WE are a nation of gardeners.

Or, at any rate, of would-be gardeners.

This is evidenced by the overwhelming demand for allotments. Those who have them, love them with a passion. Those who do not, covet them deeply, to the extent that they are prepared to join waiting lists where it may take years for their hopes to come to fruition, to coin a phrase.

The zeal for the right to grow is equal to the enthusiasm of the campaign for the right to buy of the 1980s.

There are, almost inevitably, not enough allotments to satisfy demand. There are around 8,000 plots in Scotland, and it is estimated that there are about 4,600 people on waiting lists in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.

Now something is afoot. There is concern that the new Community Empowerment (Scotland Bill) could lead to the standard size of public allotments - 250 square metres - being reduced. That would mean more could be squeezed out of the available community land.

Some, who may be inclined to call a spade a spade, would accuse the Scottish Government of being more interested in chicanery than chicory.

It is tempting to observe that the plot thickens. But the truth may be the exact opposite. Watch this space.