A man sits out a rain shower in his garden shed on an allotment plot at the Uplands Allotments on August 9, 2010 in Handsworth, Birmingham, England. National Allotment Week is being used to promote the economic and social benefits of allotment gardening. Allotments have been part of Britsh culture for over two hundred years and allow people to rent a small space of land to grow their own fruit and vegatables, particularly in inner cities where gardens are small and land is at a premium.