An allotment renaissance?

I am amazed it hadn't happened before now, really.

We (probably I, to be honest) have lost the tap key, that essential piece of allotment kit that allows us to turn on the tap near our plot when it's watering time. It's a little brass widget that goes on top of the tap, and small enough to be easily lost in long grass.

I wandered up to the town council offices last week with the tiny person in her pushchair to pick up another one for the grand sum of £2.50 and the person who deals with the allotment admin for the council suggested tying a string onto my new one to avoid losing it. I've gone one better - the new tap key is now wrapped in green shiny tape and boasts a gold sparkly ribbon so it'll stand out like a sore thumb. (No doubt I'll find the old one any day now ...)

Anyway, that wasn't really the point of this post. I got into a bit of a chat with the admin woman and asked about waiting lists for my allotment site. Apparently there's a 10-strong waiting list, and five new plots are being carved out on some idle land on the site to find homes for some of the prospective growers. That definitely represents a renaissance in interest in allotments where I live - when I got mine about five or so years ago there were a handful of vacant plots to choose from (and as you'll know if you've read my book, I made a bad choice in the one I picked!)

I know there's very often a big waiting list on London allotments but I wonder if this applies to the majority of sites across the country now?

Comments

[Darren]

I know the same is happening in Manchester - my local allotment has 60 plots and a 30-long waiting list. This is the same as the 2 other allotments close to me!

[Alex]

When applying for an allotment in Edinburgh, the council sends a list of its 30 sites and asks you to choose three. There's a waiting time for each site, and when I put my name down 3 years ago the waits were between 2 and 7 years depending on how desirable or how much turnover there was on each site.

The allotment officer reckons there's now over 1000 people on the waiting list now. Quite a change from the mid-80s when half the plots were vacant.

[Niki]

I am on the waiting list for a plot in our village near Basingstoke. Fortunately they are going to rent some more land in the autumn and I should get one then. However in Basingstoke the council run ones (about 20ish sites) all now have waiting lists, where as about 12-18 months ago most had vacancies when I looked.

[Tricia]

Well Hounslow council has loads of allotments there are only 3 of us on our field (although I suspect there are a couple who pay but don't do anything with them as well) and it took me about 3 months to get mine despite there being loads available.

[Neil Owens]

I've got my name down for a plot in Chester. 4 years ago I could have chosen from about 60 plots!! I'm quite happy to wait though. I've just constructed 4 small-ish raised beds in my garden as I've just moved house. The time I'll have to wait for my allotment will see if I can manage my new beds. Start off small I say!!

[Soilman]

I'm afraid it will prove a short-lived renaissance, Jane. If my plot's anything to go by, the waiting list just translates into an endless succession of people doing half a season (if that), then realising it's hard work and giving up. We have two plots that keep suffering this sad fate as they get recycled through the waiting list. Fast forward five years, and I'm sure allotments will be as under-used as they used to be.