into the soil. The bees working the beans and courgettes all summer long. Ladybirds on the broad beans, frogs tucked under the water butt, and if you’re lucky, a hedgehog making the evening rounds and helping with the slug problem.

That’s really what an allotment should be, I think….not a perfectly controlled space, but a shared one. Yes, we do our best to protect the crops, and yes, I’d rather the pigeons left my cabbages alone. But the wildlife is part of what makes the plot feel alive and makes my soul sing.

So while they may pinch a few strawberries and test my patience now and then, I wouldn’t want an allotment without them. A plot full of birdsong, bees and the odd bit of mischief still feels far better than one with nothing but neat rows and silence……

Cheltenham Action for Nature is working on a community-led project: Grow your Own Cheltenham, with the aim of supporting growers, connecting growing spaces, and sharing skills, knowledge and support. Read more, or join the Facebook group.

Some of the wildlife on Sarah’s allotment