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The Allure of an Allotment

How to get your hands on a small patch of land

by Nick Pringle

24th May 2009

The swirl of the credit crunch and the winds of change, when it comes to growing your own, has created the perfect storm for allotment ownership. For many years since the nation dug for victory in the Second World War, allotments were a popular way of getting some good, healthy and cost effective food for the table, as well as being a sociable and healthy past time.

Credit: Nick Pringle

As the supermarkets grew and grew in the post war decades, offering fruit and veg at rock bottom prices, and the rise of more leisure time and money to enjoy it, the demand for allotments withered. Many were sold off for housing developments and surviving allotmenteers tended to be old stalwarts, who would never be prized away from their prized leeks, no matter what.

Then around the turn of the century TV cookery shows became popular, and celebrity chefs like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey urged viewers to use local produce in their home cooking. Organic food sales began to rise and farmers markets began to spring up, due to a surge in interest. This continued for a few years, and looking back it should have been obvious that the next big trend would be growing your own produce. Seed sales were picking up, pioneer green mums were venturing into the allotments and asking old blokes in flat caps if they had a bit of space they could grow a few carrots on, then suddenly Wall Street crashed and the seed of an idea suddenly sprouted in unison, and everyone had a similar idea. "I know, to save some money, I'll grow my own fruit and veg, I'll get an allotment!"

Now allotments are as popular as beach huts another old favourite making a comeback, which of course means that they are almost as hard to get a hold of as a breath of fresh air on the Tube, on a hot August day. Waiting lists abound and some are now years long, people can be seen peering into them longingly, and scanning their eyes across the scene of compost bins, old sheds and small fruit trees and gasping in disgust and outrage that there is an overgrown patch that looks unused. "But it's supposed to be full, why is that area untended, do these people know how lucky they are...Veg blocker!" they hiss as they shuffle off.

So what can the man or women do, who has a spade and watering can but nowhere to put down roots?

SHARE

Some allotments can be quite a size and often people are more than happy to use half of what they have got. If you and a friend are on a list, why not do a deal, so that if one of your names come up you agree to allow the other to have half.

ADVERTISE

Why not place a small WANTED ad in your local paper or on a free classified website letting people know you are after an allotment in your area. You never know who might see it.

LEAFLET YOUR LOCAL AREA

There is loads of gardens that are unused, and a leaflet explaining you are looking for an area to grow fruit and veg, might bare fruit (excuse the pun). Offer the homeowner an agreed share of the harvest as payment, this is a perfect solution for elderly residents who are not able to tend their gardens, and who would greatly appreciate the free fruit and veg that would help lower their food bills.

CAST YOUR FRUIT NET WIDE

Due to popularity of allotments at the moment and the lack of space on council run ones, private allotments are beginning to spring up. A number of farmers have started to turn fallow fields into allotments, providing allotment holders with irrigation water taps, parking etc. So keep you eyes peeled for any ads, advertising them. Recently the National Trust announced they would be turning some of their land into allotments, in places like old walled gardens. Yes, as you can imagine, there was a stampede. However, if there is a smaller charity that owns something like a nature reserve, stately home, a zoo etc, why not ask if they had ever considered turning some of their land over to rentable allotments.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER

Ask friends and family if they might be interested in getting an allotment, put a notice up in your local shop window, then once you've got quite a number of similarly frustrated greenfingered wannabees form a group and approach your local councillor and see if they can help with allowing some spare land to be allocated as a new allotment.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS

If you still can't get your hands on a parcel of land, then why not turn your windowsill or balcony into your allotment! Plant up a window box with herbs, The large garden retailers sell a growing range of grow your own items ideal for this purpose. For example mini fruit trees that can be kept in small pots, hanging baskets with cascading cherry tomatoes and strawberries, and compact lightweight potato bags that can be kept in small spaces and when ready cut open to reveal their starchy treasure. Some local councils, such as Newcastle Upon Tyne are even starting to plant fruit and veg in their street floral displays, with blunted scissors attached to encourage passers by to help themselves to a few sprigs of parsley or a couple of courgettes!

Allotments websites

www.nsalg.org.uk - The National Society of Allotment & Leisure Gardeners

www.allotments4all.co.uk - Lively internet forum for allotment fans

www.gardenandgreen.co.uk/allotments - Free classified for allotment plots

www.allotmenttv.co.uk - Internet TV channel with videos about allotments and growing fruit and vegetables

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