TWO YEARS ago Jason Clegg could only dream of being self-sufficient.

But just a year after securing an Oakes allotment plot, he and partner Kathryn Graham are on course to self-produce up to 60% of their food.

The Longwood couple – who also keep bees and chickens – have worked hard to transform the overgrown plot they acquired behind Willwood Avenue last year.

And they are already reaping the rewards with a wide selection of fresh and tasty vegetables, ready to hand-pick whenever their dining table requires it.

The green-fingered pair have planted around 20 different types of vegetables from cauliflowers, leeks and cabbages to sweetcorn, onions and potatoes.

Then there’s the beans which range from runner to broad. And, not forgetting a delicious range of summer fruits including strawberries, gooseberries and blackcurrants.

In their home greenhouse, an abundance of chillies, peppers, cucumbers, peas and tomatoes grow. Marrows, butternut squash and pumpkins will follow later in the year.

And while they wait for their two chickens to lay eggs every day, they need look no further than their own home for a fresh range of herbs and a cupboard full of homemade honey.

But it has all been a learning curve for the couple – who have sons Hayden, three, and two-year-old Myles – after they started experimenting in their garden and greenhouse at home.

Jason, 38, said: "We had absolutely no idea how to grow vegetables. We just went to a garden centre and picked out a few packets of seeds to try and grow.

"We chose things like sprouts, lettuces, kale and broccoli and they grew really well.

"Then we realised our garden wasn’t big enough to make an impact to provide food all the time so the next step was to get an allotment."

After months of waiting, the couple eventually landed their 200 metre-square plot in May 2009.

Weeks of heavy digging and weeding followed as they prepared the soil for planting.

Jason, whose efforts have already lost him a stone in weight, said: "It is still a learning process. For example, we put down all these cauliflowers and came back three days later to find they had been pulled up by pigeons. We’ve now put nets down to stop them.

"Growing things isn’t the difficult part because nature takes care of that.

"It’s dealing with all the pests and weeds and maintaining it that is hard."

The young family visits the allotment three to four times a week and even the children like to get involved with some of the work.

Kathryn, 23, remembers spending time on her own parents’ plot as a child.

She said: "It’s great for the kids and you can really tell the difference in the food. It is so fresh.

"We can have food on the table that was in the ground five minutes before."