Allotment guide | 4Food

Date Published:: 25/10/2007

Allot of sense

For many of us, allotments are mysterious, secluded places often glimpsed from a passing train and tended by shuffling old men in flat caps, but times are changing and at apace.

Demand for plots is soaring as a younger generation seeks a greener and healthier source of fruit and vegetables.

This has led to waiting lists of up to two years in some urban areas. However with the larger plots yielding up to £3,000 worth of produce a year, who can blame them?

Why bother to get an allotment?

Apart from growing your own delicious fruit and veg, you will benefit from plenty of fresh air and exercise, or dodging showers and digging if you prefer.

You will also be joining a vibrant community and could find yourself neighbours to a family, young professionals or retirees.

So with plenty of help and advice on-site, a complete novice will soon be growing potatoes, courgettes, onions and runner beans simply by following the instructions on the seed packet.

How to get an allotment

So how do you go about renting one of these goldmines?

First stop is your local council, which (apart from those in inner London) is legally obliged to provide space for cultivation.

These sites are either run by the council or leased to an allotment association.

In either case, your council's website will provide details of all allotments in your area. Go to Directgov for a list of local council websites.

The plots themselves vary in size but are typically 30ft long by 20ft wide, and can be rented for £5 to £50 per annum.

John Harrison, diarist on Allotment Growing, recommends visiting your local site and talking to the site manager. He says: "If you can convince them you are serious and committed you may find yourself with a plot sooner rather than later."

Neglected plots are regarded as a nuisance. "A lot of people rent with good intentions and do nothing," he adds.

Erica Hart (31) met her local allotment manager and enquired after a plot. She was told: "I could wait for years for a good one or could have the one covered in nettles for free. The nettles have now gone and the plot is flourishing."