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Planning and techniques
Planning and techniques

The great allotment hunt
Part Three: How to find yourself some land

It seems like a 21st-century phenomenon, but allotment growing started with mediaeval peasants. Then, it was considered a right to have access to common land to feed yourself: try telling that to allotment managers juggling 200-strong waiting lists.

The great British allotment is enjoying a wave of popularity not seen since the Second World War, as people seize the chance to claim their own ten rods of land to grow fresh, organic food cheaply for themselves and their families. With a few tricks up your sleeve, you too can have a veg patch to call your own.

Council matters

Start with your local council: they're the ones who run allotment sites. Get a list of all the sites in your area, and then visit them. This will focus your search, as not all sites will suit you. You might not be happy growing near a major road; a site might not have a piped water supply (a big no-no) or the rules might not allow sheds when you've set your heart on one. Once you have your shortlist, call the site managers and put yourself on their waiting lists.

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

It can be dispiriting to hear it'll be at least two years before you're handed the keys - but persistence pays.

Even the most daunting waiting lists can melt away as people's circumstances change. Call the allotment manager regularly to let them know you're still interested. Keep an open mind to less-than-perfect compromises, like sharing, or taking on a plot that others have refused because it's too neglected. Don't, however, accept plots with permanent problems: really pernicious weeds like Japanese knotweed or big trees which suck away moisture and light make veg-growing well nigh impossible.

A few tricks of the trade

Get to know the lucky souls who already have a plot on the site. Some may appreciate the offer of help in exchange for a spare corner to grow your own veg in: you could try putting an ad on the allotment noticeboard.

If allotment sites are in really short supply locally, you can also take matters into your own hands. If you can find six people who want an allotment, and locate a piece of suitable land (try asking local farmers), then by law local authorities must help you get set up.

Thinking laterally

A revolutionary thought this, perhaps: but it doesn't have to be an allotment. Dozens of schemes are helping people to grow their own, so find out what's happening in your community.

Garden share schemes like that in Totnes, in Devon, match people with a garden but no time or inclination, with would-be gardeners. You get a patch of land and, hopefully, make a new friend at the same time. If you don't have a scheme local to you – why not start one yourself?

TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has set up a similar scheme nationally: Landshare (www.landshare.net) matches landowners and veg-growers across the country. Even the National Trust is offering big chunks of its land for allotments through this website, so tap in your postcode and see what's available near you.

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