Top of the plots: The 'unique' London allotment

"This is not an allotment, this is a show garden worthy of the Chelsea Flower Show, I thought to myself as I entered through a hidden gate in Barnet, north London. A sweeping tunnel of more than 100 fruit and flower trees led temptingly towards more secrets and surprises tucked away in Steve Mills' plot, which he has been tending to for 14 years."

"Mr Mills has just become an award-winning allotment owner, after wowing judges with his three-level S-shaped maze of plants. He said: "I know it's unique and I know it's different. I thought, how do I share it with other people?" Mr Mills entered the Top of the Plots competition, run in association with the National Allotment Society (NAS) in the hope that "people will see it and maybe get inspired by what I've done and take some of those ideas and use it for themselves"."

"I walked with Mr Mills beneath the arches of fruit trees, interwoven with vines of squash, wisteria and clematis. We picked and ate pears and apples that crunched with a fresh sweetness impossible to find from supermarket fruit. Even in autumn, at the end of the growing season, there was an abundance of colour and foliage, bright spots of pink from a dahlia or fuchsia jumping out from the greenery."

Steve Mills converted a blank allotment into an award-winning, three-level S-shaped garden over 14 years, training polytunnel supports to form arches of more than 100 fruit and flower trees. The plot contains 28 different apple varieties alongside vines of squash, wisteria and clematis, mixed vegetable beds, ornamental peony borders and a lush striped lawn. The layout invites visitors to walk beneath tree tunnels and pick ripe fruit, combining productivity and ornamentation. Entry through a hidden gate reveals winding paths, seasonal colour even in autumn, and a design intended to inspire others to adapt ideas for their own plots.

Read at www.bbc.com